Australian Standard Garratt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Australian Standard Garratt (ASG) was a Garratt steam engine designed in Australia during the Second World War, which was utilised on various narrow railway systems, these being Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.

[edit] Overview

Because of differences between the states, especially loading gauge, sharpness of curves and axle load, especially in Queensland, the design inevitable had to be a compromise, which went against the idea of having a standard design. In addition, since the engines were urgently needed for war time traffic, the designs were rushed. At least one problem that made the locomotives unpopular with locomotive crews was the way the firebox door opened flat on the floor, maximizing heat radiation into the crew compartment.

Another problem was that the leading and third axles were flangeless, so as to cope with very sharp curves, but this led to derailments.

Since many designs of narrow gauge garratts had already been delivered around the world, it is strange than an existing design was not adopted. Queensland and South Australia both purchased much more successful designs of Garratt engines from Beyer-Peacock, which last until the end of steam.

Although produced for heavy work during war-time, few engines lasted through the 1950s, and most were scrapped in that decade. On the other hand the design was relatively successful on the private Emu Bay Railway.

In Western Australia the use of the Australian Standard Garratt [ASG] of the 1940's through the state's only tunnel at Swan View caused serious problems as stated above, resulting in deaths and in a Royal Commission. Designed and built in Victoria in 1943, the ASG Garratt was also used in Queensland. However, by September 1945 the class had been withdrawn, as it had a tendency to derail due to its unflanged leading coupled wheels. Queensland Rail later introduced Beyer Garratts and these were considerably more successful than the ASG.

In Tasmania the Emu Bay Railway utilised ASG engines with success and few problems at the same time. Tasmania by coincidence was also the location of the railway to run the very first Garratt locomotives the TGR K Class (K1 and K2).

[edit] Preservation

One ASG survives Australian Portland Cement No. G33 ( V.R. Newport, 1945) at the Williamstown Railway Museum in North Williamstown, Melbourne, Victoria.

[edit] References

Barry, Kevin, Labour divided : the Garratt strike of 1946. Papers in labour history, No.17(Dec.1996), p.46-67.
Western Australia. Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into Australian Standard Garratt Locomotive. Perth : Govt. Printer, 1946.