Sentinel 4wVBT GA? – Or Sentinel Trust?

[IanTParticipant @iant]

I am in the process of designing a Gauge '3' version of the Sentinel 4wVBT (100hp) and have been seeking as much information as possible – including if at all possible a GA of the engine.

I have collected a number of very good photos and also have the ME Series on the 5" Sirena which looks to be very useful. This was a live steam version based on a Stuart twin engine – although mine will be battery electric.

Through this article, I also found a pretty good drawing from an ME in 1951 which has a lot of info (but also lacks quite a lot too). I could of course simply rescale 'Sirena' – but then I would copy any compromises the designer might have made (and there are usually some) when he drew up his model.

What I would really like therefore is the original GA and I understand that the Sentinel Trust used to have these. Unfortunately, I cannot find any contact details for the ST – just the Sentinel Drivers Club (and an enquiry there about the ST hasn't produced any response).

So if any kind soul can send me a scan of the Sentinal 4wVBT GA – or provide a contact for the Sentinel Trust (if it still exists?) – I'd be very grateful.

Regards,

IanT

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Looking for Sentinal General Arrangement drawings

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

ME 3053 and 3070 have various sentinel engine stuff

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Thanks Ady – I will see if I have them.

Anyone else here know if the Sentinel Trust is still around?

Regards,

IanT

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

3053 is a waggon, can't see it in 3070

But the good news is that 2590 Vol 104 has GA drawings

Also a 5" one on Station Road steam seems to suggest there was a published design in ME.

J

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

From 3070

NOT THE FIRST
SIR,-—As the designer of the Sentinel
locomotive on the cover of your issue
of March 24, I should be more than
human if I was not proud to see that
the locomotive built for Croydon
gas works in 1926-27 was still running.
This locomotive was not the ¿rst
200 h.p. 0-4-0 locomotive built at
Shrewsbury. I rather fancy that the
¿rst double engine locomotive built
is running near Frome.
The SW Gas Board locomotive
broke completely with Sentinel ortho-
dox design and time, apparently, has
proved me right. I used plate frames,
mounted the standard vertical engines
on a gear case incorporating a counter-

shaft, and used a cast iron water tank
-with walls (speaking from memory),
about 3 in. thick. The tank served to
hold water and provide ballast. The
engines were set transversely and the
walls of the water tank were made to
follow the pro¿le of the engine casings,
thus providing not only a pleasing
exterior, but also a good view from
the cab windows.
Before going to Croydon the
locomotive was tested on the LMS
and she shifted 1,000 tons so I was
told by the driver. The result of that
test was the supply of engines of the
same type to the Somerset and Dorset.
The Sentinel engine was a miracle of
cheap construction. So much so.
that it was cheaper to ¿t the 100 h.p.
engine to a 6 ton locomotive than to
design a smaller engine.
Devizes. KYRLE W. WILLANS.

From 3258

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway
I hear that the Welshpool & Llanfair
are having another good season. By the
end of August, the number of passengers
carried was nearly 50% up on last year.
As fares have been increased, and with
the opening of the track to Sylfaen, the
journey is longer, so that actual cash
receipts have increased by over 50%.
This is good news; but more passengers,
and in fact more members of the preser-
vation company, are still urgently re-
quired if this excellent little railway is
to be sure of survival. The 2 ft. ll in.
gauge Sentinel locomotive Nutty, pre-
viously owned by the London Brick
Company, has been lent to the W & L
by the Narrow Gauge Museum Com-
mittee. It is now at Llanfair, where it is
to be re-gauged and overhauled.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

There's a restored one out there somewhere

Engineering in miniature 4-2 mentions it, (july 82)

TELFORD HORSEHAY STEAM
TRUST STEAM DAYS
The Telford Horsehay steam trust will be
holding steam days on the l7 and l8 July
at their headquarters at Horsehay,
Telford, Shropshire. The ex-Great
Western Railway 0-6-2 tank number 5619
will be in steam as will be the newly

restored Sentinel locomotive number
9535.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

I assumed your 1951 article was ME 2590

I've plonked it into my album, 4 pictures titled "sentinel"

The 3070 article is a geared wagon article

Edited By Ady1 on 21/10/2014 22:44:41

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Thank you for the scans Ady – appreciate you taking the trouble.

Regards,

IanT

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

You may be able to get some info from The Sentinel Drivers Club. (Primarily aimed at waggon owners, and they will understandably probably want you to join).

The E mail address that I was given was: ewaonta@hotmail.co.uk

I have E mailed several times but never had a reply, if it gives you any confidence!

Howard

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

You don't want the "n" in that address, full contact details here

Edited By JasonB on 25/10/2014 16:46:05

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Hi Howard,

I had the same thought but an enquiry on their Forum has not produced any replies at all – but I will try emailing them as you suggest (& thanks for the correction Jason).

I'm sure someone there must know what happened to the "Sentinel Trust" .You'd think 'The Drivers Club' would be a fairly exclusive band of people who are probably very well informed about all things Sentinel' – but they may not be into 'webs' and 'forums' – and all these other new fangled (non-steam driven) things….

Regards

IanT

[Diane CarneyModerator @dianecarney30678]

Hi Ian

I am a member of the Sentinel Drivers Club and you are right in that their website is probably not their primary source of communications! The list that Jason provided, however, is the place to go. Andy Chapman is very knowledgable on Sentinel locomotives and Richard Nixon is your man for any drawings. The only problem is that you really need to request a drawing by its engine (or waggon) number. Richard should be able to help you. (I wouldn't worry about them wanting you to join, by the way. They aren't like that – it's up to you.)

Incidentally (changing the subject), I have just read in Colours of the Cut by Edward Padget-Thomlinson that there was a steam narrow boat tug once powered by 'half' a Sentinel waggon engine! The text gave no more information than that but I can only assume it meant an engine from Super. It wasn't successful, apparently. The boat was 'overpwered' and ash disposal was a problem. (It didn't say it was a Sentinel boiler!!)

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Excellent Diane,

That was really the contact information I needed. I thought that someone here would know who best to talk to.

I'll try contacting Richard directly now I know who to ask for. All I have to do is to get my 'collaborators' to agree as to which 'No' engine we will be building…

Thanks again.

Regards,

IanT

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