The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is calling for volunteers to help it complete the second phase of a project to conserve two Sentinel locomotives from its Arts Council Designated Collections.
The two Sentinel Shunting Locomotives, which date from the 1860s, are historically important parts of the Trust’s collection. They were used by the Coalbrookdale Company on their internal railway system. In the 1920s, to reduce running and material costs, the Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd. would modernise and convert locomotives from a boiler and cylinder system to a boiler with chain drive to both axles. The locomotives within this project are the oldest locomotive conversions by Sentinel that are known to have been preserved. They are now on permanent display beneath the arches of the viaduct that passes through Coalbrookdale for museum visitors and passersby to see.
In 2023 the Trust, a heritage conservation and education charity, secured funding from the Association for Industrial Archaeology to carry out work to conserve the engines, whose condition had deteriorated over time due to weather conditions. While the engines will not run again, the aim of the project is to stabilise their condition and conserve them so they can continue to be enjoyed by future visitors to the Ironbridge Gorge and its museums.
Work on one of the Sentinel locomotives has already been completed and new volunteers are needed to complete the second stage of the project.
The Trust is looking for volunteers who can commit to a half-day on Fridays between September and December. No specific qualifications are needed, though the role will require a reasonable amount of physical activity and working outside (though under some cover) in all weather. The work will involve wet and dry cleaning; priming bare iron; painting; and if appropriate carrying out some minor repairs. Volunteers also regularly receive questions from members of the public interested in their work and will be asked to take photographs to help record the progress of the project. Training for carrying out the conservation work and answering questions from the public will be provided.
Kate Cadman, Collections Curator at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “The conservation of these two locomotives is an important project for the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. The volunteers who help us complete it can take pride in knowing they have helped conserve the oldest locomotives converted by Sentinel that are known to have been preserved. We have a duty to preserve them for our visitors and future generations.”
Sharon Sinclair, Volunteer Officer at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “At the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust we have a wide range of roles available to volunteers, from welcoming and guiding visitors around our museums to managing archives and making replica costume. This project would suit anyone with an interest in steam engines or locomotives who wants to put their practical skills to good use.
“Volunteers are essential for some aspects of the Trust’s work and we couldn’t complete projects like this without their help. We hope to give volunteers the opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and have fun with us.”
The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust has several steam-powered engines in its care in Coalbrookdale and at Blists Hill Victorian Town. The Trust recently launched a campaign to raise £100,000 to repair the steam-powered winding engine at Blists Hill Victorian Town so that visitors in the future can see it in operation.
For more information about volunteering to help conserve the Sentinel locomotives, people can email volunteering@ironbridge.org.uk or find out more in person at the Heritage Open Days event in Coalbrookdale on 7 and 8 September, where they can see the locomotives and meet Kate Cadman directly.