Wigan Album

Yes Joe, It's a Sentinel on solid tyres, probably 1930-36. The Reverend may know better from the reg' number. E.T.

cheers,Eric....didn't know that,but though it was a little earlier..My grandfather is stood on the left

thanks eric...had this photo for ages,didn't,didn't know what it was, apart from 'grandads wagon'

In the absence of anything other than lists of when registration letters were issued, and not the serial numbers which follow them, I can only guess, I'm afraid. The facts are that AW was issued to Shropshire in the initial allocations of letters folowing the 1903 Motor Car Act which required all vehicles to be registered from January 1st 1904 with the local authority, who would issue a number for each vehicle. AW1 went to the Chairman of Allied Ironfoundries, Weelington, Salop. AW432 was issued in 1904, and AW 3321 was issued, to another Sentinel in 1921. In 1904 all unregistered vehicles would have been registered for the first time, and given 1904 plates - so there would be a larger number of registrations in 1904 than insubsequent years - and I work out the average between the highest 1904 number we have(432) and the registration we know from 1921 (3321) to be 170 registrations a year. At that rate, AW6146 would have been registered in 1944... but registrations would have slowed down during WW1, and accelerated post 1920 as hundreds of ex-WD lorries went into private hands, and transport expanded... so 1935/6 could be right.

Thanks Rev' David. Joe, you can see the front drawbar coupling over the number plate, this was so that the trailer could be shunted into position by coupling to the front and the driver could see what he was doing easilly. There were quite a few of this type of steamer still working in Liverpool alongside me namely, William Harper & Sons and others, this was after the War and into the 1950's but they then had pneumatic tyres fitted. E.T.

Hi Joe, Just have a look on Google, type in Sentinel Steam Lorry. I just did and surprised myself. E.T.

Steam wagoms were still around Liverpool into the 60s - I can remember them from my schooldays there.

I remember one like this towing a trailer, it belonged to Walkers brewery of Warrington, as it came through Spring View it had collision with a steam engine on the level crossing near where the garage is now.

The last steam wagons I remember were in the 40's Pauls flour millers of Birkenhead operated them. Yellow coloured ,and regular visitors to Wigan.

My uncle Francis Roby on the right, he was born 1900 and looks 30ish on the photo, so that would make 1930+ about correct.