Msa garratt
Encyclopedia
The WAGR Msa class was a class of Garratt
steam locomotive
constructed at the Western Australian Government Railways
Midland Railway Workshops
in Australia
.
The class was preceded on the WAGR system by the M and the Ms Garratts. The class were used extensively on WAGR lines with light rails and sharp curves, as a consequence many of the smaller older branch lines on the Darling Scarp
; as well as those with steep inclines such as those on the Mundaring Weir Branch Railway, the Nannup Branch, and the Flinders Bay Branch Railway
railways.
Hearsay evidence suggests that the poor quality of the boilers in the Msa rendered some inoperable by the late 1940s. The last remaining Msa was awaiting moving to a preservation status in the 'steam graveyard' adjacent to the Midland Railway Workshops
, when instructions were misunderstood by a scrap metal company employee, and it was destroyed.
Garratt
A Garratt is a type of steam locomotive that is articulated in three parts. Its boiler is mounted on the centre frame, and two steam engines are mounted on separate frames, one on each end of the boiler. Articulation permits larger locomotives to negotiate curves and lighter rails that might...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
constructed at the Western Australian Government Railways
Western Australian Government Railways
Western Australian Government Railways was most common name of the Western Australian government rail transport authority from 1890 to 1976. It is, in its current form, known as the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia....
Midland Railway Workshops
Midland Railway Workshops
The Midland Railway Workshops in Midland, Western Australia were the main workshops for the Western Australian Government Railways for over 80 years.-History:...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The class was preceded on the WAGR system by the M and the Ms Garratts. The class were used extensively on WAGR lines with light rails and sharp curves, as a consequence many of the smaller older branch lines on the Darling Scarp
Darling Scarp
The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north-south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia...
; as well as those with steep inclines such as those on the Mundaring Weir Branch Railway, the Nannup Branch, and the Flinders Bay Branch Railway
Flinders Bay Branch Railway
A branch railway from Busselton to Flinders Bay, in South Western Western AustraliaOriginally part of the M.C.Davies Timber railway system, which ran between the two jetties at Hamelin Bay and Flinders Bay...
railways.
Hearsay evidence suggests that the poor quality of the boilers in the Msa rendered some inoperable by the late 1940s. The last remaining Msa was awaiting moving to a preservation status in the 'steam graveyard' adjacent to the Midland Railway Workshops
Midland Railway Workshops
The Midland Railway Workshops in Midland, Western Australia were the main workshops for the Western Australian Government Railways for over 80 years.-History:...
, when instructions were misunderstood by a scrap metal company employee, and it was destroyed.
Further reading
- Gunzburg, Adrian.(1984) A history of W.A.G.R. steam locomotives Perth, W.A : Australian Railway Historical Society, Western Australian Division. ISBN 0959969039