4 1/2 inch scale Sentinel steam wagon

A 4 1/2 inch scale Sentinel steam steam wagon, one of a small number built by Maxitrak, one of the largest models they ever produced.

This one has come to us with several other engines from a long time customer, an experienced model engineer and restorer with wide-ranging interests, including road steam, locomotives and stationary engines. Now in his eighties, he has decided to thin out some of the larger and heavier items from his collection.

Something of a stalled project, the Sentinel was rallied regularly until some years ago. The owner had, with advancing years, found it increasingly difficult to get in and out of the wagon and so, during COVID, it was partly dismantled to remodel the bodywork for improved access. Like many projects, the work expanded to include various other jobs - including painting and sign writing which has been done to a high standard - at which point it stalled.

Since arriving with us the TIG-welded, CE-marked boiler has had a twice working pressure hydraulic test off the frames, with cladding removed - it was supplied new by Steam Technology in 2008, one of a batch of ten built at that time.

Work required to put the wagon back into running order includes:

• Reset valves - the engine currently makes three quarters of a turn on air before attempting to run in the opposite direction
• Supply and fit missing pressure gauge
• Mount and pipe up hand pump
• General tidy up of bracketry and pipework

We've only ever seen one of these before, that engine owned by a customer we built a Stafford for in the early days. A large engine in this scale, it weighs in at just over a quarter of a ton, standing a few inches taller than a 4 1/2 inch Foden.