The Shrewsbury connection at Chasewater
Scenty smells...*
12 April 2025
It’s the Industrial Railway Society’s AGM
event. The formula is simple - an
interesting train ride, an excellent buffet
lunch, the meeting, and (for anyone with
any stamina remaining) another train ride.
Today’s ride is certainly interesting - three
brakevans and a Sentinel steam locomotive, built at the
Sentinel Waggon Works in Shrewbury. Built in 1945, with
a rounded bodywork style, Cynthia was their works no.
9366. The design was short-lived - from 1946 locomotives
were built with the more familiar angular design. Cynthia
was no. 11 at the Tottenham & District Gas Company in
Middlesex.
Also in action today were two diesel locomotives which
represented later stages in the Sentinel story. Megan was
converted from a Sentinel steamer in 1960 by Thomas Hill
(they were Sentinel’s sales agents) of Rotherham. Their
no. 103C (C indicates a conversion) retains the chassis,
wheels and chain drive, powered by a diesel engine.
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
Helen is Thomas Hill’s 264V (”Vanguard”),
built in 1976. Helen and Megan topped-
and-tailed the coal train (a rake of
preserved merry-go-round hopper
wagons), and later Megan took her turn on
the brake vans, with Cynthia at the other
end.
I rode out to the the far of the line, then left the train at
Chasewater Heaths station in order to take one or two
photos, whilst walking back to Brownhills West (I needed
to work up an appetite for the buffet!).
Sentinel locomotives generally had a vertical boiler in the
cab, and were chain-driven by vertical cylinders geared to
provide a high tractive effort but a low top speed. Some,
like Cynthia, had a two-speed gearbox, providing a higher
top speed (around 13mph!) and a lower tractive effort.
Link: Chasewater Railway
*That’s how an old friend used to describe them. Poor little
things!
