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| 1st Steam Loco on this part of the S&D in over 50 years. |
In the meantime, here's a video clip of Joyce exploring some new territory at Midsomer Norton after passing her annual boiler inspection on February 20th.
Showing posts with label Performance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Performance. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Exploring New Territory
In the meantime, here's a video clip of Joyce exploring some new territory at Midsomer Norton after passing her annual boiler inspection on February 20th.
Tuesday, 18 July 2017
Operating Experience (1)
It's been five months since I last wrote any blog articles on Sentinel 7109. Joyce has been performing better than I'd expected. I'd previously formed the idea that Sentinel locos chuffed about quietly doing their thing but Joyce has a passenger role and a steep gradient to climb every journey.
Finding myself cab-bound on most operating days and short of a thirty foot long selfie stick, I'm heavily reliant on others for photos of Joyce in action. However, many have enthusiastically come to the rescue with fantastic videos on YouTube. (Search for 'midsomer norton steam' and you won't be short of videos to keep you occupied for hours).
7109's blog also began as a means of recording my own engineering restoration activities for myself and anyone else who might find it useful. Thus I'm avoiding becoming a train pictures blog and intend to maintain the original theme. (I reserve the right wander off subject when I feel like it of course!).
To begin with, hauling two carriages seemed a heavy load for Joyce and the best way to climb the 1 in 50 hill was to keep her in 'start' cut-off setting and trudge up the incline at about 5mph for six minutes. After some months of experience, a dual train running day was held in March 2017; for part of the day Joyce was allocated two wagons and a brake van on the up line. It became clear that Joyce hardly noticed this load at all and could be made to 'fly' out of the station, change into 'fast' cut-off setting and ascend the hill without difficulty.
I discussed this with members of the Sentinel Drivers Club and was given the hint that it was wise to open the regulator fully when in 'fast' cut-off. I'd previously been scared of doing this as it felt akin to always driving with my foot hard on my car's accelerator.
However, with this in mind on the next running day, I decided to give it a go with two carriages. To my astonishment, Joyce shot out of the station and up the gradient with little fuss and got to the end of the run in 4 minutes!
I'm now very pleased and educated that a Sentinel is far from a quiet chuffer and can be very much a hard working, impressive steam locomotive.
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| 8th July 2017 - Rapid take-off (from a video by Callum Willcox) |
7109's blog also began as a means of recording my own engineering restoration activities for myself and anyone else who might find it useful. Thus I'm avoiding becoming a train pictures blog and intend to maintain the original theme. (I reserve the right wander off subject when I feel like it of course!).
To begin with, hauling two carriages seemed a heavy load for Joyce and the best way to climb the 1 in 50 hill was to keep her in 'start' cut-off setting and trudge up the incline at about 5mph for six minutes. After some months of experience, a dual train running day was held in March 2017; for part of the day Joyce was allocated two wagons and a brake van on the up line. It became clear that Joyce hardly noticed this load at all and could be made to 'fly' out of the station, change into 'fast' cut-off setting and ascend the hill without difficulty.
I discussed this with members of the Sentinel Drivers Club and was given the hint that it was wise to open the regulator fully when in 'fast' cut-off. I'd previously been scared of doing this as it felt akin to always driving with my foot hard on my car's accelerator.
However, with this in mind on the next running day, I decided to give it a go with two carriages. To my astonishment, Joyce shot out of the station and up the gradient with little fuss and got to the end of the run in 4 minutes!
I'm now very pleased and educated that a Sentinel is far from a quiet chuffer and can be very much a hard working, impressive steam locomotive.
Friday, 30 August 2013
Order, Order!
As well as restoring Sentinel 7109 ("Joyce"), I've also been discovering her history. Sometimes information comes to light through a deliberate search but occasionally someone turns up a real unexpected gem.
One of these gems was kindly sent to me by John Hutchings from the Industrial Locomotive Society. There are three images which can be magnified for reading by clicking on them (and 'back-arrow' to return). They show the original works orders (7109) for the manufacture of "Joyce".
