From: jishnu@nospam.verizon.net

On 5/15/2014 4:19 AM, rcp27g@gmail.com wrote:
> On Thursday, 15 May 2014 06:20:03 UTC+2, Larry Sheldon  wrote:
>> On 5/14/2014 10:56 PM, Glen Labah wrote:
>>
>>> The other interesting thing is that if you look at some of the photos of
>>> the yards
>>> http://www.noarail.com/members2/v/John+ll/Working+Steam/EAR02.jpg.html
>>> the track spacing seems somewhat wider than necessary.  Maybe someone
>>> had the idea that someday conversion to standard gauge might happen?
>>
>> For the terminally uninformed--what is in the structure in front of the
>> boiler in that picture?  I do not believe I have ever seen such a thing.
>
> It's a relatively conventional Beyer-Garratt locomotive.  The concept is
that the boiler
>is suspended between two engine-units, the "rear" engine unit carries
the fuel and some
>water, the "front" engine unit has a water tank (to supply the boiler,
I say front and
>rear in quotes because the locomotives are designed to be used equally
well in either
>direction), and there is no separate tender.  Ohe benefit is that the
boiler has no
>wheels or running gear beneath it, so it can be of large diameter, and
can sit lower
>than would be possible with driving wheels beneath it, which is useful
for stability
>on narrow gauge track.  In general it provides for a large and powerful
locomotive on
>a light axle loading that can cope with narrow gauge track with tight
curvature.
>
> Robin
>

Indian Railways had these enormous Broad Gauge N Class Garratts on BNR
(Bengal Nagpur Railway, now South Eastern Railway) which hauled coal
trains before electrification. One is preserved at the New Delhi
National Railway Museum, and another one is preserved in the erstwhile
home shed of the class.

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