1931 Sentinel Steam Bus DG6P "Elizabeth"

Sentinel Steam Bus "Elizabeth" in service in Whitby in June 2010.

Sentinel Waggon Works, Shrewsbury, England.  Sentinel was a producer of steam vehicles from 1906 until the fifties.  Elizabeth was built in 1931 in the Shrewsbury factory of Sentinel as a Super-Sentinel flatbed lorry No.8590.  She is powered by a 2 cylinder double acting steam engine driving the rear wheels through a 2 speed gearbox and chain drive.   There is a coal powered vertical boiler in the cab.  It is rather exciting to see the flames rising in the cab as the bus goes along the road.  After nearly been scrapped in the sixties, she was converted into a steam bus and eventually authorised to carry fare paying passengers.  From 2006 to 2014 Elizabeth operated a steam service in Whitby, Yorkshire.   She has been moved to Weston-super-Mare in Southern England in 2015 where she has been rebuilt and refurbished.  She was recently introduced to the public again.  Long may she continue giving rides as the only steam powered bus in Europe to transport fare paying passengers.  She carries up to 30 passengers.  If you want a ride visit the web site of Crosville Motor Services the operator.