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Trevor Heath has again provided a list believed correct as of December 2021,
it is on the
Beyer Garratt Locomotives website (22nd December 2021). There is now a
2023/4 version available (9th January 2024).
The previous version (January 2021) follows, which
can be compared to the 2019 version and the 2014 version below:
Argentina
The 2 FCAF Garratts in Ushuaia remain ready for daily service. No recent progress has been made on the third Garratt. Management states it will be completed in order to allow the other two to rotate into the workshop for overhaul.
Australia
ASG G-33 at Queenscliff in Victoria is being worked on by a small dedicated group who are making solid progress. AD60 6029 was not used in 2020. It is in ticket but remains stored indoors at Thirlmere, NSW during the Australian summers due to it being coal fired and the inherent line-side fire risk. NG/G16 129 is still not in regular service on the Puffing Billy Railway with some minor modifications / alterations still required. G-42 also on the Puffing Billy Railway was expected to be withdrawn for overhaul which will include new tyres. It was however in operation on December 18th 2020 on a PBR 120th anniversary train and again on December 20th and December 26th. NG/G16 127 the last steam locomotive to operate on the Alfred County Railway in South Africa is currently stored as delivered in 2011 inside the new Museum at Menzies Creek awaiting a decision date on its rebuilding to operate on 2’6” gauge.
England
The prototype Garratt K1 is now based at the Statfold Barn Railway near Tamworth in central England for at least the next 9 years and has operated during 2020. It is rumored that it will spend some time back on the Welsh Highland Railway for special events during the loan period.
India
Broad gauge N class 811 is in ticket after a 400,000 USD refurbishment which should be considered a follow on overhaul from that completed in 2006. It was last recorded in steam on September 22nd 2019. More news on what the plans are for this locomotive would be greatly appreciated.
New Zealand
No work has been done to RR 14A 509 in 2020. The oil firing conversion is now the main area requiring attention. There is currently no forecast for a first steaming.
South Africa
Serious issues not only with the general economy but the indifference of authority to steam preservation in the 21st century are continuing to affect main line and other steam operations all over the country.
The main line tourist operator Ceres based in Cape Town which was a potential new Garratt operator, closed down in 2020. It is now under new ownership.
The German tour operator FarRail has acquired the GMA/M 4135. In conjunction with partners in South Africa they still intend to return it to operating condition.
The superb commercial Winelands Miniature Railway (https://www.winelandsrail.co.za/) built on private land near Stellenbosch, Cape Town. Their miniature Garratts and other locomotives continue to operate every weekend and holiday with good patronage.
Paton's Country Railway at Ixopo. Their NG/G16 116 has not made revenue run since completion of its overhaul in March 2017. The NG/G11 52, the boiler is off the cradle waiting funding for overhaul. At nearby Creighton under the same management, GMA/M 4126 remains the only Cape Gauge Garratt in operating condition in the entire country. It has seen operations during 2020 including recently in December 2020. Creighton also sold passenger cars in 2019 in order to fund the overhaul of GCA Garratt 2621 acquired from Transnet Heritage at Waterval Boven in 2016.
The five operable Garratts at Sandstone, two (88/153) have operated on just two weekends since April of 2019. On January 30th 2020, Sandstone announced that they will restore the boiler unit off 16A 155 then, using the power units off 16A 141 build one complete operating 16A. Progress has been made throughout 2020. Initially an Easter 2021 first steaming was promoted but quickly cancelled. A mid-2021 first steaming date now projected.
At Humewood Road, Port Elizabeth at the Apple Express organization, the boiler overhaul of NG/G16 131 is on hold while they work on their NG15 locomotives.
Wales
At the Welsh Highland Railway NG/G16 87 is back in service after a boiler overhaul and other work. It is now painted black with SAS / SAR lettering. 130 is ready to join it in the operating fleet in 2021 after a privately funded total rebuild from near scrap condition taking five years. 138 is out of service waiting for a replacement boiler to be fitted. 143 was withdrawn in early 2020 with one year left on its ten year boiler ticket due to serious boiler issues. A replacement boiler is being overhauled at a sub-contractor. 140 remains in pieces as a source of spare parts.
At the Vale of Rheidol Railway NG/G13 60 has undergone a boiler exam and re-tube to meet UK regulations. It is also having all of its tyres re-profiled and air brakes fitted in order to operate on that railway which should happen in 2021. Speculation by charter operators of it visiting the WHR are just that due to rail gauging issues.
USA
NG/G13 50 remains in operating condition at Hempstead in Texas.
Zambia
RR 14A 523 rescued from certain scrapping in Botswana has been returned to operating condition by Bushtracks in Livingstone. 520 also rescued from Botswana and then 516, stored at the Bulawayo Railway Museum since 1995 are due to follow. 512 will be broken up for spare parts (to be used primarily on 516) due to a condemned boiler after 25 years of continuous service in private ownership. No timeline is available however due to the loss of revenue in 2020. Bushtracks normally operate on both sides of the border with Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls.
