The first book that I consulted was 'Industrial Locomotives of Cheshire Shropshire + Herefordshire', published by the Industrial Railway Society in 1977. I bought a secondhand copy directly from the IRS, for much less than eBay or Amazon wanted. There is little info inside to be honest, but it was a good starting point.
The gauge is stated as 1'11 1/2", not 2" as I thought. The railway was built for the construction of Trentabank Reservoir, between 1927 and 1930. During this phase two steam locos were used, both Sentinels of their Industrial type. These were 6894 and 6900, both built in 1927.
Between 1932 and 1934 some repair work (to the dam presumably) was needed and two petrol Motor Rail Simplexes were aquired. Only one of them has been identified in the book, 5240 built in 1930 and aquired from E.C. Jordan.
The next book to be opened was R.A.S. Abbott's 'Vertical Boiler Locomotives and Railmotors Built In Great Britain'. A Sentinel works list is included in this fascinating book, which confirms the gauge as 1'11 1/2". Also noted is the driving wheel diameter (1'8") and cylinder size (6 3/4" x 9"). Far more interesting however is a photo of one of the locos at work at Trentabank.
The same photo is also reproduced in Narrow Gauge & Industrial Railway Modelling Review number 73, along with a description of the type and a scale drawing.
On to the petrol locos. 'A Guide to Simplex Narrow Gauge Locomotives' by D.R. Hall and J.A.S. Rowlands was consulted next. Motor Rail 5240 was a 20/35 h.p. model, powered by a 4 cylinder Dorman engine. The frames were of the straight channel type and the driving position was on the opposite side to the normal Simplex layout. The book includes a drawing of a 20/35 loco.
And thats all that I've found so far.
Paul.
Not sure it adds much but the Walters and Waywell Motor Rail works list gives the following for 5240.
ReplyDeleteBuilt: 8/12/1930
Class: 20/35hp
Engine Type: Dorman 4MRX
Engine Number: 19043
Gauge: sft0in
Weight: 2 1/2 ton
Custome/Further Info: PLH; no despatch details. Sold as reconditioned loco to E.C.Jordan & Sons, Harrow Road, Newport, Monmouth; despatched 9/9/1931 to Filton Junction, Bristol. Spares to Macclesfield Corporation, (no date). Spares to Thos.W.Ward, 19/2/1935. In service of W.T.Wright & Co Ltd, Sileby near Loughboroug, [Leics], 13/6/1935
Hmm, not sure how I managed to get an s into the gauge description. That should read 2ft0in, sorry!
DeleteIts a shame that you can't edit comments!
DeleteAll info is interesting and potentially usefull Mark, and always appreciated.
Very interesting and, as you say, it's all grist to the mill. Sometimes, as you have done, it's a case of consulting different publications and joining up the dots between them. I hope you unearth more information. That Abbott book looks very interesting, will have to get that.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy digging through books trying to find that elusive nugget of information, preferably on a rainy afternoon with a fresh pot of tea and a slice of cake.
DeleteThe Abbott book is worth seeking out, full of wonderfull coffee pots and other mechanical marvels.
There's more information on Trentabank in Howard Bowtell's "Reservoir Railways of Manchester and The Peak"; several pages, three photos and a map.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly (to me at any rate) the two Sentinels ended up working around Hastings.
I vaguely remember reading about them in a 009 News some time in the 1980s; the article included drawings.
Enjoying looking back through your blog again, Paul!
Regards,
Simon.
I do now have that book Simon (perhaps I should write an update), a slightly battered copy which came with some hanwritten notes (in fountain pen!) concerning site visits in the 80's, all interesting stuff.
DeleteThe book also covers Fernilee Reservoir, which is just down the road from where I live and somewhere that I run or cycle past quite regularly.