Railway Herald
The latest addition to the Bodmin & Wenford Railway's operational fleet, Sentinel 0-4-0 Rolls-Royce diesel-hydraulic shunter No. P403D 'Denise', top-and-tailed with Class 08 No. 08444, departs from Bodmin General with a brake van trip to Walker Lines sidings during the Autumn Diesel Gala on 24th September 2016. In the background, guest locomotive Colas Class 56/0 No. 56078 awaits its next turn.
P403D was built by Sentinel Ltd at their Harlescott Works in Shrewsbury during 1960 and was delivered new to the British Steel Corporation site at South Teeside. In 1980 it was sold to English China Clays (ECC) and moved to their Rocks Driers site where it worked until 1992, with the exception of a short break in 1987 when it was sent to Thomas Hill for air brake equipment to be fitted enabling it to work with CDA wagons. In 1992 it was moved to Crugwallins sidings, before finally ending its working days at Blackpool Sidings.
There were four other shunters in the fleet, all named after office workers at the ECC Western Excavating site in Nanpean.
The locomotive was donated to the B&WR by Imerys and moved to Bodmin on 2nd July 2014 for restoration.
Neil Prior
