The Sentinel Drivers Club

History of The Sentinel 1941-2017

1941
Stephen Alley again sold all his shares, this time to Metal Industries ltd, who had the capital to expand the factory.

1945 Decemeber
Sentinel recommence production of 100 hp single-engined locos (No 9363) with a new shape.

1946
Both Sentinel-Doble lorries believed scrapped.

1946 August
The new Sentinel 7-8 ton 4 wheel,4 cylinder, 5.78 litre Diesel lorry introduced (4/4DV). Sentinel were relatively late developers of the oil engine lorries compared to their rivals who had already moved from steam powered wagons some years earlier.

1948 March
A 40 seater bus with Beadle body was produced with 4/4DV chassis.

1949 September
A six-cylinder, 9.12 litre, Diesel lorry designed to tow a trailer was launched called the 6/4DV.

Early 1950
An order was placed from the Argentine Government, which amounted to 100 S6 tipper waggons exported to Pategonia. The design of the cab was adapted to the sandy terrain of the Argentine landscape.

1950 Sept
The six wheeled versions of both the 4 and 6 cylinder diesel engines were introduced. D/V 4/6 & D/V 6/6.

1950 Sept
The Sentinel 44 seater Diesel bus was introduced with 6 cylinder engine and their own built body.

1951 June
The last Shrewsbury built steam waggon left the works, the Pederyn Dumper (No 9502)

1951 July
30 ft coach chassis with 6 cylinder, direct injection diesel engine made available to coach builders.


1951
Batch of 10 steam railcars supplied to Egyptian State Railways (No’s 9411 to 9420). One of these has survived at Quainton, near Aylesbury after being rescued in 1983 by the Sentinel Trust. Some 292 Railcars were built between 1924 and 1951.

1952
First post-war 200 hp loco built (No 9550)

1954
Steven Evans Alley, founder of The Sentinel Waggon Works, died aged 82 years.

1956 November
Rolls Royce Ltd. took over Sentinel. They continue to make 200 hp steam locos but stop production of diesel engined vehicles. Approx 1200 diesel lorries and 151 buses built from 1948 to 1956.

1958 January
Last Sentinel steam loco made by Rolls-Royce (No 9622).505 steam locos were built between 1924 and 1956.

1959 January
Rolls-Royce introduce new range of Diesel powered shunting locos using 12.17 & 16.2 litre Rolls engines.

1971
Last Rolls-Royce diesel locos built at Shrewsbury. Entire factory now devoted to manufacture of diesel engines. New range of ‘Eagle’ lorry engines added 1976 and a separate military engine division formed in 1975 and a new factory was built on Sentinel land across the railway, unused since 1915.

1985
Rolls-Royce sold their diesel engine division to Perkins Diesels Ltd of Peterborough.

1990
Part of old factory demolished to make way for a new supermarket and the remainder sold to Doncaster Engineering.

1997

Perkins sell their Shrewsbury division to Caterpillar.

2017

Morris's Oil buy the original Sentinel Works premises in Shrewsbury for preservation.