Robe River Iron Associates operate a 200 kilometre railway from the port and crushing facilities at Cape Lambert to the mine at MESA J, called Deepdale, which is located near the closed town (no public facilities) of Pannawonica. The line has 3 passing sidings which have been renamed from Siding 1(42km), 2(93km) and 3(133km) to Harding, Maitland and Murray Camp.
Following a take-over by Rio Tinto of North's holding in RRIA, two new companies was formed.
The first, used to operate both Hamersley Iron and Robe Rivers railway assets called Pilbara Rail purchased 3 new General Electric Dash 9 locomotives to work the new line to the Robe River owned West Angelas mine. These units are identical is specs with the HI Dash 9, including HI's 'in -cab' ICSS signaling unit, which is required to operate over HI's line.
The second company is called Pilbara Iron and is used to consolidate the entire groups ore infrastructure.
The Robe River and Hamersley Iron lines have an interconnecting track, which leaves the Robe railway at the 72km, and joins the Hamersley line at about their 77km mark, on the east track of the Emu loop / double track section. This location is called Western Creek. Train control over the line is done from the Pilbara Rail Seven Mile yard facility, and is ICSS from Cape Lambert to Western Creek, then train order working from Western Creek to Deepdale. The line also utilises voice announcing defect detectors, and these are readily picked up on a scanner to help locate a train.
The ex Robe fleet consists of four Alco C-636 units 9412, 9413, 9215, 9416, two C-636R units 9426 and 9427 which are currently being stripped at Seven Mile for removal to Perth. And 12 CM40-8M units 9410-9411, 9414, 9417-9425 which are assigned to yard and dumper working at both Seven Mile and Cape Lambert yards and as extra power on Deepdale services. The 3 Dash 9 units 9470-9472 have been renumbered 9401 to 9403 and added to the pool of locomotives that operate system wide.
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