Steamy!

48 years since Sentinel 7109 was last believed to have been steamed (and 56 since it was definitely known to have been steamed), finally a fire has been lit in the grate of this unique double-engined Sentinel locomotive.

Steam rising

(Also on YouTube)

An early start on Tuesday 9th Feb. 2016 saw Andy Chapman, Nigel Dickinson and Graham Findlay (with a cameo appearance from Justin Goold) applying the match at 08:30am.

Oily rag activity

Activity began slowly.

Slow start

A whimper from the rooftop:

Fumes fuelled the fire

Raging inferno in the making

With commensurate reaction from above.

Quadruple chimneys' worth

And more fuel for the fire.

A handful of coal

With more reaction from above.

Close atmosphere developing

Not such a cold day after all.

A nice fire to sit by

But getting a little foggy inside!

A real pea-souper!

Inevitably a new machine brings its own noises. The cab-mounted Worthington-Simpson steam driven water pump gets some exercise - what a wonderful sound! (Also on YouTube).

A brilliant day of progress and a joy to see and hear 7109 coming back to life with enthusiasm!

Note: water hoses and fire extinguishers were close at hand during the whole operation.