Black 5

[Chas1955]

Hi, I have bought a Hornby Black 5 ,model R2555 and the smoke box darts are missing. Can anyone tell me if I can get them from anywhere as a spare part. Thanks in advance.

[Chrissaf]

Whilst you wait for a reply, perhaps you would spend a few minutes reviewing the TIPs in the TIP page link below:

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TIP: As a newbie poster on the forum, just be aware that the 'Blue Button with the White Arrow' is not a 'Reply to this post' button. If you want to reply to any of the posts, scroll down and write your reply in the reply text box at the bottom of the page and click the Green 'Reply' button.

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See also – further TIPs on how to get the best user experience from this forum.

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/tips-on-using-the-forum/

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[81F]

 If you Google "smokebox dart 4mm" at least two suppliers appear. These look as if they are made for the scratch/kit building market rather than Hornby spares but it is probably the best you will get. I had to resort to something similar when I lost the dart off my Hornby grange a few years back However I ended up fabricating some from a small piece of brass rod and parts of an old smiths screw link coupling!

[Rana Temporia]

If you buy the ones you assemble yourself you'll either need good eyesight or a magnifying aid of some sort as the holes in the handles are tiny! They do look good though.

 

The cast ones are easier but don't look as good. 

[atom3624]

I have always used the ones you assemble.

 

As RT states, they are tiny, but work very well.

 

You will need a lot of patience, steady hand, probably a magnifying glass, and a 'pin driver', to drill the mounting hole in the smokebox door.

 

After that, it's test, measure, test, measure ... then start gluing and painting - may want to paint before final installation if the fit and alignment are good.

 

Al.

[LCDR]

I made some using two thicknesses of brass wire and a very  small brass washer.  It is then soldered up.

The thick wire goes through the washer, and the handles are made from thinner wire, one turn each round the thick bit with a straight bit left out and cut to length. All soldered together. With a tail left out to allow it to be glued into the smoke box. I used the drawings in the Roche Historic Locomotive Drawings book, which does include the Black 5.

Hold the thick wire in  a vice and build up the dart in that.

Fixing in to the smokebox with superglue.