Compania Minera de Sierra Menera Beyer-Garratt Locomotives in Spain


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 501 (Locobase 780)

Data from Gavin Hamilton's excellent compilation of Garratt data posted at [] (6 September 2005); and A[rthur] E[dward] Durrant, Garratt Locomotives of the World (revised edition) (Newton Abbott, UK: David & Charles, 1981), p. 40. Works numbers 189-190 in 1930.

Double Prairie Garratts for a mining railroad in the Basque region of Spain. Designed by a local builder according to Beyer, Peacock's patent layout, this pair had Belpaire fireboxes, The railway opened in 1907 and had 205 kilometers of track. Soon after the Garratts arrived, the mine closed in 1932 and didn't reopen until 1941

Durrant visited this line in 1962. He saw the Garratt pulling hopper cars from Teruel to Escanton. On the heavier grades, a SM Mallet locomotive coupled on to the rear as a banking (North American "pusher") engine. After cresting the line's summit, the articulateds gave way to a North British Locomotive Company-built 4-8-0.

On the return trip, the odd couple (as he regarded the setup) would double-head a train of empties back to Teruel. In the later 1960s, the Mallets had been retired and the SM's Garratts teamed up with SM Mastodontes in the same service.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class501
Locobase ID780
RailroadCompania Minera de Sierra Menera
CountrySpain
Whyte2-6-2+2-6-2
Number in Class2
Road Numbers501-502
GaugeMetre
Number Built2
BuilderEuskalduna
Year1930
Valve GearWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)31,808 / 14,428
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)186,928 / 84,789
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)264,656 / 120,046
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)264,656 / 120,046
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)4224 / 16
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) 7.60 / 7
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)52 / 26
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)42.80 / 1087
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)180 / 12.40
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)17" x 22" / 432x559 (4)
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)45,457 / 20618.97
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.11
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)172 / 15.99
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)41.90 / 3.89
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2007 / 186.52
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)448 / 41.64
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2455 / 228.16
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume173.63
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation7542
Same as above plus superheater percentage8900
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area36,533
Power L17663
Power MT542.26

All material Copyright © SteamLocomotive.com
Wes Barris