Manchester celebrates 100 years of Beyer Peacock Garratts
[photo : Museum of Science and Industry]
The first Garratt (articulated double engine) locomotive appeared from the Beyer Peacock works at Gorton, Gt Manchester in Jan 1909.
Beyer, Peacock was founded in 1854 and built hundreds of locomotives for railway companies in Britain and, particularly, Commonwealth countries. When loads demanded higher power outputs, frequently from a restricted loading gauge, HW Garratt designed an articulated locomotive with a large boiler and firebox slung across two running units to help trains cope with sharp bends and steep gradients. Beyer, Peacock built the first one for Garrett and later licenced the design as their own. Between 1909 and 1967 around 1000 Beyer-Garratts were manufactured in various sizes for all sorts of railways. Britain's mainline railways bought relatively few - a single example for the LNER and one class of 33 locos for the LMS.
On the weekend of 14th-16th August the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) will be commemorating the centenary with a Great Garratt Gathering. The Welsh Highland Railway is loaning its K1 0-4-0+0-4-0, the world's first Garratt produced for Tasmania, ahead of the reopening of the WH line throughout to Porthmadog. Also on show will be a 7 1/4" gauge Beyer-Garratt from the National Railway Museum in York, the William Francis standard-gauge Beyer-Garratt from Bressingham Steam Museum, plus MOSI's very own 1930 Beyer-Garratt, which ran on the South African Railways until 1972 and which is on permanent display in the Power Hall (pictured above). There will also be a wide selection of works plates and other Beyer-Garratt memorabilia on show.
Find out more from the MOSI website here.
