Alco Garratts

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Alco held the license to build Garratt locomotives in North America. While none were ever actually built, did any railroad actually solicit a bid for such locomotives or did Alco propose to build Garratts in response to requests for proposals? Garratts could have provided big power on narrow-gauge or lightly built lines.

[PBenham]

According to an old "Second Section" article by David P. Morgan during the '60s in an issue devoted in part to Garratts in southern and eastern (Kenya and Tanzania) Africa, they were given serious consideration by the Gulf, Mobile and Northern, predecessor of the Gulf Mobile and Ohio, later Illinois Cenrtal Gulf, later still CN! GM&N was interested since they had heavy grades on lines that had to climb in and out of the Mississippi River valley that had light (60-75lb) rail and some tight curves. The grades and curves led to the eventual abandonment of much of the old GM&N lines north of Cairo,IL. Too bad, too since they would have been flat awesome!