A demonstration of what can be achieved with the minimum of hand tools.

In 1929 the LNER ordered two D.E.D.G. locomotives from the Sentinel factory for working the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway. These were known as Y10 class numbered 8403 and 8404. I originally picked the Y10 loco as a simple scratchbuild project, something that could be completed without the use of a lathe. It proved to be the case, the vast majority of the loco was fabricated from sheet and bar stock. This is an example of what can be achieved with the minimum of hand tools. I had just finished at university and was in rather cramped rented accommodation. I bought a black and decker workmate for a portable workbench and with a small toolbox scratch built this loco. The motor, gears and wheels were bought, I borrowed time on my Dad’s lathe to turn up the buffers, everything else was built up from nickel silver sheet and various bits of bar stock.

Background information.

Side view drawing

The amount of information on the Y10 seems to be very sparse. There was a very good article written by M. G. Fell and published in Railway World, October 1982 issue. This covered 3 pages of information and discussion of the locomotives and their use on the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway. There also a few sparse details and photographs in the RCTS book “Locomotives of the LNER, Part 9b.” I also used “The Sentinel, Volume 1 1875-1930″, written by W.J.Hughes and Joseph L.Thomas, published by David and Charles. Again only one photo of the loco and very little in way of description of the loco. However the book did have some interesting information and drawings on Sentinels in general which could be useful in the construction of the model. Much more recently, and long after I had completed the model, an article appeared in Model Rail, September 2003 issue on building LNER tram engines which included the Y10. There is one good sized photograph (6.5″x10”) of 8403 which would be invaluable for anybody wishing to model this loco. Just recently I’ve found another cracking photo of 8403 from the Transport Treasury archives – from the Dr Ian Allen collection reference E363. This shows LNER 8403 at Yarmouth. still fitted with “cow catchers” and a chain wrapped round the right front buffer shank. I wasn’t aware of any drawings at the time but a few years earlier my Dad had built one for a customer. Working from photos and known dimensions he sketched out a working drawing for the locos. Since building the model a much more accurate drawing has surfaced on the Sentinel Steam Loco 7109 site.

Running gear

Simple chassis driving both axles.

The chassis is very conventional and was built using 28″ nickel silver sheet cut to shape and then drilled for the brass axle bushes. It’s a solid unsprung chassis built in the days before Delrin chain drives and I wanted drive to both axles. It’s a very short wheel base so getting a mashima motor in was a tight squeeze. I actually dismantled the motor and then filed the casing a bit to get the clearance from the gears. The motor bushes were extended to put a couple of flywheels on the end.

Bodywork

Sentinel Y10

Sentinel Y10

The bodywork started with the flat running plate cutout to clear the motor and gears. I then built up all the lower running plate work soldering rivetted strips onto the nickel silver. The cabs were built as separate units, there is a small 10BA bolt in each corner so that thy can be bolted to running plate. When my Dad built his loco he built it all as one unit and found it very difficult to paint the inner facing cab front. So by making the cabs detachable I was able to paint up each unit prior to assembly.