Active Garratt Locomotives 2022/3
At any time, the number of active Garratt locomotives will be quite small. Trevor Heath tries to keep track of them and this is his assessment of the situation for 2023 (28th December 2022,). A status addition for Zimbabwe was added on 20th March 2023.
Argentina.
The 2 FCAF Garratt's in Ushuaia are in daily service with record numbers of passengers arriving off cruise ships. 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. The death of Shaun McMahon in early 2022 was a huge loss to the steam preservation movement in all Argentina and especially to the FCAF in Ushuaia where Shaun maintained his home and expected to retire.
Australia.
ASG G33 at Queenscliff in Victoria continues to make solid progress towards a first steaming with the front power unit the last major component requiring attention now inside the shed for overhaul.
AD60 6029 now part of the NSWGR collection based at Thirlmere, returned to service in 2022. It only operates in the Australian winter months as during the Australian summers due to it being coal fired and the line-side fire risk. It is expected to operate for about 10 days per year for the foreseeable future.
NG/G16 129 is in regular use on the Puffing Billy Railway.
G42 also on the Puffing Billy Railway has now been formally withdrawn from traffic and placed in the Menzies Creek museum “for a period of at least five years”. 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 same museum awaiting a decision on funding for its rebuild to operate on 2’6” gauge.
India.
Broad gauge N class 811was last recorded in steam on September 22nd 2019 at the Kharagpur locomotive works in West Bengal. Operating authority now rests with the catering arm of India Railways. There are no plans and no current funding for it to operate. It is suggested that 811 needs to be moved to a better location where it can at least be viewed by the public.
New Zealand.
No work has been done to RR 14A 509 for over three years in Plimmerton save fitting all the number plates. It is unlikely after the news that the regulators are calling for more inspections that it will be made ready for main line operation. There is still the possibility that it will be steamed in the yard at Plimmerton. The GMA/M 4083 has been moved to Mercer south of Auckland where site clearance, filling and leveling has started for a new museum.
RR 15th 398 based with Steam Incorporated at Paekakariki is being worked on after the decision was made to return it to steam for use only in the yard at their depot. This was the only logical decision – the work required to modify it to meet the NZ loading gauge is beyond the scope of the resources available and even if that was done it is too long to fit on NZ turntables. A boiler lift and boiler patching is required making a return to steam even in the yard a long term prospect.
South Africa.
Creighton is now under new management. GMA/M 4126, the only Cape Gauge Garratt in operating condition in the entire country has been refurbished and a new boiler ticket issued but no notice of use has been seen. GCA Garratt 2621 acquired from Transnet Heritage at Waterval Boven in 2016 has not to date seen any overhaul activity. Paton's Country Railway at Ixopo is under the same new management. The privately owned NG/G16 116 has not operated since completion of its overhaul in March 2017. NG/G11 52's boiler is off the cradle in pieces waiting funding for overhaul.
Sandstone now operates on just two long weekends a year unless a private charter is booked. The mountain section of their track has been lifted due to continual washouts and high maintenance. Usually, NG/G16 88 and 153 are used. The newly rebuilt 16A 155 has now also been used on passenger trains. Additionally, Sandstone has also consolidated its Cape Gauge locomotive collection at the estate with GMA/Ms 4079 and 4114 on display at the farm.
At Humewood Road, Port Elizabeth, the overhaul of NG/G16 131 will be a decision for the winners of the open public tender to decide upon.
Spain
Recent news is that Garratt locomotives 282F-0421 and 462F-0401 stored out of use for many years were evicted from their base in Lleida and have now been transferred by rail about an hour south to the RENFE museum at Mora La Nova where it is hoped the team from Lleida will assist in their overhaul in order to get them back into operating condition.
United Kigdom (England).
The prototype Garratt K1 is now based at the Statfold Barn Railway near Tamworth in central England where it is used occasionally.
United Kigdom (Wales).
At the Welsh Highland Railway NG/G16 87 and 130 were in service all season in 2022. 143 steamed in September 2022 after a full overhaul and is expected to rotate with 87 and 130 in regular service during 2023. 138 requires a full overhaul and is not expected back in service for several years due to a desire to spread out the ten year boiler ticket expiration dates. 140 remains a source of spare parts. The railway is in need of replacement power unit frames for 87 and may overhaul a later set for the purpose.
At the Vale of Rheidol Railway NG/G13 60 entered service in late 2021 and has seen some use in 2022. There was some speculation about it visiting the Welsh Highland Railway where it will be “welcome but expensive to move”.
USA.
NG/G13 50 remains in operating condition and is used occasionally at Hempstead in Texas.
Zambia.
RR 14A 523 is in regular service for Bushtracks in Livingstone. 520 also rescued from Botswana and then 516, stored at the Bulawayo Railway Museum since 1995 are due to follow into operating condition. 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 due to the loss of revenue in 2020 and 2021. Bushtracks used to operate on both sides of the border with Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls but a dispute with NRZ over track access fees means they now only operate in Zambia.
Activity is at an all-time low. Two Garratts are nominally serviceable 613 and 395 but with no charters or other planned activity, how long will NRZ retain the old steam depot and staff to maintain them? 414 and 519 are both withdrawn for re-tubing. Dave Hallett visited on 20th March 2023 and reports that 613 and 395 are still officially operational.
At Hwange, all the cape gauge steam locomotives have been sold for scrap although some were still waiting to be cut up at the end of 2022.