BR Sentinel lookalike offered to S&D Trust
£55k appeal launched to secure locomotive for Midsomer Norton
THE Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust (S&DRHT) has launched a £55,000 appeal to repurchase its resident Sentinel 4wVBTG No. 7 Joyce (7109/1927), after being offered the opportunity to secure the locomotive for the Midsomer Norton set-up by its owner, Andy Chapman.
The ex-Croydon Gas Works locomotive is the last-surviving double-engined Sentinel, and first arrived at Midsomer Norton in 2004. It had initially been bought by the S&DRHT owing to its similarity to the pair of locomotives – BR
Nos. 47190 and 47191 – that had been based at nearby Radstock. However, after only basic cosmetic work, Joyce was sold to the current owner in 2010, who returned it to steam over the next six years.
Since then, it has been a popular performer at the railway, and was even a star turn at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s recent S&D-themed Cotswold Festival of Steam. Consequently, the S&DRHT is keen to take advantage of the offer to make the locomotive a permanent resident, and is looking to raise the necessary £55,000, which will not only cover the purchase of Joyce, but will also provide the Trust with reserved funds to help cover the cost of its next major overhaul in 2026.
Donations can be made online at sdjr.co.uk/fundraising – or by sending a cheque payable to the ‘Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust’ to ‘Joyce appeal’, Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust, Midsomer Norton Station, Silver Street, Midsomer Norton, BA3 2EY. Anyone donating over £750 will be invited to a special day at Midsomer Norton, where they will be able to experience operating Joyce under supervision.