Australian Standard Garratt

The Australian Standard Garratt (ASG) was a Garratt steam locomotive designed in Australia during World War II, and used on 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge railway systems in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
==History==
With the outbreak of World War II, in 1939 the Federal Government formed the Commonwealth Land Transport Board (CLTB) to take responsibility for the country's land transport networks. It had the power to override the decisions of the State railways. In 1942, the CLTB appointed the Commissioner of Railways in Western Australia, Joseph Ellis, to investigate the capacity of Australia's narrow gauge network and recommend what locomotives should be purchased. Ellis recommended that three variations of Garratt locomotive be purchased; heavy, medium and light.
The CLTB elected to build only the light type to allow it to operate on any narrow gauge line in Australia. After an attempt to obtain drawings and licenses from Beyer, Peacock and Company failed, in July 1942 the CLTB recommended to the War Cabinet that 30 locomotives be built locally. In August 1942, the War Cabinet approved the order, this was increased to 65 locomotives in November 1942. The Western Australian Government Railways' Chief Mechanical Engineer Frederick Mills was seconded to lead a team of engineers in Melbourne to design the new locomotive. The Queensland Railways were vocal opponents, stating its preference for a modified version of its C17 class.
The result was the Australian Standard Garratt, with the first locomotive being built in a record breaking four months to enter service in September 1943. Only 57 ASGs were completed, with assembly of the remaining eight cancelled at the end of the war. The locomotives were built by the WAGR's Midland Railway Workshops (10), the Victorian Railways' Newport Workshops (12), the South Australian Railways' Islington Railway Workshops (13), and Clyde Engineering, Sydney (22).
==In Service==
Because of differences between the states, especially in regard to loading gauges, the sharpness of curves, and axle load, especially in Queensland, the design had to be a compromise, which went against the idea of having a standardised design.
To enable the long-wheelbase engine units to negotiate sharp curves, the leading driving wheels were designed to be flangeless, but this proved to be a major flaw as it led to a tendency for the locomotives to derail on curves and points. Another key problem, which made the ASGs unpopular with locomotive crews, was the fact that the firebox door opened flat on the floor of the driving cab, maximising heat radiation into the crew compartment. This resulted in them having fairly short lives with most withdrawn by the mid-1950s. Some were resold for use on the Emu Bay and Fyansford Cement Works Railways where they would have more successful careers.
===Queensland Railways===
The Queensland Railways purchased 23. One was never used and another saw only two months service. In September 1945, the drivers' union placed a ban on them. Attempts to modify them proved unsuccessful, and they were written off in 1948. Three were sold to the Emu Bay Railway and six to the Tasmanian Government Railways, with the remainder scrapped in 1954/55.
===Tasmanian Government Railways===
The Tasmanian Government Railways purchased 14 new and another six second-hand from the Queensland Railways. Two were sold to the Emu Bay Railway with the remainder scrapped in the late 1950s.
===Western Australian Government Railways===
The Western Australian Government Railways purchased 25. They were unpopular with crews, and their use through the state's only tunnel at Swan View caused serious problems, resulting in deaths, industrial disputes, and a Royal Commission.
Six were sold to the South Australian Railways in 1952 with the last withdrawn from the WAGR in January 1957.
===Emu Bay Railway===
The Emu Bay Railway purchased three second-hand from the Queensland Railways and two from the Tasmanian Government Railways. It would operate them successfully until the mid-1960s. One was destroyed in an accident in February 1962 with a replacement obtained from the TGR.
===South Australian Railways===
In 1952, the South Australian Railways purchased six second-hand from the WAGR to haul lead ore between Cockburn and Port Pirie as an interim solution pending the delivery of the 400 class Garratts, with all condemned by February 1956.
===Fyansford Cement Works Railway===
The Fyansford Cement Works Railway purchased G33 from Commonwealth Disposals in August 1945. It was withdrawn in 1957, but maintained in operational condition until the railway closed in 1966 when it was donated to the Geelong division of the Australian Railway Historical Society.
