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Articulation

Garratt 146, Minas Rio Tinto

Locomotive data
Builder Beyer Peacock
Year built 1928
No built 2
Builder's number(s) 6560, 6561
Roadnumber(s) 145, 146
Wheel arrangement

2-6-2+2-6-2

(1'C1')' (1'C1')'

Gauge 1,067 mm
Grate area 3.88 m2
Superheated surface 41.64 m2
Heated surface (total) 227.70 m2
Boiler pressure 13,8 kg/cm2
Cylinders 4
Cylinder diam 432 mm
Stroke 559 mm
Diam. drivers 1,087
Water 18.1 m3
Fuel 7.0 tons
Weight (operational) 120,9 ton
Adhesive weight 82,3 ton
Length 18,059 mm
Speed -
Tractive effort 22,909.62

The class

This article is an abreviated and translated version of article found on http://lafactoria-cuencaminera.blogspot.com

 

At the end of the 1920s the R.T.C.L. decided to acquire two powerful articulated locomotives of the Garratt type from Beyer, Peacok & Co to to strengthen and modernize its motive power. The Garratt type was very much in vogue at that time, its sales quickly booming. They had a name for their developed power, their reliability and their adaptability to all kinds of road conditions. The Rio Tinto Company, powerful as it was, used their influence to divert these engines which were originally destined for South Africa having the same gauge and so received two engines of the 2-6-2+2-6-2 wheel arrangement carrying nos 145 and 146 in 1929.

Some sources claim the Riotinto Company, being aware of the good results achieved by this type of locomotives in the world, considered having Garratts built by their own technicians in their workshop from two locomotives of the K-class, already present on the railway. It should deliver twice the power of a K-class. This idea did not materialise though and a signature for an order was delivered to Manchester.

These locomotives arrived by ship to Huelva, disassembled in three parts, being assembled and put into service by Beyer Peacok technicians once they were landed. The arrival of these locomotives to the Riotinto railway was quite an event that enjoyed a lot of popularity since one of them was brought to the station of El Valle to be shown and admired by all the people. These locomotives marked an era.

 

These locomotives came equipped with a continuous vacuum brake. This brake was installed on the type M cars. This improved safety and save on labour making the brakemen redundant.

However, due to the size of the firebox and the amount of coal that was burned ahndfiring was impossible for a single firman. It was necessary to add an second fireman. So the crew was formed by one driver and two firemen.

The two firemen worked in shifts, perfectly trained, both on the way up and on the way down. Sometimes even the head guard had to help shovel coal to releive the firemen. The free firmean usualay sat on the coal shute to get some cool and to eat.

Originally the firebox door was operated by a steam mechanism, which was operated by the fireman by means of a small button located on the floor of the cabin that was operated by treading it with the foot. This was replaced however by the more traditional operation by a lever.

When tehese engines arrived parts of the mainline needed reinforcement due to the high weight of these locmotives in running order, for emaple the strengthening of the support colums of the Salomön bridge. During the year that these reinforcements were made the locomotives were separated from their trains by two empty flat cars to reduce the load on the bridges. After two years the reinforcements were ready and the lcomotives were hooked up directly to their trains.

 

The Garratts initially failed to deliver the expected result. But once rail of a higher linear weight was installed performance improved. In those early year they had a fixed driver. For a long time these were the most powerful locomotives of the Riotinto Railway until the arrival of the Alco's in the mid 1970s, and even among the most powerful in Spain. The Garratt hauled 50 M cars without difficulty, each loaded with 30 tons of ore, resulting in a total train weight of 2,000 tons. From Las Mallas to Huelva to Riotinto railway ran parallel to the RENFE's mainline and the driver put the ore train into it paces to leave the parallel running mail train behind, showing the power of the Garratt and the stamina of the crew.

145

Retired in 1963, assumed to have been scrapped.

146

Retired in 1975 (?) and still surviving.

Photos

Garratt 146 at Zarandas depot. Surviving is barely the word, considering the condition the loco is but yes it is still there.
Photo © Ken Livermore. With kind permission 2018.

The loco is actually visible using satelite view on Google. Location 37.671487, -6.558650

References

http://lafactoria-cuencaminera.blogspot.com/

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=Spain&wheel=Beyer-Garratt&railroad=rtr

Durrant: Garratt Locomotives of the World