6029 Climbs the Escarpment

Monday this week (14/11/2016) ARHS (ACT Div) returned 6029 plus POTS 4403 + 4807 and train to Canberra from Wollongong. The highlight of this transfer was that the train ran 'up the hill' from Unanderra to Moss Vale. You British types might say "So what!"

Well, this is the first working of a Garratt up the hill. The line from Unanderra is 'mildly graded.' There's something approaching 14 miles of 1 in 30 grades. The train has a gross weight of 900 tonnes including the three locomotives.

6029 was given its head on this climb, POTS were idling for most of this climb.

Here's a couple of videos to show what happened.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqyVW_7YT0s




For those who want to insist that a Garratt's engine units work in unison, watch, listen and weep. 6029's engine units are going in and out of step all the time, what a glorious double beat exhaust.

Anyway, enjoy.

Brett

 

Thanks for posting these Brett. 6029 has to be one of the most impressive locos operating in the world today. How sad then that two days after this was filmed the ARHS (ACT Div) went into receivership and the whole Canberra operation shut down. I understand that 6029 has already moved back to NSW for safe keeping but there must be some doubt about its operating future.

If you can, please keep us on Nat Pres updated on any developments.

Peter

 

Will do. 6029 and its smaller 'sister' 3016TS arrived at Thirlmere at roughly 1605 AEDST (Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time) yesterday, Saturday 19/11/2016. They are safely & securely within the museum site.

 

excuse my ignorance, but where does the exhaust of the bunker end unit go? Never thought of that before, but your comments on synchronisation made me think.

 

On our Garratts, the 'fresh' steam (live from superheater header) goes up the centre of the front unit and branches to each cylinder. The live steam to the rear unit goes down the outside of the fireman's side of the boiler cradle and crosses under the cab to go down the centre of the rear unit, branching off to each cylinder.

Exhaust stem from the front unit mimics the path of the live steam, emerging at the blastpipe in the smokebox. Exhaust steam from the rear unit mimics the path of the live steam, except that under the cab floor it turns left and emerges to run outside the boiler cradle to enter the smokebox, where it too gets sent through the blastpipe and up the chimney.

Each engine unit is a two cylinder machine.

This gives a Garratt the sound of a very rapid exhaust beat when each unit is running in syncopation. If you listen you can hear the difference in volume of the exhaust from front & rear engine units.