Advantage: Garratt

The Beyer-Garratt was the brainchild of Herbert William Garratt. During his time as locomotive superintendent for a number of South American railways, he observed the problems other narrow gauge articulated designs had with speed, stability and traction. Upon his return to Britain in 1906, he devised a new type of articulated locomotive that would overcome these drawbacks.

He suspended the boiler, firebox, cab and smokebox in a cradle between two articulated engine units, upon which was carried the fuel and water for adhesion. This had several advantages. By removing the wheels and motion from beneath the boiler and suspending it in a cradle, not only did it lower the locomotive’s centre of gravity – solving the problem of speed and stability – but the boiler could make full use of the loading gauge to generate plenty of steam and power. Also, by having two points of articulation, the design could negotiate very tight curves.

Garratt first presented his idea to Kitson

& Co. of Leeds, but they were committed to the Meyer articulated design and rejected his proposal. Undeterred, Garratt went to Beyer Peacock & Co., having become acquainted with the firm through his contemporary employment as a locomotive inspector for Australia’s New South Wales Government Railways, which had ordered locomotives from them. The company’s directors recognised its advantages and helped develop his proposal.

The first fruits of that joint endeavour were

K1 and K2, a pair of 0-4-0+0-4-0s built in 1909 for the 2ft gauge North East Dundas Tramway in Tasmania. Unlike subsequent Beyer-Garratts (including William Francis), K1 was a compound and had its cylinders on the inward end of the power bogies, rather than outward.

K1’s status as the pioneer Beyer-Garratt resulted in its preservation; it is currently based at the Statfold Barn Railway, where it has recently returned to steam following overhaul (SR504).