Zimbabwe
Activity is now limited to very occasional tourist excursions out of Bulawayo using 15A 414 or 14A 519. In November 2020, 16A 613 was steam tested following a protracted re-tubing but has not yet been line tested. 15A 395 has also been re-tubed but as of late December 2020 it has not been steam tested and a line test for it will require the change of a driving wheel set to address a broken crank pin.
Changes / additions to the above report and other Garratt activity are recorded regularly on the Facebook group “Surviving Garratt Locomotives” which can be found here.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/205647329774286
Trevor Heath
Casa Grande, Arizona
1st January 2021
Trevor Heath has provided a list believed correct as of November 2019, which
can be compared to the 2014 version below:
Those believed to be in ticket are indicated thus *.
Argentina
FCAF 2* + 5* plus a third under construction.
Australia,
Thirlmere Musuem AD60 6029*
Puffing Billy Railway G42* + NG/G16 129*, this is the latter under steam
test in late 2019.
ASG G33 (under restoration at AHRS, Bellarine, Victoria)
India
N class 811* (Kharagpur)
New Zealand
14A 509 (under restoration, MLS Plimmerton)
South Africa
GCA 2621, 4126* (4074) + 4135
NG/G11 52*, 55 + NG/G13 49* + NG/G16 88*, 113*, 116*, 131, 153*
All those at Sandstone, 49, 52, 88, 113 and 153 have been in storage since April.2019.
Wales
NG/G13 60 and likely to steam at the V of R, Aberystwyth, in 2020
Ffestiniog Railway, Welsh Highland Railway section NG/G16 87, 130, 138*, 143*
WHR 138 comes out of ticket in February 2020 by which time 87 will be back in
service, followed by 130 probably in April / May 2020. 143 comes out of
ticket in 2021
USA
NG/G13 50*
Zambia,
Livingstone 14A 516, 520, 523*
Zimbabwe:
Bulawayo 14A 519*, 15A 414* (others may be 'near active')
At the time that the list below was compiled in
2014, Trevor Heath was working in New Zealand on restoring a Garratt to
working order and in a rare idle moment he came up with this list
of active Garratts around the world. It's depressingly short: A list of those recently active and known to be under
restoration follows at the end, similarly a list
of candidates which are not 'mission impossible'.
Lleida, Spain 730 (282F0421) (last large Garratt built, 1960, 1668 mm
'broad' gauge)
AHRS Canberra, Australia AD60 6029 (1435 mm 'standard' gauge)
NRZ Garratts (All 1067mm 'Cape' gauge)
NRZ Bulawayo, Zimbabwe 15th (395, 414)
HCC, Hwange, Zimbabwe 14A 519 (on hire)
VFSS, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe NRZ 14A (512)
This is Theo Strauss's picture from 2010:
PBR Victoria, Australia G42 SAR NG/G16 (129) under active restoration
This is Frank Stamford's 2013 picture of G42:
Former SAR Garratts (all 610mm gauge)
Welsh Highland Railway, Dinas, North Wales NG/G16 87, 138, 143, all
pictures courtesy of Thomas Kautzor November 2014
WHR 87
WHR 138
WHR 143
Sandstone Estates, NG/G13 49, NG/G16 88, 113, 153
Patons Country Railway NG/G11 55
Schinznach, Switzerland NG/G13 60 (to Wales by 2019)
This is Thomas Kautzor's picture from 2001:
FCAF Ushuaia, Argentina two 500 mm gauge "freelance"
These are Shaun McMahon's pictures:
The following are thought to be under active restoration, some are
progressing faster than others...
MLS Plimmerton, New Zealand NRZ 14A 509 (1067mm 'Cape' gauge)
AHRS, Bellarine, Victoria, Australia G33 (762 mm gauge)
PBR Victoria, Australia SAR NG/G16 129 (formerly 610mm gauge, will be 762
mm gauge)
Sandstone Estates, South Africa SAR NG/G11 52 (610mm gauge)
Welsh Highland Railway, SAR NG/G16 140 (610mm gauge)
These are Thomas Kautzor's pictures of the locomotive under restoration at
Dinas in May 2014:
The following Garratts have run in the last 10 years or so and could be
returned to traffic should the will and the money be available.
NRZ Bulawayo, Zimbabwe 16th No. 613 ran an excursion in April 2014 but has
not been reported active since (1067mm 'Cape' gauge).
Creighton Steam Railway, South Africa SAR GMAM 4126 is 'out of ticket, it
seems there are no plans to overhaul it (1067mm 'Cape' gauge).
Reefsteamers (but owned by Sandstone) SAR GMAM 4079 is operational, but needs new
tyres and will soon be out of ticket (1067mm 'Cape' gauge).
EAR 5918 officially 'under restoration', in Nairobi Kenya, in practice
little has been done recently (metre gauge).
This is 5918 at Athi River in December 2004 (courtesy of trevorheath.com):
Hempstead, Texas SAR NG/G13 50 (610mm gauge)
Welsh Highland Railway, Tasmanian K1, out of ticket, no known date for
overhaul (610mm gauge).
This is Thomas Kautzor's picture from November 2014 on more or less its
last steaming:
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