Bengal Assam Beyer-Garratt Locomotives in India


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class GE (Locobase 577)

Data from Gavin Hamilton's excellent compilation of Garratt data posted at [link] (6 September 2005); and A[rthur] E[dward] Durrant, Garratt Locomotives of the World (revised edition) (Newton Abbott, UK: David & Charles, 1981), p 58. Works numbers were 7280-7289 in 1949.

Hamilton says these Double Mountain Garratts were identical to the EAR's Class 60s. Adhesion weight is converted from 86.86 tons using a long-ton conversion (2,240 lb).

Although these were originally intended for the Burma Railways, they were diverted to the Assam across the border in Bengal. Durrant wrote "political turmoil" in Burma led to the move to the Indian North Eastern Railway (NEFR) "having done little work in Burma ...terroist activity [having] prevented the reopening of certain lines upon which these Garratts should have worked."


Class MWGX/GD/EAR 55 (Locobase 512)

Data from Gavin Hamilton's excellent compilation of Garratt data posted at [link], last accessed 6 September 2005; supplemented by "Beyer-Garratt Simple for Ghats/Class GD" diagram from Burma Railway Locomotive Diagram book supplied in July 2021 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection.. See also the "Railways in Myanmar/Burma" web page at [link], last accessed 24 January 2023; and Roger Farnworth, "The EC5 Class Garratts, later EAR Class 55" in his "The Uganda Railway - Part 24 - Locomotives and Rolling Stock - Part B (1927 to 1948)" blog entry dated 19 June 2018 at [link], last accessed 28 September 2024. (Thanks to Nick Lera for his 26 September 2024 email helping to untangle the careers of several Garratt classes such as this one.) Works numbers were 7140-7157 in 1945.

The British War Department assigned 18 of its Light Mountain Garratts (WD 74240-74257) to the Bengal & Assam railway in 1945. Half the class remained with the BAR while the other nine of these soon joined several earlier Garratt classes in Burma as class GD. In order of their original War Department numbers, they were numbered 854, 855/865, 856/866, 857/867, 851, 852, 858/868, 859/869, 853.

According to the Florian Gruppe's page, the immediate post-war state of Burma's railways rendered them surplus to requirements. So the BR sold four (to Tanganyika Railways in 1948 as their 750-753 and five more to East African Railways in 1952, joining the two original Kenya-Uganda Railway 120-121 EAR 55 class locomotives described in Locobase 21110.

They were part of the series of War Department designs for lightweight metre gauge operation.


Class WD Light-Metre / MWGL (Locobase 505)

Data from Gavin Hamilton's excellent compilation of Garratt data posted at [link] . (6 September 2005); and A[rthur] E[dward] Durrant, Garratt Locomotives of the World (revised edition) (Newton Abbott, UK: David & Charles, 1981), p. 193. (Thanks to Nick Lera for his 26 September 2024 email untangling the careers of several Garratt classes such as this one.) Works numbers were 7112-7121.in 1942.

Double Consolidation Garratts that operated on the Bengal Assam Rly (India) as class MWGL. They were essentially duplicates of the Burmese Railway B/GA class. They would eventually run under the North Eastern Frontier Railway as their 32091-32094.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassGEMWGX/GD/EAR 55WD Light-Metre / MWGL
Locobase ID577 512 505
RailroadBengal AssamBengal AssamBengal Assam
CountryIndiaIndiaIndia
Whyte4-8-2+2-8-44-8-2+2-8-42-8-0+0-8-2
Number in Class101810
Road Numbers861-86474240-74257/854+/5501-551174200-74209 /975-983/32082-32090
GaugeMetreMetreMetre
Number Built101810
BuilderBeyer, PeacockBeyer, PeacockBeyer, Peacock
Year194919451943
Valve GearWalschaertWalschaertWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)26.76 / 8.16
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)79.08 / 24.10
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.34
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)79.08 / 24.10
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)24,640 / 11,17722,400 / 10,16023,520 / 10,669
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)194,566 / 88,254179,200 / 81,284187,600 / 85,094
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)322,560 / 146,311306,180 / 138,881231,504 / 105,009
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)5534 / 20.965040 / 19.092400 / 9.09
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)2160 / 8176 7.70 / 7 5.50 / 5
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)41 / 20.5037 / 18.5039 / 19.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)48 / 121948 / 121939 / 991
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)204.50 / 1410200 / 1380200 / 1380
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)16" x 24" / 406x610 (4)16" x 24" / 406x610 (4)15.5" x 20" / 394x508 (4)
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)44,499 / 20184.4343,520 / 19740.3641,890 / 19001.01
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.37 4.12 4.48
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)185 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)32 - 5.25" / 133
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)12.95 / 3.95
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)170 / 15.80183 / 17187 / 17.38
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)48.75 / 4.5348.75 / 4.5343.70 / 4.06
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1925 / 178.901996 / 185.431742 / 161.90
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)370 / 34.39399 / 37.07313 / 29.09
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2295 / 213.292395 / 222.502055 / 190.99
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume172.33178.69199.41
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation996997508740
Same as above plus superheater percentage11,56411,40810,051
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area40,32742,82243,010
Power L1894293138176
Power MT810.57916.59768.66

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