By Rajendra Aklekar ©
THIS engine can alone pull the weight of a thousand
elephants and now it’s back in action. India’s biggest
locomotive ever – the Beyer Garrat – is coming back to
life. The locomotive is being restored by the South
Eastern Railway and they expect to have an inaugural
run in October between Shalimar and Mecheda sections
of Kharagpur division of the railway line.
Sources said the N-class Beyer Garrat were the
locomotive of its kind to run anywhere in the world
and have the largest water capacity of any Garratt
ever manufactured about 10,000 gallons.
“The engine was imported from Beyer, Peacock and
Company locomotive builders based in Gorton, East
Manchester in 1929 by the Bengal Nagpur Railway and
remained in service till 1969. The N-Class also holds
the distinction of being the largest railway
locomotive to run in India,” Subhasis Ganguly, SE
Railway’s Chief Heritage Officer told Rajendra Aklekar
in an interview.
The Bengal Nagpur Railway had several BG Garratts, of
classes P (4-8-2+2-8-4), N (4-8-0+0-8-4), and MN etc.
These were quite powerful, and could haul 2400-ton
loads on 1:100 gradients without any problem.
“Though the actual restoration has taken one year,
the entire project, including research and gathering
the right kind of people, has taken two years. There
are more than 50 persons involved in the project, but
it is difficult to estimate the exact cost as it was
done as a side activity. This is one of the only three
such surviving locos in India,” he added.
Ganguly, who has researched and conceptualised the
concept and revived the locomotive, said originally
used on coal traffic between Chakradharpur and
Jharsuguda, Anara to Tatanagar and also to Asansol,
they were last used in 1970-71 hauling 2,400 ton iron
ore trains from Dallirajhra to Bhilai.
With their heavy axle load, the ‘N’ class were
restricted to the main lines and branches laid with
90lb rail, but their ability to haul up to 2400 tons
up a 1 in 100 gradient, and to reach maximum speeds of
45mph, set a standard of performance which could be
well appreciated on certain more lightly laid
branches.
Since the section is now electrified, and the engine,
once out of use, was sent to Kharagpur. “The Garratt
is a type of articulated steam locomotive. This means
that unlike a conventional locomotive, where the whole
machine is carried on a single set of frames, a
Garratt has three separate frames,” he added.
The name "Garratt" derives from the engineer Herbert
William Garratt, a British locomotive engineer, who
devised the type, and developed it in association with
the Manchester firm of Beyer Peacock, which built most
of the Garratts used around the world.
By Rajendra Aklekar ©
Pics attached
Bombay Railway History Group
Rajendra Aklekar
Postal address: 140-4752, Nehru Nagar,
Mumbai. Maharashtra. India. PIN: 400 024
Mobile: (+91-22) 9892 190 761
(Note: The Bombay Railway History Group is not a
registered society or a trust, but an online
discussion group on efforts to conserve and document
heritage on Indian Railways. More details can be
viewed at www.brhg.4t.com )
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Bombay Railway History Group
Rajendra Aklekar
Postal address: 140-4752, Nehru Nagar,
Mumbai. Maharashtra. India. PIN: 400 024
Mobile: (+91-22) 9892 190 761
(Note: The Bombay Railway History Group is not a registered society or a trust, but an online discussion group on efforts to conserve and document heritage on Indian Railways. More details can be viewed at www.brhg.4t.com )
___________________________________________________________
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