Garratt

One of four Garretts in steam in Bulawayo shed on the 30th April this year. Later to break down when a slide bar broke. Piston rod and connecting rod removed at the trackside and journey finished as a three cylinder!!
Filmed on video mode of Minolta Z1 still camera so quality may not be to my usual level..

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Garratt
• Bulawayo
• steam
• NRZ

[TWIGYBNSF]

Is this the only Garratt still running today?

[ralph5407]

@TWIGYBNSF There are three running, based at Bulawayo, at the moment. I was there again earlier this year so if you look through my channel you will find several videos of them working on a charter train.

[diorath]

Good stuff Ralph 5407. Good sound. Good photography. When can we expect more?

DiorathB52

[ralph5407]

I'm not very likely to be back in Zimbabwe again so not much chance of big Garratts but smaller gauge ones, well since we will soon have one operating in Wales then perhaps not too long.

[diorath]

luvmostmusic, you have a lot of knowledge of Rhodesian Garratts. Were you in the running-trades yourself? I'd like to see some tractive effort numbers and steam pressures on the larger Garratts. These are incredibly smooth riding machines, unless you get one with worn pivots! You're right. A 3 meter gauge Garratt would have been an awesome haulier. The ones in the Sudan were quite a piece of work as well. Are you familiar with them?

[ralph5407]

Hey guys why not get in touch direct and then your discussion is not public...

[Pesmog]

I love the big Garratts. I never tire of watching the various bits of Youtube vid of teh GMAM's or even the little NGG16's on the Welsh Highland line. It such shame that the daddy of them all, the 260 ton 90,000 lb traction broad gauge special they made for Russia no longer exists

[diorath]

You make a very interesting point. I seem to recall that the Soviets were considering doing this very thing during the Stalin era? Do you recall this? Stalin, being more of a realist, recognized that this simply could not be done and when they weighed the cost of building this enormously broad gauge, they appeared to have had second thoughts, and were well into WW 2 anyway. I fired them in South Africa. GCA's, GM,s, GE's, GD's

one trip on the Princess Alice a GL the Granddaddy of them all.

[luvmostmusic]

As I said a month ago, I would be very interested in your project. And if you decide to go down the route of pursuing an NRZ garratt/s, I would be very happy to help with contacts and self-interest. All the classes are fantastic to drive; as I know from personal driving experiences, around the shed/coaling area..... (including 20th, 16A, 15th and 14A garratts)

[luvmostmusic]

But just imagine a garratt of the proportions that would would run on 3 metre gauge.. Lol It could haul some mighty train... But note that you were correcting my text, not my knowledge.