Here are pictures from my collection of SAR locomotives. Garrats were certainly my favourites so start with them. Here is GO outshopped at Capital Park. Photo by P.J.Lucas . See others here. SAR Garrats [ 13 February 2001: Message edited by: Robin Matthysen ]
Thanks for the photos Robin, I have never seen an HO model of a Garrett, but it would certainly be impressive to see one run!
Robyn, they are fascinating machines. What a great concept, spreading the weight out like that. Did you spend a lot of time in South Africa?
I was born in what was then Johannesburg, South Africa and also lived in Capetown then Pretoria. I left when I was 20 and immigrated to Canada to join the RCAF. I had the opportunity to travel from Johannesburg to Capetown by steam train and back a few years later. No airlines at that time. We lived on the edge of town in Pretoria and used to ride the train into downtown and back. All steam those days
I think I remember a lady ran an add wanting someone to put a kit together for her as a present to her husband. One reply was that the particular jit she had was made with soft lead spokes in the drivers, which would make the model very difficult to assemble. Are any models available today in HO?
I just love garratts Anyway, a lot of them were built here in Manchester, England! At one time, I started to collect information on South African Garratts, and other locomotives, with a view to scratchbuilding some, but did not decide on what scale/gauge to use. 3'6" is a difficult one to use any standard ready made track, and build to a recognised scale I had even got as far as designing a track plan for a layout, and now wish that I had actually built it! 3'6" they may be, but they were bigger and wider than anything we had on standard gauge The only garrat I ever built a model of was the LNER Gresley 2-8-0+0-8-2 used as a banker (pusher) on the Worsborough incline, near Sheffield, England. The model was in #1 scale. I will look out a picture of it. Please post some more pics of garrats [ 16 February 2001: Message edited by: Alan ]
Garratts were also used here in New South Wales Australia. I'll have to try and locate some pictures for you guys. Here is a site you might enjoy http://www.lantic.co.za/~jmiles/photo_garratt.html Thanks to Bill bolton for sending me the links [ 16 February 2001: Message edited by: Colonel ]
Great photos Colonel, have you ever noticed any kits to build a standard gauge size Garrett in HO scale?
Garrat links that actually work? This thread has been idle too long, it seems. At least, none of the links given here seem to work any more. Garrats, like Mallets, have always intrigued me. Yet, Garrats seem to have pretty much gone lost of the train fans' collective memories. I suppose that's not quite true for South Africa and Australia? Anyway, some Garrats are among the largest steam locomotives ever built. I don't know whether any of those giants are still steaming. There is a small but very pretty one that was imported to Switzerland from South Africa. It is the one LGB has a model of now. But I'd like an affordable H0 or H0m model. And any links to photos of real Garrats would be most welcome.
This was the first hit on Google using "garrett locomotive"..... http://users.powernet.co.uk/hamilton/source.html
Zimbabwe still uses Garratts for switching and local trains around Bulawayo, last I heard. There's another working Selebi Phikwe coal mine in Botswana.
Correct spelling improves return! After I realized that the correct spelling is GARRATT, I even found quite a bit more here on Trainboard! I have not checked all the threads yet, but it might not hurt to say it here: There is an apparently fine HO model of a Australian Garratt. Here is a review: Model Rail Forum - News, Reviews, Resources & Forums And here is the original page: Garratt The model is available, prices are in Australian Dollars, and weatherimng seems less intense than on these sample pictures. And it's non-brass RTR!
I have since ordered one of these, and it is a truly fine model: Garratt railfanning on the H0 scale level, indeed. I have also found quite a bit more material on the prototype by searching Google for Garratt pictures, These often lead to very informative websites.
