Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!ntt From: ntt@dciem.UUCP (Mark Brader) Newsgroups: net.railroad Subject: Re: large fellow (That's a Garratt) Message-ID: <726@dciem.UUCP> Date: Mon, 20-Feb-84 18:04:34 EST Article-I.D.: dciem.726 Posted: Mon Feb 20 18:04:34 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 20-Feb-84 22:35:40 EST References: <378@decvax.UUCP> Organization: NTT Systems Inc., Toronto, Canada Lines: 22 I didn't see the National Geographic special, but the locomotive Kenn Goutal is asking about would be a Garratt. This is a form of articulated steam locomotive where there are two driving bogies (trucks), each with its own cylinders, and the boiler is slung between them. A Garratt can handle curves (which abound in South Africa, being a hilly, narrow-gauge country) much better than any other form of steam engine of comparable size, because it doesn't have a long rigid wheelbase (or a long boiler like a Mallet [pronounced Mallay], the form of articulation principally used in the USA); and since there are no wheels under the boiler, there can be a very deep firebox. On the other hand you have to have two flexible joint carrying live steam to the cylinders, whereas Mallets only need one and non-articulated engines have none. Garratts were originally intended for use on very small lines; I think the first one built was an 0-4-0+0-4-0 (i.e. 4 driving wheels on each bogie and no other wheels). But they were eventually built as large as 4-8-4+4-8-4. I have seen it reported by a reliable writer that the two engine units would synchronize their beats as the engine proceeded, and by another reliable writer that this is a myth. Mark Brader