Australian Standard Garratt

Australian Standard Garratt (ASG)
Company type	Locomotive class
Industry	Railway transport
Founded	1943
Founder	Commonwealth Land Transport Board engineering team led by Frederick Mills
Headquarters	Australia
Products	Articulated steam locomotives (Garratt type)

The Australian Standard Garratt (ASG) was an articulated steam locomotive of the Garratt type, developed and manufactured in Australia during World War II for deployment on the narrow-gauge rail systems across Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia. After the war, ASGs remained operational in South Australia and at Victoria's Fyansford Cement Works railway.

History

Following the commencement of World War II in 1939, the federal government established the Commonwealth Land Transport Board (CLTB) to manage the country’s land transportation. Granted authority to supersede decisions made by state railways, the CLTB appointed Joseph Ellis, then Commissioner of Railways in Western Australia, in 1942 to evaluate Australia's narrow gauge rail network and advise on locomotive acquisitions. Ellis recommended three classes of Garratt locomotives: heavy, medium, and light.

The CLTB opted to manufacture only the light variant to ensure compatibility across all narrow gauge lines. After unsuccessful attempts to obtain designs from Beyer, Peacock and Company, the CLTB proposed in July 1942 that 30 locomotives be constructed domestically; this plan received War Cabinet approval in August and was expanded to 65 units by November. The design responsibility fell to a Melbourne-based engineering team led by Western Australian Government Railways Chief Mechanical Engineer Frederick Mills. Meanwhile, Queensland Rail expressed opposition, advocating instead for a modified version of the C17 class.

This initiative culminated in the creation of the Australian Standard Garratt (ASG). The prototype was completed in an unprecedented four months and entered service in September 1943. Ultimately, only 57 ASGs were produced; eight planned units were cancelled after the conflict ended. Production was distributed among several workshops: WAGR's Midland Railway Workshops manufactured 10 units, Victorian Railways' Newport Workshops built 12, South Australian Railways' Islington Railway Workshops completed 13, and Clyde Engineering, Sydney produced 22.

In service

Variations among states regarding loading gauges, curve radii, and axle load limits—particularly stringent in Queensland—necessitated design compromises that hindered the ASG’s objective of standardization.

To negotiate sharp curves, the leading driving wheels were designed without flanges; however, this resulted in frequent derailments on curves and track switches. Furthermore, the firebox door opened flush with the cab floor, exposing crews to intense heat and contributing to poor operator acceptance. These drawbacks led to relatively brief operational lifespans, with most locomotives retired by the mid-1950s. Nevertheless, some found prolonged use on the Emu Bay and Fyansford Cement Works Railways where they performed more reliably.

Queensland Railways

Queensland Rail acquired 23 units; one remained unused while another operated only for two months before being barred by a drivers' union ban in September 1945. Attempts at modifications were unsuccessful, resulting in their withdrawal by 1948. Subsequently, three units were sold to Emu Bay Railway, six transferred to Tasmanian Government Railways, and the remainder scrapped by 1955.

Tasmanian Government Railways

Tasmanian Government Railways obtained 14 new ASGs along with six second-hand locomotives from Queensland Railways. Two of these were later sold to Emu Bay Railway, while the rest were dismantled by the late 1950s.

Western Australian Government Railways

The Western Australian Government Railways acquired 25 locomotives that were generally disliked by their crews. Operating these units through the Swan View Tunnel led to significant problems, including fatal accidents, labor disputes, and ultimately a Royal Commission inquiry. In 1952, six of these locomotives were transferred to South Australian Railways, with the final unit being retired by January 1957.

Emu Bay Railway

The Emu Bay Railway successfully utilized three pre-owned locomotives originally from Queensland Railways and two from the Tasmanian Government Railways until the mid-1960s. Following the loss of one locomotive in an accident in 1962, a replacement was procured from the Tasmanian Government Railways.

South Australian Railways

In 1952, South Australian Railways bought six used locomotives from WAGR to transport lead ore between Cockburn and Port Pirie. This was intended as a short-term solution until the arrival of the 400 class Garratts. All six units were withdrawn by February 1956.

Fyansford Cement Works Railway

Locomotive G33 was acquired by the Fyansford Cement Works Railway from Commonwealth Disposals in August 1945. Although officially withdrawn in 1957, it remained operational until the railway ceased operations in 1966. Subsequently, it was donated to the Geelong branch of the Australian Railway Historical Society.

