About us
The Narrow Gauge Sentinel Railcar Preservation Trust has been formed following 18 months of discussions both in the UK and Sri Lanka. Its prime objective is to purchase at least one of the three 2ft 6in gauge steam railcars, currently stored in the open at Dematogada Running Shed on the island, and to transport it to the UK for restoration.
All three of the 1928 built V2 class railcars survive in either dismantled or derelict condition, despite one of them having been steamed as recently as 2008. Depending upon the interest and funding the Trust can attract, it is hoped to be able to secure an operational future for one or possibly two of the railcars.
The Trust’s actions have been accelerated following an announcement in September 2015 by the Sri Lankan Transport Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, ordering the immediate sale of discarded iron, other metals and abandoned railway vehicles currently stored at countrywide railway yards. A subsequent list compiled for sale included the railcars and other surplus narrow gauge equipment on the island.
Having established its Constitution the Trust is exploring various sources of funding but will also be appealing for donations as soon as formalities with the Charity Commission are completed and administrative processes have established.
Chairman Harry Billmore says that the Trust has received a very positive response after expressing interest in saving at least one of the railcars to Sri Lankan Railways. “This has been done on the recommendation of our contact in the Sri Lankan railways, and negotiations that are involving the Ministry of Transport are on-going,” Harry adds. “The Trust has also appointed an agent in Sri Lanka to act on our behalf and to determine any issues that we may not have foreseen. We have approached several shipping agents for quotes to bring the railcars back to the UK and have arranged for undercover storage and workshop facilities in North Lincolnshire for after their return. We have also had initial discussions with two UK heritage railways as potential homes for a railcar after restoration and made helpful contacts within both the Sentinel Steam Waggon and narrow gauge preservation communities.”
Annual membership of the Trust is £10. Enquiries for further information or expressions of interest in getting involved in the project can be made by email to:
or through the increasingly popular Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sentinelrailcar/
About the Railcars
In 1928 the Ceylon Government Railways were supplied with three V2 class narrow-gauge steam railcars, their traction equipment manufactured by the Sentinel Waggon Works of Shrewsbury and the running gear built by Cammell Laird & Co. of Nottingham. The sale was arranged by Sentinel-Cammell agent Bertie More, father of the renowned film actor Kenneth More.
The Sri Lankan vehicles were amongst the first of the Sentinel-Cammell geared railcars powered by an underframe-mounted horizontal six cylinder single-acting engine with twin camshaft valve gear and cardan-shaft transmission. This was to be very successful when combined with Sentinel’s high-pressure water tube boiler, resulting in astonishingly low coal consumption, improved ride quality and an easing of the maintenance issues that had blighted previous steam railcar designs.
The railcars operated services on the Upper Section of the Sabaragamuwa Railway (part of the Kelani Valley network) between Ratnapura to Opanayaka until 1976. This steep and sharply-curved 22-mile long route ran through dense tropical forest and found fame when it was used in the highly successful 1957 film ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’. Incidentally a Sri Lankan Hunslet 4-4-0T steam locomotive used in the film is also understood to be threatened with scrapping. The steam railcars where then transferred to the Kelani Valley ‘main line’ between Colombo and Avissawella where railcar No. 331 remained in operation into the early 1980s.
In 1990 Sri Lankan Railways restored No. 331 to working order and ran tourist services. The Kelani Valley line had been converted to broad gauge but sections were laid to dual gauge to allow the two types of vehicle to work the route. Unfortunately following a derailment of the railcar in 1998 the narrow gauge rails were removed, apart for an area outside Dematogada running shed where No. 331 was occasionally steamed until 2008. The railcar was then partially dismantled in a restoration attempt by local railwaymen that subsequently stalled when the three vehicles were evicted from the workshops.
Railcars No. 332 and No. 333, believed to have last steamed in 1976 and 1974 respectively, are also stored in the yard at Dematogada in derelict condition. No. 332 has a good body and underframe but has been gradually stripped to provide mechanical parts for No. 331. No. 333 in comparison is still mechanically complete but with a very poor body.
The Trust is pursuing various options of preserving one or two of the railcars depending on the response it receives from its appeals and any likelihood of the local preservation initiative restarting.