PILBARA RAILWAY PAGES
PILBARA YARD
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP ROAD
Page updated 03/06/2008.
Since the 11th of November, 2007  wagons have entered this road.
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Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) operate a fleet of 15 General Electric CW44-9. These units are rated at 3270 kilowatts or 4400 horse power. And are very much like the Pilbara Rail / Hamersley Iron units, but with black bogies, black underframe and tank etc.
Build date for the FMG Dash 9 order is August 2007 with serial no's: 58178 (001) to 58192 (015).
Operation of the heavy haul railway from Anderson Point Port Hedland to the Cloud Break Mine is over 250 km of single track, 68 kg/m rail on concrete sleepers and is of standard gauge configuration. Mainline switches or points are 1 in 20 swing nose frog type.
A number of passing sidings (or loops) and 'refuge sidings' (single ended) are located between the marshalling yard (located between the 15 and 19 km) and the mine at Cloud Break. The zero km post is the exit side of the car dumper, with the switch at the 4.4 km / -4 km.
The sidings are named and located thus:
21 Switch, ballast and rail welding yard. Two sidings, located at the 21 km.
Barker Siding (refuge) ballast loading, between the 43 and 44 km, 250m length.
Chapman Siding (loop) between the 68 and 72 km, 3000m length.
Durack Siding (refuge) near the 98 km, 250m length.
Forrest Siding (loop) near the 126 km, 3000m length.
?Name not known? Siding (refuge) near the 157 km, 250m length.
Hunter Siding (loop) first ore train loaded here, near the 185 km, 3000m length.
Morgan Siding (refuge) near the 216 km, 250m length.
Cloud Break (mine and loadout) near the 250 km.
Train consists are up to 240 cars with three Dash 9 locos on the point. Banking out of Cloud Break has not yet started. The axle loading of the waggons is up to 40 tonnes. A pair of bank engines will be utilised from Cloud Break over the summit of the Chichester Range for loaded trains bound for Anderson Point at some stage soon.
Train Control is located out at the marshalling yard and the plan is to relocate to Perth once the operation is up and running.
A radio based train order system is the method of safe working over a UHF radio network. FMG calls the train order a Proceed Authority or PA for short. Track access for gangs and other work groups is done with a TAA or Track Access Authority. FMG, like the rest of the Pilbara operators use single man crews.
Track laying was undertaken with work trains using rebuilt ex Robe River and Hamersley Iron Alco locomotives. GTSA rebuilt them. Locos are numbered and named as follows:
DR8401 Jean ex 9426 Robe River C-636R 3499-02 / WA-143-1, new Alco 251+ engine.
DR8402 Margaret ex 3007, Hamersley Iron C-636R G-6011-2 to WA-135-C, rebuilt Alco 251F engine.
DR8403 Rachel ex 3013 Hamersley Iron C-636R G-6040-1 / WA-135-C, Alco 251+ bottom and F series tops, and
DR8404 Vera ex 9427 Robe River C-636R 3499-03 to WA-143-2.
Attached to the side of the radiator are decals pointing out the following:
Owned by Coote Industrial,
Rebuilt by GTSA Engineering,
Leased to ARMS (Australian Rain Mining Services),
a subsidiary of South Spur Rail Services.
Rail and ballast wagons are the same ones used to build the Darwin line. Ballast cars are coded AHBY and these orange ex North Australia cars are complemented by yellow CFCLA CHQY type cars.
Following a field trip to see the track-laying progress in early December the consist of the train was, click here for pop-up.
Track laying was also carried out by hand from Cloud Break heading north towards Hunter Siding. A locomotive TL154 was trucked over from Melbourne, Victoria for use on a small ballast train of approx six car. This train operated out from Cloud Break as required. The locomotive has since been transported back to Melbourne by road.
Heading south from the marshalling yard, the first siding at the 43.5 km is Barker, and this is the second ballast loading site.
It is single ended and 250 metres long, the switch points north, with the siding located on the eastern side of the mainline.
Ballast is trucked across from the Elezac Quarry, located next to BHP's mainline near at the 51 km.
The consist of the ballast train is, click here for pop-up.
The first passing loop or siding is called Chapman and runs from about the 68.5 km to the 71.8 km. It's located on the east
side of the mainline. Prior to operations commencing there was a rake of ore cars sitting in it 2200 metres long. This siding is visible from BHP's Tabba Siding.
On Thursday the 1st of November, 2007, the good ship BBC Kusan commenced unloading the first of FMG's Dash 9 locomotives. The first loco left the port at 0955 hrs, followed by the second at 1150 hrs. Third unit left the port at 1530 hrs. A problem with the tarp allowed a photo of the unit at the Redbank Bridge, after it was removed. Unloading of the locos continued until Sunday the 4th of November.
The second batch of wagons was being unloaded over the 6-11th November.
The forth batch is being unloaded off the ship AMAZONEBORG in early January. Some wagon numbers are: 1582 : 2582, 1603 : 2604.
Another load of ore cars has arrived on the 3rd of February, off the ship African Grace.
And with the next shipment due very soon, that will be the completion of the original 816 ore car order.
We've also heard of another 160 ore cars have been ordered. This will bring the total cars close to 1000. The cars are manufactured in China by CSR, in their Zhuzhou Rolling Stock Works, and are normally shipped from the Chinese port of Zhangjiaga.
Also a total of twelve fuel tank wagons are due later in the year.
Due to the un-reliability of some of the rebuilt Alco units, FMG locomotives were used on a regular basis hauling the ballast trains. While the Alco locos DR8401 and DR8402 work the 'materials' or rail and sleeper train.
On Tuesday the 5th of February 2008, FMG loco 004 departed Barker Siding with a loaded ballast train (013 on the rear) at 1210 hrs heading to the 104 km to drop ballast on Proceed Authority no. 0685. This was the first such working of FMG locomotives and crews on the construction of the line.
Upon arrival at the 104 km, 1330 hrs, another PA was issued, no. 0686 to allow 004 to drop the ballast as required up to the 112 km.
Once ballasting was completed, PA 0687 was issued to loco 013 at 1508 hrs for the return to Barker Siding to stow.
Section times were: Depart 104 km, 1508 hrs, Chapman Siding 1555 hrs, Indee Rd Xing (48.3 km) 1615 hrs, and arrival and stowed at Barker Siding at 1627 hrs.
On the following day 004 and 013 again worked the ballast train.
On Friday the 8th of February, 2008 FMG locos 006 and 007 did two ballast runs for the day.
On Saturday the 9th of February, 2008 FMG loco 006 worked the materials train to Durack Siding, once cut off and in the siding, DR8402 pushed the train to the construction zone, while 006 worked back light engine to Barker on PA 0797 arriving at 0846 hrs. Which then worked a ballast train south with 007.
By the 2nd of March, 2008, track laying was at the 142.300 km area. Ballast was only a few hundred metres behind. Locomotives were 002 and 011 on the ballast rake. 8401 and 8403 on the material train. Track work was also close to the North West Coastal Hwy crossing and was being laid by hand.
For more information click here for the FMG website. They also have a rail image collection on the site.
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Click on image.
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