Class list


Number	Builder	Builders number	Operator	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 initially to Queensland Railways but sold to Tasmanian Government Railways in December 1948
G10	Newport Workshops		Western Australian Government Railways	3 April 1945	14 February 1952
G11	Islington Railway Workshops		Queensland Railways / Tasmanian Government Railways\|\|December 1943\|\|\|\|Transferred to Tasmanian Government Railways June 1946
G12	Islington Railway Workshops		Queensland Railways / Tasmanian Government Railways / Emu Bay Railway	December 1943		Moved to Tasmanian Government Railways February 1950; later to Emu Bay Railway in 1962 as unit 20a replacing 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	Transferred to Emu Bay Railway, delivered July 1950, entered service July 1952 as G16
G17	Islington Railway Workshops		Queensland Railways / Emu Bay Railway	August 1944	September 1945	1955	Sold to Emu Bay Railway, delivered March 1954, began service October 1956 as G18
G18	Islington Railway Workshops		Queensland Railways / Tasmanian Government Railways	July 1945	September 1945	1955	Transferred to Tasmanian Government Railways February 1950
G19	Islington Railway Workshops		Queensland Railways / Tasmanian Government Railways	April 1945	September 1945	1955	Sold to Tasmanian Government Railways December 1948
G20	Islington Railway Workshops		Western Australian Government Railways	23 March 1945	17 April 1956	August 1959	Converted to oil firing March 1951
G21	Clyde Engineering		Queensland Railways	January 1944
G22	Clyde Engineering		Queensland Railways	February 1944
G23	Clyde Engineering		Queensland Railways / Emu Bay Railway	June 1944		Transferred to Emu Bay Railway, delivered September 1950, entered service September 1953 as G17
G24	Clyde Engineering		Queensland Railways	May 1944
G25	Clyde Engineering		Queensland Railways / Tasmanian Government Railways / Emu Bay Railway	May 1944	February 1962		Moved to Tasmanian Government Railways June 1946 as G20; later resold to Emu Bay Railway; destroyed in accident February1962
G26	Midland Railway Workshops		Western Australian Government Railways / South Australian Railways	22 November 1943	7 November1951		Transferred to South Australian Railways in1952, renumbered305
G27	Midland Railway Workshops		Western Australian Government Railways	16 December 1943 30 July 1953
Midland Railway Workshops	Western Australian Government Railways \|8 February 1944 \|10 January 1957 \|August 1959 \|Converted to oil firing February 1948; reverted to coal December 1950
Midland Railway Workshops	Western Australian Government Railways / South Australian Railways \|10 March 1944 \|6 February 1951 \| \|Transferred to South Australian Railways in 1952, renumbered302
Midland Railway Workshops	Western Australian Government Railways / South Australian Railways \|5 April 1944 \|7 November 1951 \| \|Moved to South Australian Railways in 1952, renumbered304
Newport Workshops	Western Australian Government Railways / South Australian Railways \|2 March 1945 \|6 February 1951 \| \|Converted to oil firing February 1948; sold to South Australian Rails in 1952, renumbered303
Newport Workshops	Western Australian Government Railways / South Australian Rails \|1 June 1945 \|31 October 1951 \| \|Converted oil firing March 1948; reverted coal; sold South Australia Rails in 1952, renumbered300
Islington Railway Workshops	Fyansford Cement Works Railway \|1946 \|1957 \| \|Donated to Australian Railway Historical Society Museum (1966); transferred Bellarine Railway (2013)
Not assembled			\|
Clyde Engineering	Tasmanian Government Rails
Islington Railway Workshops	Western Australian Govt Rails \|March–April 1945 \|April 1956 \|July 1959 \| Converted oil firing (Feb. '48), reverted coal (Apr. '52)
Midland Railway Workshops	Western Australian Govt Rails \|July–August '44 \|Jan. '57 \|Aug. '59–'64 \| Converted oil firing (May & July '51)
Midland Railway Workshops	Western Australia/South Australia Rails \| Sept.–Oct. '44 \|Feb.–Nov. '51 \|\| Transferred South Australia Rails (renumbered301)
Clyde Engineering	Queensland Rails	July–Sept. '44 \|\| Scrapped by '55
Clyde Engineering	Western Australia Govt Rails	March–June '45 \|\| Conversions and scrapping between '51 and '64
Clyde Engineering	Tasmanian Govt Rails
Clyde Engineering	Western Australia Govt Rails	June–August '45 \|\| Conversions and withdrawals by early '60s

Preservation

The sole intact Australian Standard Garratt (ASG) locomotive remaining is G33, which remained in service on the Fyansford Cement Works Railway until 1957. It was exhibited at the Australian Railway Historical Society Museum located in North Williamstown until 2013, after which it was relocated to the Bellarine Railway in Queenscliff for comprehensive restoration, accompanied by an additional boiler.

Several ASG front water tanks have also been preserved: one is positioned at Yatina, South Australia; two are situated on a farm south of Peterborough, South Australia; another is housed at the Workshops Rail Museum in Queensland; two are maintained at the Don River Railway in Tasmania; with additional tanks distributed throughout Tasmania. These tanks functioned as water and firefighting reservoirs up until the early 1980s. Additionally, one tank remains with the Launceston & North East Railway in Launceston, Tasmania, having been repurposed by TasRail as a waste oil container until the closure of the Hobart railway yard in 2014, potentially representing the final steam locomotive component employed by TasRail.

Bibliography

External links