Now artificial intelligence has gradually replaced human mental labor, and some people say that this is the third industrial revolution. But looking back at the first industrial revolution, there are two names that come to mind: the steam engine and Britain. The wheel of history will not wait for anyone, we need to try to expand the way out, otherwise there will only be the result of being eliminated. Today we will talk about Britain's last stubbornness against the steam engine, the Sentinel series of steam-powered trucks.
Sentinel S4 model
Founded in 1875, Alley & MacLellan was an engineering company that developed and manufactured steam engines, including various steam engines used in power generation, ships, and factories. In 1880 the company moved to Polmadie, Glasgow, Scotland, and in 1906 began to dabble in the van business. The first steam road vehicle produced was a 5-ton vertical boiler truck with a 2-cylinder steam-bottom engine and a chain drive. The company was acquired by William Beardmore & Co Ltd in 1917 and reorganized in 1920 as Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd, which produced steam-powered trucks, railway locomotives, and later diesel-powered trucks and locomotives.
The humanoid logo of the Sentinel truck
In addition to the earliest vertical boiler car, the subsequent models belong to the Sentinel series, in fact, the first car used the steam engine is the company's early Sentinel series steam engine, designed to meet the needs of the factory high-speed steam engine. After entering the truck industry, this steam engine was directly used as a truck power, which is why the subsequent models are all Sentinel series.
The first super sentry was introduced in 1923
This is what the first generation of steam trucks looked like without the cab and behind the body, the steam boiler was fixed to the front of the platform, and the solid front wheels were damped with leaf springs. This vertical boiler with spiral water pipe and coil superheater, with a maximum steam pressure of 230 psi (1585 kPa), fuel is coal or coke, the maximum weight of the vehicle is 7 tons, and the maximum speed is 20 km/h.
The entire frame is above the wheels, and the solid rear wheels are also multi-leaf spring damping. At the same time, you can see that the chain drive shaft is in the middle of the frame, and after repair, it will be connected to the rear wheel gear through the chain.
Underneath the chassis is a twin-cylinder steam engine with a poppet valve with a bore stroke of 171 mm × 229 mm and a maximum power rating of 90 hp.
Chain gears on the inside of the rear wheels
Second-generation Sentinel DG series cab
The company introduced the second generation of the Sentinel DG4 and DG6 in 1926, followed by the eight-wheeled DG8 in 1929. The overall change of the vehicle is not much, basically optimized according to the first generation, and still uses chain drive. The whole cab is relatively rounded, there is a skylight in the middle of the front of the roof, and the chimney of the steam boiler protrudes from here, but I don't know if I can get out of the car on a rainy day.
Sentinel DG4 model
The front windshield is triangular in front, with the front of the triangle being the humanoid logo of the Sentinel truck, and the upper and lower split windshields on both sides are tilted backwards for installation. In fact, it is easy to understand, and you can see the steam boiler chimney in the middle of the cab. The front of the car is a semi-circular platform with a hole underneath the platform, from which the bottom of the steam boiler protrudes. The front of the boiler is equipped with anti-collision beams and trailer latches. Under the cab platform, the front flanks are circular headlights, and the front axle is behind the boiler.
The bottom of the steam boiler can be opened for cleaning
Covered roof chimney opening
Sentinel DG8 model
Steam is emitted when the whistle behind the cab sounds
There is no boarding pedal on the side of the vehicle, and the entire cab and body are above the chassis, so it is very inconvenient to get up and down the cab. The standard vehicle is a windowless door, and some people may wonder how this cab leaks air everywhere, as we will talk about later. There are single rearview mirrors on both sides of the front and windows at the rear of the cab.
On the right side of the boiler in the cab is the driver's sofa seat, which adopts a cross-shaped four-spoke steering wheel, and the seat, although uncomfortable, is a separate card seat. There is no instrument in front of the steering wheel, and the speed of the car is controlled by the driver himself. As for why the driver's hands are so dark, keep looking.
The co-pilot of the steam truck is very hard, and he needs to add coal and carbon to the big boiler in the middle at any time, so that the car will have a steady stream of power. And there will definitely be soot when adding coal, so the drivers on the side will be so pyrotechnic. Of course, the steam boiler must have steam and water, and there is a large water tank behind the cab. The cab design leaked everywhere because it was too hot, after all, a large boiler was nearby. When talking about the model with the engine compartment in the cab before, many friends shouted that they couldn't stand it, and it was fortunate that this car was eliminated by steam power.
Pressure gauge in front of the co-pilot
Water is being added to the tank at the rear of the cab
In 1934 the Sentinel introduced its final new steam truck S series, powered by a 4-cylinder under-chassis engine with a longitudinal crankshaft and overhead worm drive shaft. Equipped with an optimised cab, the boiler is receded to the rear of the cab and divided into S4, S6 and S8 depending on the wheels. Although the new steam trucks have been optimized to the limit, they still compete with diesel trucks that are both convenient and pullable.
The last sentinel S series steam trucks were exported to Argentina in 1950 for use in the Río Turbio coal mine, which was after all its own, which was the last effort of the stubborn British to steam power. There are also many enthusiasts in the UK today who are driving on the road after repairing these steam trucks themselves. So what do you think after reading it? Welcome to leave a message to let me know.