Australian Standard Garratt

Australian Standard Garratt

G33 at the Australian Railway Historical Society Museum in 2007

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Clyde Engineering Islington Railway Workshops Midland Railway Workshops Newport Workshops Build date 1943-1945 Total produced 57

Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-2+2-8-4 Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Driver dia. 48 in (1,219 mm) Length 85 ft 9 1⁄2 in (26.15 m) Axle load 8.5 long tons (8.6 t; 9.5 short tons) Adhesive weight 76.25 long tons (77.5 t; 85.4 short tons) Loco weight 119 long tons (120.9 t; 133.3 short tons) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 6 long tons (6.1 t; 6.7 short tons) Water cap 4,200 imp gal (19,094 l; 5,044 US gal) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 35 sq ft (3 m2) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1,379 kPa) Heating surface 2,013 sq ft (187 m2) Cylinders 4 outside Cylinder size 14.5 in × 24 in (368 mm × 610 mm)

Performance figures Tractive effort 34,240 lbf (152.3 kN) Factor of adh. 4.4

Career Operators Emu Bay Railway Fyansford Cement Works Railway Queensland Railways South Australian Railways Tasmanian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways Preserved G33 Disposition 1 preserved, 56 scrapped

The Australian Standard Garratt (ASG) was a Garratt steam locomotive designed in Australia during World War II, and used on 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge railway systems in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.

With the outbreak of World War II, in 1939 the Federal Government formed the Commonwealth Land Transport Board (CLTB) to take responsibility for the country's land transport networks. It had the power to override the decisions of the State railways. In 1942, the CLTB appointed the Commissioner of Railways in Western Australia, Joseph Ellis, to investigate the capacity of Australia's narrow gauge network and recommend what locomotives should be purchased. Ellis recommended that three variations of Garratt locomotive be purchased; heavy, medium and light.

The CLTB elected to build only the light type to allow it to operate on any narrow gauge line in Australia. After an attempt to obtain drawings and licenses from Beyer, Peacock and Company failed, in July 1942 the CLTB recommended to the War Cabinet that 30 locomotives be built locally. In August 1942, the War Cabinet approved the order, this was increased to 65 locomotives in November 1942. The Western Australian Government Railways' Chief Mechanical Engineer Frederick Mills was seconded to lead a team of engineers in Melbourne to design the new locomotive. The Queensland Railways were vocal opponents, stating its preference for a modified version of its C17 class.

The result was the Australian Standard Garratt with the first completed in a record breaking four months in September 1943. Only 57 were completed with the remaining eight cancelled with the end of the war. The locomotives were built by the WAGR's Midland Railway Workshops (10), the Victorian Railways' Newport Workshops (12), the South Australian Railways' Islington Railway Workshops (13), and Clyde Engineering, Sydney (22).