Rolls Royce Sentinel 0-4-0 Diesel Hydraulic 'Barabel'

The Oxfordshire Ironstone Company Ltd. located a few miles to the west of Banbury, was the second largest ironstone quarry railway system in the Midlands. Opened in 1917 to 'tap' the massive ironstone reserves of the area, over the years there had been an overall total of some thirty three steam locomotives. Fifteen were at work by the early 1960's when the entire system was converted to diesels, the final choice after trial with different manufacturers being the Rolls Royce Sentinel diesel hydraulic award winning design.

The first loco, an 0-4-0, arrived in December 1961, with a second following in October 1962 and both worked turn about with the steamers. The decision was then taken to dieselise the locomotive fleet completely by the bulk purchase of eleven more diesels, All built in one series, they were delivered, by rail, at regular intervals from the Rolls Royce Sentinel works at Shrewsbury between September 1964 and July 1965.

The OIC's steam fleet had consisted of two well-defined groups - the four-wheelers with girls' names operated between the quarries and the crushing plant at Wroxton (the headquarters and 'hub' of the system), whilst the six-wheelers with boys' names hauled the trains of ironstone on the five mile long 'mainline' from Wroxton to the exchange sidings on the ex GWR Banbury - Birmingham line for onward transit to the iron and steel works of Birmingham, West Midlands and South Wales.

Exactly the same differentiation between duties was envisaged for the diesel fleet. It was decided to standardise on the 325 hp 0-4-0 Diesel Hydraulic type. The eight quarry locomotives, at 30 tons for the first three and 31 tons for the other five, were lighter than the standard 40 ton design, to take into account the lightweight nature of the track in the quarries - the weight of the loco being determined by the addition or omission of ballast weights during construction. For the 'mainline' traffic, instead of the Rolls Royce Sentinel standard 0-6-0 DH design as originally envisaged (as per Corby Quarries 22/London Transport DL83 which is also preserved at the NVR within the ISTG), it was decided that the standard 0-4-0 DH design of 40 tons and vacuum fitted, would be quite adequate. Increasing the gearbox ratio enabled the 'boys' to travel at a higher speed on the OIC's 'main line' and, with the 40 ton standard design weight , gave the same axle loading as the six-coupled steam locos that the diesels replaced. However, despite these differences, the outwork appearance of all the locos was the same.

Even the names were the same. The eight quarry machines and five mainliners received the nameplates from the displaced steamers - girls for the quarries, boys for the mainline.

No sooner had the new diesel fleet settled down to regular operating than the accelerating decline of the ironstone industry generally meant that the writing was on the wall for a lot of Midlands' ironstone quarries, especially those many miles away from the iron and steel works which they supplied. In September 1967, the Oxfordshire system closed - an event that could hardly have been foreseen when the Rolls Royce Sentinel fleet was ordered three years earlier. With the reduction in the locomotive requirement as decline had set in, some of the 'new' diesels had already been transferred prior to closure, but by May 1968, they had all gone, to other ironstone quarries, and works within the Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd 'empire' and, indeed, to the giant S & L Corby steelworks itself, and the system dismantled and the quarries restored.

Barabel, Works No. 10202, was delivered to the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company by rail on 29th December 1964, the sixth delivery of the fleet and within the second 'quarry' batch of five locos weighing 31 tons. The nameplates were transferred from the original steam loco (Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0 ST Works No. 1868 built 1953). The OIC's steam loco boys' and girls' names all had some reference to company officials and the unusual 'Barabel' was named after the wife of Mr A G Stewart who was Chairman of the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company 1949 - 1951 and Chairman of the OIC's parent company, Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd. 1945 -1964.

As the need for the diesels decreased with the decline in the industry, Barabel became the first of the thirteen diesels to be transferred - to Stewarts & Lloyds' Bromford Tube Works, Erdington, Birmingham on 17th July 1967, this being, in fact, two and a half months before the complete closure of the Oxfordshire system.

During the 1970's, Barabel received parts from a similar, but older, Sentinel loco No. 59 (Works No. 10099 built 1962 - built before the 'takeover' of the Sentinel company by Rolls Royce) which was also at Bromford Works. At some stage, the design's sliding bonnet door arrangement was changed for the as-presently-carried lighter door arrangement (to aid ease of maintenance) and the original distinctive side sheets were replaced by hand rails. As well as losing its nameplates and identity, the loco also lost its superb OIC crimson, lined out black and yellow livery and red buffer beams, being repainted the ubiquitous 'industrial' yellow with wasp stripe ends.

By December 1994, Barabel had been sold on from Bromford Works and eventually ended up at the Round Oak Rail Terminal in Brierley Hill, West Midlands. Here a train air brake system was fitted to enable the loco to shunt air braked wagons of steel delivered by mainline rail. By this stage, too, Barabel received its present royal blue paintwork with black and yellow wasp stripes on the buffers and sides below the running plate. This steel terminal, which eventually became Innovate Logistics, was on the site of part of the former Round Oak Steel Works - which itself had been supplied with ironstone by the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company all those years before!

Barabel was acquired for preservation by members of the Iron & Steel Traction Group and moved to Nene Valley Railway on 15/16 March 2006. In working order, and with its former identity reinstated - albeit with 'temporary' nameplates, apart from minor maintenance and servicing, the loco has been immediately made available for general yard shunting duties at Wansford.

Within the ISTG work programme, Barabel will eventually be fully restored to its 'as built' condition with bonnet doors and distinctive side sheets reinstated. Whilst the loco was never vacuum fitted (only the heavier 'mainline' boys and the last 'quarry' girl were so fitted) at OIC, it is intended that a vacuum brake system will be installed in addition to retaining its current air brake system. As a fitting 'history' of the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company and its fine diesel fleet, Barabel will be restored to its original crimson livery, resplendent in yellow and black lining out and red buffer beams.

The ISTG would welcome any information or photographs of Barabel at any time in its history and also of the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company's Rolls Royce Sentinel diesels at the ironstone quarries1964-7. Information as to the whereabouts of the loco's original Barabel nameplates would be welcome. Please contact the ISTG through the NVR General Office.

Builders: Rolls Royce Sentinel, Shrewsbury (Works No. 10202); Year: 1964.
Engine: Rolls Royce C8SFDL, supercharged, 311 bhp @ 1800 rev/min.
Transmission: British Twin Disc, torque converter CF 1500; Self Changing Gears Ltd. RF11 final drive.
Driving wheels diameter: 3' 6''; Maximum locomotive speed: 21 mph.
Locomotive weight: 31 tons; Max. tractive effort: 24200 lb; Train Brakes: air.
Original Owner: Oxfordshire Ironstone Company Ltd.
Current Owner: Privately owned (within the Iron & Steel Traction Group).

For information on the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company's diesel fleet please see ISTG

Photos