Opinion & Answer Part XIV: Garret or Beyer-Garratt steam locomotives

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Welcome to my Part XIV (14) of my Opinion & Answer Series. Today's focus is on the Garret/Beyer Garratt steam locomotives. For a summarize of what a Garratt or Beyer Garratt steam locomotive is, then I refer you to my Opinion & Answer Part XIII (8) where I give a summarize of what a Garratt steam locomotive is all about as I'll get into some of the details on today's Opinion & Answer. 


Advantages of the Garret

  • Boiler & Firebox are slung between two engine units

  • Manage by a single crew

  • Firebox & Ashpan are not restricted in dimension by running gear

  • Ashpan can be larger in capacity than a normal locomotive

  • Garretts can run in both directions without turntables 


Disadvantage of the Garret

  • Adhesive weight decreases as the water is used from the front tank and coal from the rear bunker. As weight decreases on the wheels,slipping can occur

Design of the Garrett

  • Front tank: Water

  • Rear/back Tank: Coal 

  • Middle: Cab


The two tanks with the cab in the middle sat on a center frame “bridge” over the wheels 


War & Preservation Service of the Garret


Wartime: Several Garrets were built to meet the wartime needs of Africa,Asia and Australia narrow gauge railways   

Preservation:

  • According to research, an estimated 250 garrets still exist but could be less due to them being various states of dis-repair. 
  • The good news is that there are about 15 garrets in operation as of 2019 
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Mention above are facts and bits of details of the Garret steam locomotives that were found during research. All of the information was found during researching the Garret in order to find the facts of Advantages,Disadvantage,Design,War and preservation of the Garret. These are only some facts while there is more information about these steam engines waiting to be discovered.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Opinion & Answer and you got to learn something new. Technical details of the Garrett will be released on my primary series of the blog "Steam Train Posts" under a mini series which will be coming soon.

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