In amongst the information are the figures for the number of gear teeth and sprocket teeth. These allow an interesting calculation of speed per engine RPM.
Crankshaft pinion: 45 teeth.
Countershaft pinion: 102 teeth.
Axle sprockets: 27 teeth.
Countershaft sprockets: 15 teeth.
Engine speed to axle speed ratio:
102/45 x 27/15 = 4.08:1.
Wheel diameter: 36 inches.
Wheel circumference: Pi x 36 = 9.42 ft.
[Feet/mile = 5280].
MPH = (RPM/4.08 x 60) x 9.42/5280 = 13.1 at 500 RPM engine speed.
So we can expect Sentinel 7109 to be speeding along at 13.1 MPH when its engines are at 500 RPM!
Other noteworthy points in the orders show that there was an injector fitted originally and that no Weir boiler feed pump was included; it would appear to have been ordered and fitted later. The boiler was a single 'experimental' type as opposed to some earlier double-engined locos that had used two 100 HP boilers!
I'm also enquiring as to whether similar information is available for the two Radstock Sentinels.
One of these gems was kindly sent to me by John Hutchings from the Industrial Locomotive Society. There are three images which can be magnified for reading by clicking on them (and 'back-arrow' to return). They show the original works orders (7109) for the manufacture of "Joyce".
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| Page 1 |
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| Page 2 |
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| Not forgetting the 'sprockets'! |
Crankshaft pinion: 45 teeth.
Countershaft pinion: 102 teeth.
Axle sprockets: 27 teeth.
Countershaft sprockets: 15 teeth.
Engine speed to axle speed ratio:
102/45 x 27/15 = 4.08:1.
Wheel diameter: 36 inches.
Wheel circumference: Pi x 36 = 9.42 ft.
[Feet/mile = 5280].
MPH = (RPM/4.08 x 60) x 9.42/5280 = 13.1 at 500 RPM engine speed.
So we can expect Sentinel 7109 to be speeding along at 13.1 MPH when its engines are at 500 RPM!
Other noteworthy points in the orders show that there was an injector fitted originally and that no Weir boiler feed pump was included; it would appear to have been ordered and fitted later. The boiler was a single 'experimental' type as opposed to some earlier double-engined locos that had used two 100 HP boilers!
I'm also enquiring as to whether similar information is available for the two Radstock Sentinels.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
The Power of the Double-Engined Sentinels
What can you do with a Sentinel locomotive rated at 200 HP?
John Hutchings, of the Industrial Locomotive Society, kindly sent me a copy of a very interesting letter recently (September 2011).
Recall that Sentinel 7109 was the first of a series of eight pre-war double engined Sentinel locos with the unusual curvaceous profile. Being a first-off, its performance needed to be marketed to potential customers and so it was delivered to the LMS at Newton Heath, Manchester for evaluation.
The letter below describes the tests and shows how impressed the observers were with 7109 at the start of 1928. (Click the picture to enlarge it for reading).
So these are the results of the actual tests done on 7109 which inspired the S&DJR Co Ltd to purchase their two similar locos for use at Radstock.
Clearly, you can do quite a lot with a 200 HP loco so long as you don't want to do it too quickly!
John Hutchings, of the Industrial Locomotive Society, kindly sent me a copy of a very interesting letter recently (September 2011).
Recall that Sentinel 7109 was the first of a series of eight pre-war double engined Sentinel locos with the unusual curvaceous profile. Being a first-off, its performance needed to be marketed to potential customers and so it was delivered to the LMS at Newton Heath, Manchester for evaluation.
The letter below describes the tests and shows how impressed the observers were with 7109 at the start of 1928. (Click the picture to enlarge it for reading).
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| Sentinel 7109 performance (Letter courtesy of John Hutchings, Industrial Locomotive Society). (Note: this was retyped by JH as the original is in poor condition). |
Clearly, you can do quite a lot with a 200 HP loco so long as you don't want to do it too quickly!
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