Sentinel Diesel Trucks in Australia

Welcome aboard Stephen, just been looking at your photos on Flickr. Amazing job you have done on that cab. I will do some reading of the old issues of our Truck and Bus magazine next time I am down at the HCVC library.
Seems like Sentinel diesels were here around 52 to 54 but probably not many.

Sentineld... tell us what you know of these ladies... do they share parts/cabs with someone... my innocent (ignorant ) guess thought Thornycroft???? where did they disappear to???

EMNTK...
and thanks for the photos...
/me

Hi Sarge.
Had your head buried in the computer screen today? Thought so! These old trucks make interesting reading don't they.
I could write an essay on the subject but, breifly, this is how it goes:
As you may know, Sentinel made steam trucks (waggons) for many years here in Shrewsbury, England.
They exported them all over the world including Australia and NZ. The last ones were made in 1936 except for a consignment for Argentina in 1950.
Diesel truck development started during the war and resulted in the sliding door truck like mine being launched in 1947.
Sentinel made the following: Chassis, cab, engine, cooling fan unit and gearchange mechinism. The rest of the truck used bought in components. The gearbox is David Brown, the axles are Kirkstall Forge units, brakes are a combination of Girling and Lockheed, CAV and Simms electrics and the radiator was made by the Coventry Radiator Co.
The running gear components were the same as some ERF and Maudslay trucks of the era so, parts weren't a problem.
The early engines were indirect injection and were smooth and powerful but were a bugger to start in the cold. They were prone to overheating and also were prone to shearing off the front engine mount which allowed the engine to drop on to the road! Sentinel also made around 135 buses and coaches as well. Some were sent over to Oz for demonstration in 1953.
Later trucks from 1952 had a direct injection engine, underslung engine mounting system and a better cooling system. Six cylinder engines and 22 ton double drive six wheelers were also made. The advent of 8 wheelers made the engine position difficult to utilise so, sales dropped off rapidly. The company was if financial difficulty during 1956 and was forced to sell out. Rolls Royce bought the factory and commenced building their range of diesel engines for industry and trucks. The remaining unfinished trucks, parts, stores and assembly staff were relocated to a firm which carried on making these trucks for a short time. They introduced more modern cabs and put more powerful engines upright in the cab. 8 wheelers were the most popular vehicles made. This firm (TVW) finished in 1961.
In total, around 1,200 Sentinel diesel trucks were made between 1947 and 1956. There are very few survivors now - around 25 which are intact, around 15 which are drivable. It seems they are all in the UK unless you guys know different!
Regards.
Stephen.

Thornycroft and Sentinel were both owned by TVW (Transport Vehicles Warrington) by about the late 40's early 50's I believe

thanks for the education Stephen, much appreciated....

and welcome to the forum....


/me

Hi Guys.
Briefly, this is what Transport Vehicles Warrington (TVW)was all about:
TVW was a company set up to continue low volume production of Sentinel and Sentinel related products.
The firm was basically owned by Mr. Tom Ward.
Mr. Ward ran Sentinels from the late 1920's right up to the finish in 1956. He was so confident in the product that, along with another half a dozen hauliers who ran Sentinels, all chipped in and created TVW. They bought an old tanning works in Warrington, England to make trucks. They were able to clear out the Sentinel works when they packed up. They then proceded to finish off Sentinels which were half built. They also converted existing Sentinel 6 wheelers into 8 wheelers. They ripped the old horizontal engines out and replaced them with more powerful engines upright under the cab.
This allowed them to fit a second steer axle where the engine once was. Short wheelbase tractor units were made also. These were fitted with Commer TS3 'knocker' engines.
Most of the TVW's made had fibreglass cabs made by either Boalloy or Williams. This made them more modern and comfortable - they even had a heater!
Around 100 trucks were made from 1957 to 1961. No two were the same as they were all hand built.
None were exported and none survive to this day.
TVW never had anything to do with Thorneycroft as far as I know. The company was wound up in 1961 and, that was that. If just one was found, it would be the only one in the world - that would be a good find!
Look on flickr or google images and search 'TVW'. You may find some old photos. There are some on my flickr stream also.
A photo and information of a Sentinel/ TVW hybrid can be seen here:
www.flickr.com/photos/13139402@N08/18581...in/pool-1255636@N24/
Regards.
Stephen.

Interesting background, a mention of Sentinel trucks for sale here in 1952
trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/1337242...rfloor&searchLimits=
Scroll down to see it.

Hi Guys.
Thanks Atkipete for finding the Sentinel advert.
Hope to find more as time go on.
Regards.
Stephen.

Ahh yes SD .... It seems I was a bit dyslexic in my thinking ..... Thornycroft was known as TET (Transport Equipment Thornycroft) ... Close but not quite