4wVBT No.
9376
Builder : Sentinel
Date Built: 1947 Works No.:
9376
Running No.: 7
Tractive Effort:- 5,960 / 15,960 lb
Boiler Pressure: 275 psi
Cylinder Dimensions:- 6¾" x 9"
Weight:- 24T Driving Wheel Dia.:
2' 6" Status: Awaiting Repair
Sentinel No. 9376 was built in 1947 for Ind Coope
and Allsop, and was used at their Burton Brewery. During 1960
it was sold to Thomas Hill Ltd. of Kilnhurst, near Rotherham.
From February to May that year the locomotive was loaned to
Batchelor's Foods Ltd. of Wadsley Bridge. It then received a
rebuild before sale to the National Coal Board in July. The
NCB used No. 9376 at East Ardsley Colliery near Wakefield for three
years before reselling it to Thomas Hill in 1963. Two years
later the engine was on the move again, this time being purchased by
General Refractories Ltd. of Deepcar, Sheffield. From about
1969, a small Ruston diesel was found sufficient for the company's
rail traffic and No. 9376 lay out of use until 1971. In July 1971
the locomotive was purchased by a member of the Sentinel Trust and
moved to Quainton. 9376 is similar to, but an older version
of, Sentinel 9537 which is at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.
9376 arrived at the Rutland Railway Museum
Cottesmore in working order and worked at Barrington Cement Works,
near Cambridge, as well as at Rutland Railway Museum open days.
Few problems, other than the eccentricities of the locomotive, were
experienced. The first problem arose due to a steam leak, when
welded modifications were required to reduce clearances around mud
hole doors to reduce the risk of further leaks. Problems were
also been experienced with a loose piston in the left hand cylinder,
this and problems with oiling, meant the locomotive was out of
service for 1997. During the layoff, some wasted studs were
replaced, the pressure gauge was recalibrated, and a tank drain leak
repaired. The locomotive passed its hydraulic and steam tests
and returned to service. Due to the gradients at Cottesmore
(approx. 1 in 66), No. 9376 was not ideally suited to continuous
heavy working, but regularly performed on demonstration freight
trains or running light locomotive.
In this engine the drive passes via a two speed
gear box through a double chain to the leading axle. This is
connected to the rear axle by single chain on the opposite side.
The space between the boiler and the cylinders at the front of the
engine is occupied by a 500 gallon water tank. The locomotive was in
full working condition until recently but has been stripped for its
10-year boiler certification, this requiring the boiler to be lifted
out of the frames. Work on returning the locomotive to operational
condition is expected to begin in the near future.
Sources:
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre,
Rutland Railway Museum
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