The Whistle BlowerNewsletter of the Canberra Society of Model and Experimental Engineers

JUNE 2018

A/President Chris Grallelis 62315981 Secretary Greg Peters 0412 179899.Email: csmee@grapevine.com.au

Website: Editor: acttraffic@hotmail.comwww.canberramodelengineers.org.au

Herbert William

Garrett

Page 9

INSIDE THIS

MONTH

Fourth of the

series on the

Beyer-Garrett

CDHEC WHO?

Another first for CMR last Sunday (27 May) when the Canberra &

District Historic Engine Club turned out in force to show off some of

their old wares.

As readers of Whistle Blower will be aware, the invitation was issued to

the Club last month to have a combined “meet”after a former CDHEC

Member dropped by Symonston with the proposal.

The result was a resounding success with nine different engines and

some real antique farm implements on display.

The word on the street is it may happen on a monthly basis with more

and bigger engines to wheeze and pop to our passing guests - and a

great view from the seating area.

Old 8101 and Kel Broughton wander past more old things with a train load of happy

travellers. More pictures on page 8 .

MONEY MAN

Page 7

Pegasus

Photographs

Page 6

Molly’s News

Page 3

Club News &

Draft Meeting

Minutes

Pages 2 & 5

NEWS FROM THE MAY COMMITTEE MEETINGMembers should be aware these notes are extracted from DRAFT minutes

CMR Site

Peter Mottram, site supervisor reported:

1) Progress is being made on the 5in second loop and three sets pf points were currently under

construction

2) Steaming bay is progressing and awaiting levels checks.

3) Picnic area had been sprayed with grass donated by ACT Spray Seeding.

4) Roofing of the picnic area shed had been completed.

5) Ridge capping on the second shed is ready

6) The raised track has been laid out.

LOCO MAINTENANCE

Sante Fe given a new filter and points and 81 serviced. Bunyip still sick.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Chairman air had monitored shoes at last running day and there was only one “suspect” pair sighted.

Secretary reported on an email proposal to the Society to allow a male person suffering from severe autism

to undertake small tasks at the CMR under supervision by a carer. It was decided appropriate action was

for the person (age unknown) to be brought to the track to have a look.

An agenda item seeking approval for spending thresholds for the new site manager to facilitate assist with

his effective operations was discussed including the cost of the debit card. Committee happy to go along

with the Treasurer's recommendations subject to cost. (For information: 10 May. Comm Bank contacted

by Richardson and “definitely no cost” to setting up or getting a debit card on the account)

INSURANCE

Members are reminded that insurance cover for attendance at events at other clubs and activities – not part of the

regular CSMEE program (including special activities approved by the Committee) is subject to each member

involved notifying the Secretary beforehand. The secretary can be contacted by email at csmee@grapevine.com.au.

Machinery & General Industrial Supplies Pty. Ltd.3/5 Wiluna Street Fyshwick

Our other helpers!

Town and Country Trenching Services of Hume Phone: 04 1428 4752

Rick’s Transport & Forklift Services Pty. Ltd.

MOLLY’S

NEWS

Hi Everyone.As a passing thought, has anyone noticed how I come with the Territory? I know that remark will be lost on some of you train drivers so I will let you have a think and reveal the meaning later - it may be a bit cryptic to you!

Talking of cryptic, a derivation from the Greek “kruptikos”. I am a bit that way myself as I blend in with the surroundings whilst inspecting the distribution of road base around CMR. Last week I made a point of checking the compaction standards of the roller as the operator, John Oliver, was revving the machine and speeding around so fast it felt too soft for me. Indeed there was a pawsity of road base up to the container.

I sent Ivan Treloggan for another scoop and after testing the ground myself John Oliver again rolled the surface for, finally, a superb job.

In my photo’s Trevor Knights and Alan Gascoyne work the tools whilst John Crocker syphons some fuel (to get home?). Ivan Treloggan drives the tractor and John Oliver tries to control the roller.

