7mm scale Dapol Sentinel

[David Holman]

The new Railway Modeller has a review of the above and it looks like it might just be possible to ease the wheels out to 36.75mm gauge.

 Why?

 The Limerick market branch used a couple of Sentinels and strikes me that this could form an interesting minimal space diorama. You'd still have to build the track and put together a few wagons, but could be a nice way to get into the 'senior scale'.

 Of course, it may be that Dapol's model is not the correct version, but the arrival of such things always get me thinking. Indeed, could I justify one on Belmullet's harbour branch??

[minister_for_hardship]

Standard Sentinel products, albeit the GSR may have made alterations.

Built 1927. Initially allocated to Cork and Tralee, one was tried on Castleisland branch. By summer 1931 both were at Tralee, moved to Limerick in 32, but still used in Tralee area on occasion. (Fenit branch?)

Worked Markets branch in Limerick until that closed in 1940 and lay out of service until withdrawal. It's a wonder that two fairly modern units couldn't have other work found for them.

Edited February 14, 2020 by minister_for_hardship

[Galteemore]

Saw one in my local model shop and it set me wondering. Nice little model. 

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, David Holman said:

The new Railway Modeller has a review of the above and it looks like it might just be possible to ease the wheels out to 36.75mm gauge.

Why?

The Limerick market branch used a couple of Sentinels and strikes me that this could form an interesting minimal space diorama........

.......Indeed, could I justify one on Belmullet's harbour branch??

You could say that it was sent there after the Limerick markets line closed, as they had a need for something to shunt up there....maybe include some sort of industrial siding, maybe for turf?

Such a thing was once proposed for near Achill, and after all a G was sent to shunt Ballina & the Crossmolina siding in 1962.....

[jhb171achill]

As an aside, and hoping not to stray too far off topic, things like Sentinels and various one-off small locos can be seen as a little too specialist or limited for many layouts.

However.... despite Ireland having WAAAY fewer industrial sidings, and therefore industrial locos than the Land of Brexit, and not only that, but most of what we DID have shunted by "railway company engines" rather than private ones, there are many instances that can provide inspiration for a small shunting layout.

From the Derry docks to Courtaulds in Carrickfergus, to Guinness' Brewery, the former Allmans distillery loco shunting Cork's docks - and then small "company" engines like West Cork's 90, 100, 299, "Argadeen" and "St Molaga", a "G" on the North City Mills, the are a number of "modellable" scenarios, both real and imagined, around a potential prototype like that. Market sidings in Omagh and Limerick, and probably other places - a home for a Sentinel, of course.

Most of the above examples are in or around cities, but many specialist sidings were in place all around the remoter west too.

The Achill line, or all places, had in its short life no less than three short lines off it in planning stage. A turf carrying line of 2 miles or so near Achill, to Gubbardletter; a branch to a small pier at Inishlyre, near Westport (PERFECT for a small but highly scenic industrial siding); and right at closure time a series of turf sidings near Carrowgarve, outside Newport - which, if built, would have kept Westport - Newport open for a few years more as goods-only. Ballysodare had Polloxfen's Mills, with its cramped layout (perfect for a modeller short of space or time) necessitating 3-way turnouts, otherwise rare in Ireland. 

Shannonvale in Co Cork; might a Sentinel have worked there if it was busier?

If anyone was ever modelling something like the Blessington tramway, it's not inconceivable that an outfit like that could have taken one of these locos, or had it lasted longer, bought the GSR ones. Guinness's might have taken one or two on, either new or ex-GSR....

So there's potential there, both in real life and in the "modeller's licence" world.

Edited February 14, 2020 by jhb171achill

[minister_for_hardship]

Jhb, pretty sure Shannonvale was off limits to locos, even teeny things like 90 hence the horse.

If the Sentinels had hung around longer, doing things the Deutz would have done, hired out to CSE in the sugar factories, Newmarket, Loughrea perhaps?

[David Holman]

All sounds good, folks!

 The thing about a Sentinel is there would be no wheel quartering involved, being just discs. Not sure what the axles are, but guess they could be standard Slaters wagon type with the pinpoint ends ground off flush with the wheel. If so, replacing the axles shouldn't be too difficult. The only other issue then is whether all the nice details below the sole bars are far enough out to enable the wheels to be moved out 2mm each side without drastic surgery. Another possibility would be if the wheels themselves are meaty enough, then they could just be tweaked out with some filler in the centre to hide the hole.

 If anyone gets the chance to have a look at the model, I'd be very interested to know.

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, minister_for_hardship said:

Jhb, pretty sure Shannonvale was off limits to locos, even teeny things like 90 hence the horse.

If the Sentinels had hung around longer, doing things the Deutz would have done, hired out to CSE in the sugar factories, Newmarket, Loughrea perhaps?

Yes, you're absolutely right about Shannonvale - I'm thinking "layout license" here! Obviously, the CIE train loco could have easily shunted it otherwise, if the track was fit for it.

Yes, the sugar factories are another good idea. Loads of Leslie's corrugated opens (to do a beet season properly on a factory-based layout, you'd need fifty of the things! Tuam used its own locos plus CIE's "G"s, later actually hiring G611 after CIE had withdrawn it from their own use.

Newmarket, also perhaps Fenit, Castleisland and Mitchelstown, or Banagher or possibly Edenderry........good fodder for thought.

[David Holman]

Currently, on this forum, there are two people doing 7mm broad gauge - Galteemore and me. 

Is anyone else tempted? Come on in, the water's lovely!

[Galteemore]

Indeed it is! It’s exactly a year ago that I took the plunge to model broad gauge. It’s been challenging but most rewarding...cue a few celebratory pics. 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2020 by Galteemore

[David Holman]

Need I say more?

[Galteemore]

Can’t think who talked me into it!