Diesel Locomotive 0-4-0 Rolls Royce Sentinel Barabel 10202 Photograph by Gordon James

Diesel Locomotive 0-4-0 Rolls Royce Sentinel Barabel 10202

by Gordon James

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Portable Battery Charger

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Title

Diesel Locomotive 0-4-0 Rolls Royce Sentinel Barabel 10202

Artist

Gordon James

Medium

Photograph - Photography Digital

Description

Locomotive No.10202 ‘Barabel' 0-0-4-0 Diesel Hydraulic Rolls Royce Sentinel
Background.
The Oxfordshire Ironstone Company (OIC) had begun its quarrying operations in 1917, a few miles to the west of Banbury to tap the massive reserves of ironstone in that area. Over the years there had been some 33 standard gauge steam locomotives working in that system. 15 were at work in the early 1960s when the decision was made to dieselise the whole system, using new 0-4-0 Rolls-Royce Sentinel locomotives. Although these 0-4-0 Sentinels were fitted with the same Rolls-Royce supercharged engines and nominally the same torque converter and transmission as the 0-6-0 design to which No. 22 belongs, Barabel is some 17 tons or 35% lighter than the 0-6-0 design*. No. 22's maximum speed is quoted as 17 mph whereas the lighter weight Barbarel's maximum speed is 21 mph, although Barbarel could not be expected to pull the same weight of train at that speed.
The Oxfordshire Ironstone Company initially acquired two 0-4-0 Sentinels in 1961 and 1962 and these worked alongside the steam locomotives. A further eleven 0-4-0 Sentinels were ordered, built in one series and delivered by rail at regular intervals from Shrewsbury to Banbury, between September 1964 and July 1965. Of the OIC fleet of thirteen 0-4-0 Sentinels, eight, of which Barbarel was one, were of the Tight-weight' design, described above, for hauling loaded wagons from the quarry face to the ore crusher at Wroxton. The remainder were heavier, 40 ton* versions of the 0-4-Os, for OIC's 'main line' working from Wroxton to the BR main line exchange sidings I1/2 miles north of Banbury station. With the unexpectedly rapid decline of the UK ironstone industry the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company's system closed in September 1967, less than three years after the new Sentinels had begun work. So the company's entire fleet of almost-new 0-4-0 Rolls-Royce Sentinels became redundant.

Locomotive History
Works No. 10202, Barbarel was delivered from Shrewsbury to the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company by rail on 29th December 1964, the sixth delivery of the fleet within the second 'quarry7 batch of five locos weighing 31 tons. The 'Barabel' name
plates were transferred from the original steam locomotive (Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0 ST Works No. 1868, built in 1953) to the new Sentinel 10202, being named after the wife of Mr. A.G. Stewart, Chairman of the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company 1945 -1951 and Chairman of parent company, Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd., 1945 -1964.
With the run-down of the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company's quarries Barabel was the first of the Sentinels to be declared redundant and was transferred to Stewarts & Lloyds' Bromford Tube Works, Erdington, Birmingham on 17th July 1967 where it was to remain for the next 27 years.
During its life at Bromford Works Barabel underwent various modifications, receiving some parts from a similar but older Sentinel No. 69 (Works No. 10099, built in 1962), also based at Bromford. Barabel's original engine compartment sliding door arrangement was replaced by the lighter-weight paneling still in place today, easing maintenance access and the original distinctive side sheets were replaced by hand rails.
The locomotive lost its nameplates and old identity and its superb OIC crimson lined out black and yellow livery, with red buffer beams, to be repainted the ubiquitous 'industrial' yellow with 'wasp' stripe ends. At a later stage Barabel received royal blue paintwork with black and yellow 'wasp' stripes on the buffer beams and sides below the running plates.
By December 1994 Barabel had been sold on from Bromford Works and eventually ended up at the Round Oak Rail Terminal at Brierly Hill, West Midlands, where it was fitted with train air braking equipment to enable it to handle air braked main line freight wagons of steel. This steel terminal, which eventually became Innovative Logistics, was on the site of part of the former Round Oak Steel Works which itself had been supplied with ironstone from the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company years before!

Preservation
Barabel was acquired for preservation by members of the Iron & Steel Traction Group and moved to the Nene Valley Railway on 15/16th March 2006. In working order and with its former identity reinstated - albeit with temporary 'nameplates' - apart from maintenance and servicing, the loco has been immediately made available for general yard shunting duties at Wansford.
Within the Iron & Steel Traction Group work programme Barabel has been fully restored to its 'as built' condition with bonnet doors and distinctive side sheets reinstated. Whilst the loco was never vacuum fitted at OIC, it was fitted with a vacuum brake system whilst retaining the locomotive's original air braking system.
As a fitting tribute to the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company and its fine diesel fleet, Barbarel was restored to its original crimson livery, lined out with yellow and black and with red buffer beams.