LTM 51 Garratt

LTM 51 probably very soon after entering service

Having opened the standard gauge tramline Maastricht - Vaals from 1922 until 1929 it made it soon felt that the 0-4-0 Hanomags were not strong enough for the heavier freight trams on curved and steep sections of the line. Reasons to look for the Garratt design were typical for the circumstances. The Garratt was intended mainly for the heavy goods trams / trains which were until then double headed.

 

The order for this locomotieve was originally granted to Hanomag. It appears that the majority of the design may have been drawn by Hanomag very likely in close cooperation with D. Verhoop. Verhoop was the godfather of Dutch tramway locomotive design. No surprise then that this Garratt incorporated many of the features typically for Dutch tramway locomotives:

• inside cylinders to
  • increase steady running at higher speeds;
  • keep the gear away from dust and the general public. The locomotive was actually running through crowded streets and people tend to get distinctly unhappy if their arms and legs enter into a discussion with rotating locomotive gear.
• water tanks below the footplate and (due to the inside cylinders) outside the frame, which
  • kept the gravity point low ;
  • achieved a better load distribution over the axles, especially when water was running low;
  • gave a better view for the driver.
• Verhoop valve gear
• a Verhoop smokebox superheater.
• a passage way all over the locomotive to give access to the tram from the locomotive vice versa during the ride.

 

Applying these standards to the Garratt design produced the only Garratt in the world with inside cylinders only.

 

Running and valve gear was made accessible through the hatches on the footplates. Each of the bogies could be considered as a separate locomotive. In fact each bogie was largely the same as the frames of locomotives no 21-35. Pistons, valves and gearing were identical. Two coalbins were attached to the back of the cab, separated by the afore mentioned passage way. This also made the pivot of the rear engine unit easily accessible for inspection.

 

During the development of the locomotive Hanomag opted out of the locomotive business under the pressure of the economic troubles of the time. Effectively this is the last Hanomag locomotive and it carried two builder's numbers. Hanomag's business was transferred to Henschel where the locomotive was built or completed.

The engine entered service in 1931. The engine operated quite satisfactorily. It achieved a significant reduction in coal consumption (-/- 39%) and ran quite steady even at comparatively high speeds over 40 km/h. Due to its short lifespan only a handful of photo's is known to exist, most of which were taken during an excursion of the NVBS (Dutch Society of Railway and Tramway enthusiasts) on 23 July 1933.

 

LTM 51's life was cut short due to the closure of the Maastricht-Vaals line in 1938. With all other assets of the line the Garratt was sold to Dotremont scrapyard, after only seven, eight years of service.. In 1940 it was sold to Technisch Bureau Groen in The Hague and then again in 1941 to Germany were it disappeared without a trace.     < 1938. An NS 6200 towing LTM locomotives and rolling stock to Dotremont scrapyard after the goodbye party in Maasticht. The first LTM locomotive in line is de LTM51 Garratt, the others are the Hanomags B-couplers.