Measuring Sentinels at Elsecar.

Today I've been up to the Elsecar Railway at Barnsley with Robert Thompson, who owns RT Models, looking at, photographing and measuring the pair of Sentinel vertical boilered locos that are kept there (a third Sentinel is also present, but as its a rebuild of a Manning Wardle wasn't of interest today). Robert's preparing a 4mm scale kit for one of these distinctive industrial steam locos, which is at the test etch stage, and wanted to compare his kit with the prototype and check a few dimensions. It seems that we were just in time, one of the locos is undergoing a drastic rebuild (to make it look less like a diesel...), completely changing its appearance to be more like Gervais, the MW rebuild, and the other was bought for spares and might end up being scrapped!

Being a weekday nothing was moving and the friendly staff allowed us full access, although I should stress that the visit was pre-arranged by Robert.

The donor loco minus its boiler, outside the shed awaiting whatever fate its owner has in store for it;

 

Robert brought his pre-production model with him and it proved to be a usefull exercise comparing the prototype kit to the full size machine;

Robert's test etch on the footplate of a full size loco (cab rear and roof left off).

Inside the shed the other Sentinel was being worked on (apologies for the poor quality photograph), this view shows how the top of the bodywork and water tank are being cut down;

Railway 'preservation'.

It seems that the upper angled part of the bonnet is being cut away and the bonnet lowered.

Gervais, the converted Manning Wardle, was also in the shed but I didn't manage to get a decent photograph of it. Sentinel did a fair amount of business rebuilding worn out steam locos with vertical boilers and their own vertical cylindered engines. Later Thomas Hill did similar work converting steam locos, including Sentinels, to diesel power.

Other locos on site included this lovely Hunslet;

The Mardy Beast, built by Peckett;

And this fabulous Yorkshire, which somehow reminds me of a hot-rod with its distinctive styling and worn black and red colourscheme;

Paul.