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.