The Mighty Garratts: Aussie Edition Part Two

Finally, the last of my garratt pieces!

First off, we'll start with Tasmania.

INfamously, the worlds first Garratt was ordered from Beyer Peacock in 1909 for the North-East Dundas Tramway in Tasmania. This narrow-gauge line, long vanished, is survived by one of the historic K CLass Garratts, K1, currently in working order on the Welsh Highland Railway in Wales! (the second was scrapped and its psrts used to rebuild K1). The 0-4-0+0-4-0 were different from the later garratt standard, in that they had compounding and cylinders facing inboard. Compared to later Garratts they were tiny, but the clear roots of ancestry are still present, and the type's success prompted its widespread dissemination.


Above: K1 on the Welsh Highland Railway.

Two others were used on Tasmania's narrow gauge lines. Sadly neither of these types have survived, regretable considering their historical significance but the same could be said of hundreds of other locomotives lost all over the world.

The first type, from 1912, is unusual in that it was designed for passenger working, which is not usually a duty Garratts are made for. The M Class had a 'double atlantic' wheel arrangement, (4-4-2+2-4-4). The class gained noterity when it broke the speed record for an articulated locomotive at 85km/h (53mph). This would be impressive even for a regular type on a narrow gauge track. Thanks to their performance, the class worked the main line between Launceston and Hobart, until 1930when they were replaced by conventional types. As stated, all members of the class were scrapped.


Above:The M Class on a special Excursion train

The other design was ordered at the same time as the M, two frieght-hauling Garratts of the 2-6-2+2-6-2 type. Designated L class, they succesllfully worked the main line between Launceston and Hobart's goods services, helped by the fact they had a tractive effort (30170 lb) that made them the most powerful narrow gauge engines then in use. Despite their small driving wheels they were sometimes scheduled on passenger workings and were surprisingly suited in this role. Although they too were mothballed in 1930, they were not scrapped, and saw a brief return to work in the dark days of World War Two. Once again, they were tragically scrapped, leaving K1 as the sole-surviving Tasmanian Garratt.



Above: The L Class near its last days in 1944/45
Tasmania briefly used the Australian Standard Garratt during World War Two, and ironcially they were the only state to get them to work relatively succesfully, and only after heavy modification.

QUEENSLAND had just one indigenous Garratt type (they also used the infamous Australian Standard Garratt or ASG), known only as 'Beyer Garratt'. These were the most powerful steam locomotives ever used on Queensland Railways, unsurprisingly. Ordered in 1950, 30 of these 4-8-2+2-8-4s were constructed, 20 by Franco-Belge and the rest by Beyer Peacock. Painted red, they were assigned to passenger and freight services around Rockhampton initially before dispersal. Restrictions had to be imposed on their use, however, after enginemen complained of excessive heat and smoke in tunnels, not surprisngly. Like South Australia's Garratts, their role was taken over by diesels, shifting their base of use to the heavy coal fields in the Dawson Valley. They had a short working life, removed from the railways between 1964 and 1970. Happily, one survives at Redbank Museum. It was restored o working order in 1995 and now works heritage specials.



ABOVE: Queensland's surviving Beyer Garratt, in full working order.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA experienced outstanding success with its' first Garratt design, the 1912 M Class (later Ms with superheating added). These 2-6-0+0-6-2s were employed on light passenger operations, and their performance prompted, in 1930, the Western Australia Government Railways to build what was perhaps the first Garratt originating in the Southern Hemisphere (certainly it was the first built in Australia). Titled 'Msa', these had a higher tractive effort and were hence deployed on some of the more hilly portions of the various lines. The original locomotives had been withdrawn by the end of the 1940s but the Msa class continued to almost the end of steam.


Above: The original M Class Garratt
Sadly, despite the M/Ms/Msa's importance and success not a single example from any other types has survived. A tragic loss of a fine type that by all means should be worthy of a new-build program if an Australian version of the 'Tornado' project should ever be considered.



Above: the superheated Ms class
Now, WAGR had one other type of Garratt that is remembered as being the only true Garratt faliure in Australia...and a spectacular faliure at that. During the Second World War in 1943, the Commenwealth Transport Board attempted to build a Garratt design to solve narrow-gauge bottlenecks. 65 were ordered- to an untried design with low axle load and high haulage abilty. Only 57 were completed in 1945 before the rest were cancelled.


The Australian Standard Garratt (ASG)4-8-2+2-8-4 was the type, and it was plagued by difficulty, mishaps and black-bans by enginemen. WA even subjected them to a Royal Commission! Most were gotten rid of as soon as Diesels were avaliable, sold off to private companies and a few were sold to SAR who were awaiting their own Garratts from Franco-Belge.



ABOVE: The disasterous Australian Standard Garratt.
Unsurprisingly, only one has survived, and that solitary example was sold to a Geelong Quarry who in turn sold it to the Geelong Steam Preservation Society, who restored G33 to working order.

The very last Garratt I will descirbe is from NEW SOUTH WALES.. and is undoubtably the most powerful and largest of them all. The mighty AD60 is Australia's strongest steam engine and one of the world's largest Garratt types, nearly equalling some of the African types in size.



ABOVE: Australia's steam giant, the AD60.

42 of them were acquired in 1952, intended to haul coal over the Blue Mountains. However, their surprisngly light axle load allowed them to be used all over the NSW system on all manner of duties from heavy wheat trains to light goods. Throughout their careers they were modified as a result of input from enginemen and from experience.

Diesel influxes started to cut into their duties early, but the type lingered on throughout the 1960s until final withdrawls occured in 1970. Thankfully, no less than four examples of this fine design survive:6029 by the ARHS Canberra, 6039 and 6042 by the Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum and 6040 by the NSWRTM at Thirlmere. Unfortunately, none of these is in working order, but perhaps in future one will be restored for heritage excursions.

The success of the Garratt design in Australia, and its realtive faliure in Britain contrasts sharply with that of another similar design, the Fairlie, which will be discussed at a later date. It is an interesting lesson that no matter how well thought out a design is, if it is in an unsuitable role or location it will not succeed. It cannot be stressed enough the importance of the type on steam locomotive development and transporting vast amounts of material, and certainly, in the impact they have had upon the development of Australia as a whole.