Steam truckin’ across New England
Our friend Gene Herman has quite the memory, so when he spotted the Sentinel steam truck in a recent Four-Links, he immediately recalled his sighting of another Sentinel several years back, here on U.S. soil. Gene writes:
Back in the early 90’s, one did not have to travel across the pond to witness one of these dinosaurs at play. What may very well be the only operational Sentinel in the U.S. put in an appearance at the late, lamented Hildene Car Show right in our own backyard, Manchester,Vt.
This wee beastie had languished for decades in a shed at the old Steamtown site in Bellows Falls. When that collection was broken up, (with the vast majority of the treasure going to the new museum in Scranton, Pa.) I figured that I would probably never see the Sentinel again, let alone witness it moving under it’s own power. So you can imagine my delight when I saw the old monster quietly glide onto the show ground on that lovely June day.
As you can see, it was owned at the time by Bourdon Steam Enterprises of Woodstock, Vt. The occasion for the visit to Hildene was primarily for the show, but also as a rest stop of sorts en route from Woodstock to a steam car event in Lenox, Ma., a distance of about 115 miles! I think you would agree that this distance would be considered a respectable little cruise in any early thirties classic, but when you consider that the Sentinel required a water stop about every 100 miles and a coal reload at about the same time, a voyage of that distance takes on a somewhat different aspect. Even though the two man crew (driver and fireman) had started out with the bed of the truck totally loaded with sacks of coal, a pre-run of the route had been necessary find a few choice spots to leave a ton or two of coal and sufficient water for a round trip!
Bourdon Boiler Works is still doing business in Woodstock and is well known in the Stanley community as a maker of excellent reproduction boilers, among other things. As to the whereabouts of the mighty Sentinel, I can’t say I know, because I haven’t seen it since. I would hope that they still have it, and that it is alive and well.
Thanks, Gene!