MOLLY’S

NEWS

Letter to the EditorDear Sir,I am vwriting to sank wun of your train drivers, known as D Miles, as I understand it, for his extreme act of kindness.

Last month I had my knobend by a heavy handed user whipped off. He saw my plight and made a new knobend for me. As he fitted it I arksed him, “Do you want a screw driver - to refit my knobend?”

He said,”No, I’m a velly busy at the moment but I will schtick this in your hole and screw you later.”

He return soon and later and I have to be now the proud owner of a new knob. It has a magnificent shaft, a bulbous head and anyone wishing to feel it is most welcommen.

Bitte say thank-you to the driver.RegardsUrn Heissewasser.

Later in the day I found some more developments around the CMR which you should know about.

Peter Mottram, ( I like Peter ‘cause he has a “spotto” car) was just completing the facia on the container roof when I called. As I said, I come with the Territory, and the view from the Monaro Highway was a little unsightly until now. (Oops, a hint about my cryptic opening sentence there!)

Then, after my midday bone, I found Larry Hollands had almost completed the protective fence for the five inch track leading up to the Station, although it appears the paint job leaves a lot to be desired. I did however hear some bragging about how the five inch bridge was now complete and I checked that out. It;’s true but I have reason to suspect there are some vermin hidden in the area.

Hint: What does that Chris Grallelis drive?

(Continued)

NEWS FROM THE MAY GENERAL MEETINGDRAFT Minutes of a General Meeting of the CSMEE held at the CMR, Symonston ACT on Thursday

17th May 2018.

Secretary reported the CSMEE had received a letter of thanks from Pegasus Riding for the Disabled

thanking the Society for their contribution to their fundraising fete which raised, overall, about

$16,000

The Chair reported on what has been happening lately at the CMR.

1> Progress on the 5 inch track from both directions.

2> Paul Gugger was back working on track and he was doing points

3> Peter Mottram was continuing doing edging with concrete strips.

Inter alia it was reported the Government had attended CMR today and sprayed weeds near the gate.

John Oliver reported the second bridge on the 5 inch gauge had been completed.

The Secretary reported some dirt had been scraped near the loading bay for levelling

Spray seeding had taken place in the picnic area and some members reported grass was growing.

Secretary said this had to be kept watered and Ian Hahn reported he had costing for a standpipe from a

supply near the dog club at three levels of hiring fee:

Mr David Miles then flamboyantly produced from a stand pipe from a bag and laid it on the table as an

item on permanent loan from Poacher's Pantry.

Richardson reported the ACT Historic Engine Club would be displaying at least 6 stationary engines

at the next running day. They would arrive at 08.30hrs on 27th May.

The Secretary reported on a visit to the CMR by Alistair Coe, MLA, and Leader of the Opposition in

the ACT Government. Following a briefing Mr. Coe will email the Society with action he is taking to

have Government check our status regarding rates & rent and whether we should be a rural lease or a

commercial lease.

It was noted we only have a 25 year lease on the property.

Darryl Webb and his associate Scott then gave a further explanation of the Christmas In Canberra

show in December and took questions.

Richardson reported on Member's welfare and noted Treasurer Gabriel had returned from hospital to

home this date but Paula Preo has severe complications from her hip operation and was in ICU at John

James Hospital.

The raffle was drawn:

1.08 Richardson – Wine

2.21 Miles. Card

3. 52 Grallelis, Card

4. 41, Cammell, wine

5. 28 Peters. Card

COCKINGTON GREENMODEL VILLAGE

Open 7 Days 9:30am - 5pm. Last Entry 4:15pm (02) 6230 2273 info@cockingtongreen.com.au

CLEAR WEATHER = PEGASUS RIDING A SUCCESS

Clockwise from left: Larry

Hollands’ hat needed the

shades, Darr yl & Dave

practise their dance routine for

the Christmas party, Greg

Peters takes a nap after the

effort he put in to connect the

signals; Alan Gascoigne,

Darryl and Ward Gainey rue

the fun Mike Dickinson and

Luke Roberts are having.

