Victorian Railways G class
Encyclopedia
The G class Garratt
locomotives were built for the Victorian Railways
2' 6" gauge branch lines
. These locomotives were introduced in 1926 to increase train sizes and thus reduce losses on these lines. Their tractive effort
was comparable to the most powerful branch line
locomotives on the Victorian Railways broad gauge
, the K class
.
. This design was amongst the earliest of the Garratts, and first entered service in 1911. The major modification was the use of outside frames to allow for the reduction of gauge from 3' 6" to 2' 6". The design proved durable as two further examples were built for the Australian Portland Cement 3' 6" gauge railway at Fyansford
in the 1930s.
for heavy repairs. After the closure of the Walhalla line in 1955, G42 was moved west to Colac, where it worked the line in conjunction with G41. At the closure of this line in 1962, only G42 was considered to be in operational condition.
began operating trains on a portion of the Gembrook line. A museum was established at Menzies Creek, and G42 was obtained for this museum in 1968. The museum also acquired one of the Australian Portland Cement Garratts along with an unused spare boiler. In 1978 a decision was made to restore G42, a task that was finally completed in 2004. The spare boiler from APC was used instead of G42's original boiler as this had had its copper inner fire-box and boiler tubes removed by the V.R. before sale to the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. After restoration, G42 became the regular engine on Puffing Billy's "The Luncheon Train" which operates 7 days a week as far as Lakeside, as well as operating special trains on a semi-regular basis until 2009.
G42 was withdrawn from service in early 2009 pending a "D" exam. This is part of the Puffing Billy Railway's
regular maintenance scheme which will see the engine stripped down. It is expected this will see G42 out of service for quite some time due to the work involved, as well as having to slot in to the workshops work list. It is rumoured that due to these factors, G42 will return to its plinth in the Menzies Creek Museum for a period of storage.
On Sunday 16 August 2009, G42 returned to service for one day only to celebrate "100 years of the Garratt locomotive design" before returning to storage pending the mentioned "D" exam.
On 12 December 2010, G42 moved under its own steam after the extensive "D" exam which it had been undergoing since its withdrawal in 2009—also receiving its boiler ticket on this day. It was put to a test with a difficult shunt of 20 cars into different roads. It will be it full running order by the peak "Green time table" service which otherwise calls for the double heading of NA class
locos on one of the trips, enabling its greater hauling capacity to substitute for the two NAs.
As of 18th of May, G42 is still currently operating on a semi-regular basis. It will only operate on weekends, special occasions (Public holidays ect.) or if there is a shortage of NAs on running days not covered by the days stated above.
This running schedule was devised in an attempt to prolong G42s service life.
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...
locomotives were built for the Victorian Railways
Victorian Railways
The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...
2' 6" gauge branch lines
Narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways
The former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia built a number of experimental narrow gauge railway lines around the beginning of the 20th century. Although all were closed by the early 1960s, parts of two have been reopened as heritage railways.- Background :A...
. These locomotives were introduced in 1926 to increase train sizes and thus reduce losses on these lines. Their tractive effort
Tractive effort
As used in mechanical engineering, the term tractive force is the pulling or pushing force exerted by a vehicle on another vehicle or object. The term tractive effort is synonymous with tractive force, and is often used in railway engineering to describe the pulling or pushing capability of a...
was comparable to the most powerful branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
locomotives on the Victorian Railways broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
, the K class
Victorian Railways K class
The K class was a branch line steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1922 to 1979. Although its design was entirely conventional and its specifications unremarkable, the K class was in practice a remarkably versatile and dependable locomotive...
.
Origins
The design was based on the earlier M and Ms class Garratts constructed for the Western Australian Government RailwaysWestern 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....
. This design was amongst the earliest of the Garratts, and first entered service in 1911. The major modification was the use of outside frames to allow for the reduction of gauge from 3' 6" to 2' 6". The design proved durable as two further examples were built for the Australian Portland Cement 3' 6" gauge railway at Fyansford
Fyansford, Victoria
Fyansford is a township on the western edge of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, named after Captain Foster Fyans who came to Geelong as a Police magistrate in October, 1837. It is located at the junction of the Barwon and Moorabool rivers....
in the 1930s.
Working life
The locomotives were allocated numbers G41 and G42. G41 was put to work on the Colac to Beech Forest and Crowes line, while G42 was placed on the Moe to Walhalla railway. The locomotives stayed on these lines, returning to Newport WorkshopsNewport Railway Workshops
The Newport Railway Workshops is a facility in the Melbourne suburb of Newport, Victoria, Australia, that builds, maintains and refurbishes railway rollingstock. It is located between the Williamstown and Werribee railway lines.-History:...
for heavy repairs. After the closure of the Walhalla line in 1955, G42 was moved west to Colac, where it worked the line in conjunction with G41. At the closure of this line in 1962, only G42 was considered to be in operational condition.
Disposal and preservation
After closure both locos were removed to the Newport Workshops, and G41 was quickly scrapped. The same year the Puffing Billy Preservation SocietyPuffing Billy Railway, Melbourne
The Puffing Billy Railway is a narrow gauge gauge heritage railway in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne, Australia. The primary starting point, operations and administration centre, main refreshment room and ticket purchasing are located at Belgrave station...
began operating trains on a portion of the Gembrook line. A museum was established at Menzies Creek, and G42 was obtained for this museum in 1968. The museum also acquired one of the Australian Portland Cement Garratts along with an unused spare boiler. In 1978 a decision was made to restore G42, a task that was finally completed in 2004. The spare boiler from APC was used instead of G42's original boiler as this had had its copper inner fire-box and boiler tubes removed by the V.R. before sale to the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. After restoration, G42 became the regular engine on Puffing Billy's "The Luncheon Train" which operates 7 days a week as far as Lakeside, as well as operating special trains on a semi-regular basis until 2009.
G42 was withdrawn from service in early 2009 pending a "D" exam. This is part of the Puffing Billy Railway's
Puffing Billy Railway, Melbourne
The Puffing Billy Railway is a narrow gauge gauge heritage railway in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne, Australia. The primary starting point, operations and administration centre, main refreshment room and ticket purchasing are located at Belgrave station...
regular maintenance scheme which will see the engine stripped down. It is expected this will see G42 out of service for quite some time due to the work involved, as well as having to slot in to the workshops work list. It is rumoured that due to these factors, G42 will return to its plinth in the Menzies Creek Museum for a period of storage.
On Sunday 16 August 2009, G42 returned to service for one day only to celebrate "100 years of the Garratt locomotive design" before returning to storage pending the mentioned "D" exam.
On 12 December 2010, G42 moved under its own steam after the extensive "D" exam which it had been undergoing since its withdrawal in 2009—also receiving its boiler ticket on this day. It was put to a test with a difficult shunt of 20 cars into different roads. It will be it full running order by the peak "Green time table" service which otherwise calls for the double heading of NA class
Victorian Railways NA class
The Victorian Railways NA class was a 2-6-2 tank locomotive built for their 2' 6" gauge branch lines.Baldwin Locomotive Works in the United States supplied the first two 2-6-2 tank locomotives, as well as parts for a further two locos. One each of the supplied locos and the parts kits was a...
locos on one of the trips, enabling its greater hauling capacity to substitute for the two NAs.
As of 18th of May, G42 is still currently operating on a semi-regular basis. It will only operate on weekends, special occasions (Public holidays ect.) or if there is a shortage of NAs on running days not covered by the days stated above.
This running schedule was devised in an attempt to prolong G42s service life.