Garratts to the Falls 2016 Part 1

[@Tom-Lahaye]

Absolute beauty this, although they have just a couple of locomotives in service for specials nowadays they perform like they did in the early 90's, 611 just looks as she did then.

[@peterhanahoe4913]

Absolutely tremendous, look forward to hearing all about it

[@AndreiTupolev]

Magnificent sight, particularly good shot at 3:45. They definitely look better running 'streamlined' end first.

[@fmnut]

The Zimbabwe locos are set up to run "forward" as seen. South Africa tended to run them "backwards". Definitely not as photogenic.

[@martindoyle831]

amazing to see that it looks like its still the same locomotive that halled that 1970s video of a trip to the falls ☺ i have it on vhs its in terrible shape but i still love watching it. thanks for this!!

[@denisevdb69]

Awesome! So nostalgic! 😎🥰

[@wernersievers3153]

Hello .Fantastische recordings in sound and vision .these Garratts are dinosaurs among steam locomotives!

[@iusetano]

Excellent video. Amazing shots.

[@Tinsby]

Wow you are fortunate to have been able to make such a trip. I have never seen a Garratt operate I know they were common at some point in RSA but how many survive now? Looks like the poor engineman has a lousy view no matter which way it's going, worse than a GG-1 to be sure. Wonderful video I thoroughly enjoyed it thank you!

[@zimbabwesteam1852]

Great tour, must do it again!

[@vengatvengat9268]

இது போல் ரயிலை பார்த்தது இல்லை சூப்பர்

[@Danvers97]

So where exactly do you live? You seem to have videos from both AU and the US and possibly elsewhere

[@naisonndlovu8934]

Great vids🔥🔥🔥 train is slow thou

[@360Nomad]

Why are they pulling empty freight cars between the coaches?

[@fmnut]

It was supposed to look like a mixed freight/passenger working but they put the steam service/tool car next to the locomotive which sort of spoiled the effect. The last car is a guards van or "caboose" in US parlance, even though it may look like a very short coach.

[@permadifauza5251]

😇 ghost train ?

[@strobx1]

Is that Meter Gauge?

[@fmnut]

Cape gauge - 3 foot 6 inches or 1067 mm.

[@tedcartwright3183]

Very strange looking. Must be extra water. Water do you classify it as?

[@fmnut]

Water is carried over the front engine, coal only over the rear. These locos are known as Beyer Garratts made by Beyer Peacock in England and later by others under license. The purpose was to get high tractive effort and good steaming ability while maintaining light axle loadings and flexibility around tight curvature. They really caught on in southern Africa where conditions were ripe for their use.

[@fmnut]

Wheel arrangements on Garratts are always symmetrical. The 611 shown would be classified as a 2-8-2+2-8-2 while the 414 is a 4-6-4+4-6-4. A South African GMAM class is a 4-8-2+2-8-4

[@tedcartwright3183]

Thanks, good to know things are different else where.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

Mostly they also carry water at the rear, as the coal bunker floor always has a slope to aid the coal falling to the shovel hole/stoker worm, there is space beneath. Technically you can see Garratts as tank locomotives, as the stores are carried on the locomotive itself. The advantages of a Garratt were indeed the high adhesive weight over many wheels, the boiler itself not sitting over drivers and no wheels under the firebox enabled both to be as wide as the loading gauge permits, and a short boiler with as many tubes as possible is a better steamer than the long and relative narrow boilers on a Mallet. The weight distribution is very good on them as is the flexability in corners, having almost no overhang ( important on the narrow gauge for staibility, a boiler overhang like on a Big Boy would not be good here with these curves). In my eyes the Garratt is superior in design over a Mallet, the only points against them were the extra flexible steampipe joints for the rear unit and the fact that adhesive weight drops when water and coal stores dropped (but this could be an advantage when using the loco's on very light track by limiting water and coal stores, like the South African GMA/GMAM Garratts, the only diference being the amount of water in the tanks by adjusting a baffle plate in them)

[@tedcartwright3183]

Thanks for the added info.

[@geoffreylee5199]

Seen images of SRR and SAR running both ways. Do not need a turntable. Goes either way. Better than Mallets

[@marcuspaulo1595]

Oi pessoal tudo bom