==Class list==
Class List	Class List 	Class List 	Class List 	Class List 	Class List	Class List
Num 	Assembled at 	Service with 	Entered service 	Withdrawn 	Scrapped 	Notes
G1 	Newport Workshops 	Queensland Railways 	September 1943 	September 1945	1955 	
G2 	Newport Workshops 	Queensland Railways 	November 1943 	September 1945	1955 	
G3 	Newport Workshops 	Queensland Railways 	December 1943 	September 1945	1955 	
G4 	Newport Workshops 	Queensland Railways 	December 1943 	September 1945	1955 	
G5 	Newport Workshops 	Queensland Railways 	February 1944 	September 1945	1955 	
G6 	Newport Workshops 	Tasmanian Government Railways 	 	 	 	
G7 	Newport Workshops 	Tasmanian Government Railways 	 	 	 	
G8 	Newport Workshops 	Tasmanian Government Railways 	 	 	 	
G9 	Newport Workshops 	Tasmanian Government Railways 	 	 	 	Delivered to Queensland Railways but did not enter service, sold to Tasmanian Government Railways in December 1948
G10 	Newport Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G11 	Islington Railway Workshops	Queensland Railways
Tasmanian Government Railways	December 1943 	 	 	Sold to Tasmanian Government Railways in June 1946
G12 	Islington Railway Workshops	Queensland Railways
Tasmanian Government Railways
Emu Bay Railway	December 1943 	 	 	Sold to Tasmanian Government Railways in February 1950, sold to Emu Bay Railway 1962 as 20a as replacement for G25
G13 	Islington Railway Workshops	Queensland Railways 	February 1944 	September 1945	1955 	
G14 	Islington Railway Workshops	Queensland Railways 	June 1944 	September 1945	1955 	
G15 	Islington Railway Workshops	Queensland Railways 	May 1944 	September 1945	1955 	
G16 	Islington Railway Workshops	Queensland Railways
Emu Bay Railway 	August 1944 	September 1945	1955 	Sold to Emu Bay Railway, delivered July 1950, entered service July 1952 as 16
G17 	Islington Railway Workshops	Queensland Railways
Emu Bay Railway 	August 1944 	September 1945	1955 	Sold to Emu Bay Railway, delivered March 1954, entered service October 1956 as 18
G18 	Islington Railway Workshops	Queensland Railways
Tasmanian Government Railways	July 1945 	September 1945	1955 	Sold to Tasmanian Government Railways in February 1950
G19 	Islington Railway Workshops	Queensland Railways
Tasmanian Government Railways	April 1945 	September 1945	1955 	Sold to Tasmanian Government Railways in December 1948
G20 	Islington Railway Workshops	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G21 	Clyde Engineering 	Queensland Railways 	January 1944 	 	 	
G22 	Clyde Engineering 	Queensland Railways 	February 1944 	 	 	
G23 	Clyde Engineering 	Queensland Railways
Emu Bay Railway 	June 1944 	 	 	Sold to Emu Bay Railway, delivered September 1950, entered service September 1953 as 17
G24 	Clyde Engineering 	Queensland Railways 	May 1944 	 	 	
G25 	Clyde Engineering 	Queensland Railways
Tasmanian Government Railways
Emu Bay Railway	May 1944 	February 1962 	 	Sold to Tasmanian Government Railways in June 1946 as 20, resold to Emu Bay Railway destroyed in accident February 1962
G26 	Midland Railway Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways
South Australian Railways	22 November 1943	 	 	Sold to South Australian Railways 1952 as 305
G27 	Midland Railway Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G28 	Midland Railway Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G29 	Midland Railway Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways
South Australian Railways	10 March 1944 	 	 	Sold to South Australian Railways 1952 as 302
G30 	Midland Railway Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways
South Australian Railways	5 April 1944 	 	 	Sold to South Australian Railways 1952 as 304
G31 	Newport Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways
South Australian Railways	2 March 1945 	 	 	Sold to South Australian Railways 1952 as 303
G32 	Newport Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways
South Australian Railways	1 June 1945 	 	 	Sold to South Australian Railways 1952 as 300
G33 	Islington Railway Workshops	Fyansford Cement Works Railway 	1946 	1957 	 	Donated to Australian Railway Historical Society Museum in 1966, transferred to Bellarine Railway in 2013
G34 	Not assembled 	 	 	 	 	
G35 	Not assembled 	 	 	 	 	
G36 	Not assembled 	 	 	 	 	
G37 	Clyde Engineering 	Tasmanian Government Railways 	 	 	 	
G38 	Clyde Engineering 	Tasmanian Government Railways 	 	 	 	
G39 	Not assembled 	 	 	 	 	
G40 	Not assembled 	 	 	 	 	
G41 	Not assembled 	 	 	 	 	
G42 	Not assembled 	 	 	 	 	
G43 	Not assembled 	 	 	 	 	
G44 	Islington Railway Workshops	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G45 	Islington Railway Workshops	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G46 	Midland Railway Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G47 	Midland Railway Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G48 	Midland Railway Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G49 	Midland Railway Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways
South Australian Railways	20 October 1944 	 	 	Sold to South Australian Railways 1952 as 301
G50 	Midland Railway Workshops 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G51 	Clyde Engineering 	Queensland Railways 	July 1944 	 	1955 	
G52 	Clyde Engineering 	Queensland Railways 	August 1944 	 	1955 	
G53 	Clyde Engineering 	Queensland Railways 	September 1944 	 	1955 	
G54 	Clyde Engineering 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G55 	Clyde Engineering 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G56 	Clyde Engineering 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G57 	Clyde Engineering 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G58 	Clyde Engineering 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G59 	Clyde Engineering 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G60 	Clyde Engineering 	Tasmanian Government Railways 	 	 	 	
G61 	Clyde Engineering 	Tasmanian Government Railways 	 	 	 	
G62 	Clyde Engineering 	Tasmanian Government Railways 	 	 	 	
G63 	Clyde Engineering 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G64 	Clyde Engineering 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
G65 	Clyde Engineering 	Western Australian Government Railways	 	 	 	
== Preservation ==
The only surviving complete ASG is G33, which ran on the Fyansford Cement Works Railway until 1957. It was on static display at the Australian Railway Historical Society Museum in North Williamstown until May 2013, when (along with a spare boiler) it was moved by road to the Bellarine Railway, Queenscliff, with the aim of full restoration.
Many front ASG water tanks have survived: one at Yatina, South Australia, two on a farm south of Peterborough, South Australia, two at the Don River Railway in Tasmania, and several dotted around that state. They were used as water tanks for steam and fire fighting until the early 1980s. Another also survives with the Launceston & North East Railway in Launceston, Tasmania. It was used as a waste oil tank by TasRail until the closure of the Hobart railway yard in 2014, possibly being the last steam engine component used by TasRail.
== In fiction ==
This Australian locomotive was seen in a YouTube video, Thomas & Friends: Useful Around the World, "Thomas Crosses Australia."
== Gallery ==
Category:Australian locomotives
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