The Bengal Nagpur Railway class N Garratt was a class of steam locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock & Company in England in 1929. At the time of their construction, they had the largest water capacity of any Garratt, in addition to being the largest locomotives in India. With the success of HSG, this class followed. Due to their heavy weight, they were restricted to 90 lb/yard rails. They had straight-ported cylinders. It is not known if this suited them for hauling slow, heavy coal traffic. Like HSG, they were used Chakradharpur-Jharsuguda and also at Anara-Tatanagar sections. After electrification, they were used at Rourkela. They could haul 2400 tonnes on a 1 in 100 gradient.[1]

BNR class N
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBeyer, Peacock & Company
Serial number6583–6598
Build date1929
Total produced16
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte4-8-0+0-8-4
 • UIC(2′D)(D2′) h4t
Gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Driver dia.4 ft 8 in (1.422 m)
Axle load20.25 long tons (20.57 t)
Adhesive weight159.4 long tons (162.0 t)
Loco weight234 long tons (238 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity14 long tons (14 t)
Water cap.10,000 imp gal (45,000 L; 12,000 US gal)
Firebox:
 • Grate area69.8 sq ft (6.48 m2)
Boiler pressure210 psi (1.45 MPa)
Superheater:
 • Heating area642 sq ft (59.6 m2)
CylindersFour, outside
Cylinder size20+12 in × 26 in (521 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Valve typePiston valves
Performance figures
Maximum speed45 mph (72 km/h)
Tractive effort69,655 lbf (309.84 kN)
Career
Operators
Numbers
  • BNR: 810–825
  • →IR: 38810–38825
LocaleSouth Eastern Railway zone
First run1929
Last run1970
Retired1970
Withdrawn1970
PreservedNo. 811 and 815
Current ownerNational Rail Museum, New Delhi and Kharagpur Workshops

In 2006 Locomotive 811 at Kharagpur workshop was reactivated and used on a few runs before being stored again. In order to activate the locomotive, many parts were borrowed from locomotive 815 at the Delhi Railway Museum. The parts were later returned and refitted to 815 which itself was given a cosmetic overhaul. In 2018 a second attempt to activate 811 was made. This time all missing parts were fabricated in a US$400,000 refurbishment that was put out to public tender. The locomotive has made just one trial trip up to the end of 2019.

Technical specifications edit

Boiler diameter 7 ft 1+1316 in (2.18 m)
Boiler area 3,112 sq ft (289.1 m2)
Max Train load 3,000 long tons (3,000 t)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "5Brinkster". Archived from the original on 2013-10-23.