Financial Report bySociety Treasurer Cleve Gabriel

ACT Government Opposition Leader Alistair Coe discusses issues pertaining to CMR with Secretary Greg Peters and Committee member David Miles. Photo Supplied

KENNY KOALAsaysHappy train rides butStay off the tracks kids!

Letter to the EditorCaroline Wilkie YorkeMay 28 at 8:41am We visited yesterday and our two year old loved it! He went on the train and then we had a lovely morning tea on the picnic benches. Thank you to everyone who makes this great day out happen. When will you be running next?

Firstly, I would like to pass on my sincere thanks for the card and well wishers who sent messages or visited whilst I was in Hospital for the last month - from one general meeting day to the next! Progress is slow but happens on a daily basis and I look forward to getting back to Symonston -if only for a short visit -soon.

The business of controlling the Society’s money fell to Greg Peters and Mel Gabriel with bagman Mick Richardson whilst I was indisposed and I thank them for carrying the extra work. Mel, in particular, had to find her way around the system very quickly after only joining the Society last month.

Moving to my report, we have a much healthier bank balance after very successful May running days. Add the exceptional canteen take on 27 May and we can move forward with confidence.

May 27 Running Day Photos

From top clockwise: John Crocker brings AN1 home; followed by Kel Broughton in 8101 with Mike Cammell inspecting engines; David Miles and Peter Hateley watch Mark from CDHEC try to get his engine started; Eric Hines has George fired up under the watchful eye of Tim Ocallaghan and John Oliver; Ward Gainey polishes AN1 for a day’s work; and a CDHEC member seems to be feeling the delight of one of Christine Gainey’s egg and bacon rolls.

Herbert GarrattFather of the Beyer-Garratt

By Garry ReynoldsPART FOUR

THE FINAL CHAPTER

In later years, the original K Class Garratts stood in their shed until, during a visit to Australia in 1947, by Beyer-Peacock’s Technical Director, W. Cyril Williams. He purchased the first of them and shipped it back to the Gorton Foundry where it remained on display until closure of the Works in 1966. Then it was sold to the Ffestioniog Railway in North Wales, and then loaned to the National Railway Museum in York, where it was displayed.

Today, K1 is at the Welsh Highland Railway where it was operated until 2015 and is now being steadily overhauled.

Coincidentally, one of the good friends of Canberra Railway Museum, Bruce Manuel, has been in the process of acquiring a live steam K1.

So, what did Herbert Garratt and his family get out of his invention financially? Back in 1908, an agreement between Garratt and Beyer-Peacock was signed. Basically, it said that Herbert and then his estate would receive two English pounds per imperial ton of Garratt constructed. However, this carried an initial financial penalty for Garratt. Once the signing took place, Herbert’s position as Inspector for the NSWGR became untenable with a blatant conflict of interest. Garratt resigned the position immediately.

While his income shrank, it did however free him up to devote most of his time to the new locomotive design and promotion. In partnership with Beyer-Peacock, a four-page brochure was produced and prospective railway companies were approached.

Upping the ante in 1909, the Gorton Drawing Office was directed by Beyer-Peacock management to produce a complete set of drawings and estimates for a standard-gauge Garratt locomotive. The Company was really backing itself and its faith in Herbert for going for mainstream railways rather than just the lighter narrow-gauge operations in remote overseas locations.

They went even further and decided to construct a demonstration locomotive to help convince engineers of the practicability of the Garratt design. By the end of the year, 45 different schematic drawings provided a wide range of options for railway companies to select from. There was even an offer to ‘try before you buy.’

Beyer-Peacock kept at the task of getting more purchases after the initial Tasmanian breakthrough.

Choonbatty Loop and Agony Point on the DHR – challenging Garratt territory! Source: Bing Images & Bruce Manuel’s 600mm live steam K1 Garratt. Source: Bruce Manuel

The Company went all out with proposals in India and with Chilean railways where it would bear the expense of building a locomotive with a six-month free trial.

