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!