Then in 1910, the next break came for Garratt and the Company. They cracked it for a very challenging operation, the 2-foot (600mm) gauge Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway (DHR). It would be a mighty test, but if they succeeded, railway companies around the world would again really sit up and take notice.

The narrow line climbed from a bit over 300 feet (91 metres) above sea level to 7,400 feet (2,255 metres). To make it even more challenging, many lengths of the light track were on 1 in 18 gradients on the trip of over 75km. The Garratt locomotive, specifically designed to meet the enormous task, worked so well, that it was operated right through till 1957.

After this sale, a new brochure was produced by Beyer-Peacock featuring pictures painted by Garratt himself. It showed what a larger version would look like.

Two other Garratts that were a great success were those acquired by Victorian Railways for the 2- foot 6-inch gauge lines from Colac to Cowes and Moe to Walhalla. These were called G class.

Yet, despite their success, strangely the Victorian Railways never purchased another Garratt.

The Tasmanians followed up their earlier purchases when in 1928, the Emu Bay Railway Company purchased three. These were massive 138-ton engines yet only had a 10.5-ton axle weight owing to the intelligent Beyer-Peacock design.

Other Garratts built for Australian railways before WW2 were for the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR). They were significant as they were the first Garratt locomotives built in Australia. Their manufacture took place at the WAGR’s Midland Workshops.

The last two Garratts built for Australian railways by Beyer-Peacock before WW2 were constructed for the Australian Cement Company’s railway at Fyansford near Geelong.

Meanwhile in South America, in 1912, Beyer-Peacock’s and Herbert’s promotional efforts bore further fruit when the first Garratts were ordered on that continent for the metre-gauge Mogyana Railway. A year later, a Brazilian Railway, the San Paulo, ordered a Garratt. Just before the Gorton Works was switched totally over to producing armaments in WW1, three more Garratts were ordered by the San Paulo Railway.

There was an encouraging pattern emerging, where all the ‘pioneer’ orders were being followed up with repeat orders following the success of the original acquisitions.

So, in the period from 1908 to 1914, nine different designs of Garratts had been delivered by Beyer- Peacock covering seven wheel arrangements and five track gauges - truly a very adaptable concept conceived by Herbert Garratt, now passed away.

G42 Garratt on Puffing Billy Preservation Railway and a Garratt headboard at the Railway. Source: Bing Images

Garratt was a busy man until he died. Aside from the locomotive developments, he proceeded on to London from Gorton and took out a patent on his original idea for an articulated bogie gun carriage design which had originally inspired his locomotive concept. He also followed up in Belgium, where testing was being undertaken for an oil-fired Garratt (an option often suggested for 6029) for the Belgian Congo.

Meanwhile several Garratts were built for railways in Burma.

In nearly all cases, light track was laid down on equally insubstantial foundations and bridges, while long sections of single line limited the number of trains that could be run. As traffic increased, the trains could not be lengthened because conventional engines had reached the limit of their power due to restrictions of axle loading. Alternative solutions were either double-heading longer trains or re-building and re-laying large parts of the lines to take heavier locomotives. Either method was expensive, but the Garratt provided a cheaper answer. One boiler, which needed only one crew could be placed on two power bogies with the result that the tractive effort could be doubled and the weight distributed over a large number of wheels. The locomotive was also very flexible, allowing it to cope with indifferent track.

In the future, continual improvements and constant attention to design details would make the Garratt engines very reliable and economical. The constant improvement was also inspired by the management’s consciousness that when the Garratt's patent held by Beyer-Peacock would expire in 1923 (later extended to 1928), the firm no longer had exclusive rights to build Garratts, or to licence other firms to build them. The Company would then term all the Garratts it built subsequently as "Beyer-Garratts", to distinguish them from locomotives built by other firms.

Beyer-Garratts topping up water tanks for more hard work in Zimbabwe in the 1970s. Source: Geocities.

WAGR M388 Beyer Garratt at East Perth in 1926. Source: Bing Images