Pics on The Main North Line Brisbane

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

The various Australians can help me out here but I'll give it a start.  There are still three gauges in Australia but it's not as bad as it used to be.  WAGR standard-gauged the main line from Perth to Kalgoorlie and two branches isolated from the rest of the narrow-gauge system.  Kalgoorlie is the interchange point with the standard-gauge Commonwealth Railways.  SAR standard gauged its lines from Port Augusta to Adelaide and Broken Hill, where it connected with the standard-gauge NSWGR.  So there is now a through transcontinental standard-gauge route.

The rest of Western Australia and Queensland are still narrow-gauge, but they are substantial networks in their own right and interchange issues are not that big.  Victoria and some of South Australia are still broad-gauge, interspersed with some standard-gauge and dual-gauge main lines.

 

[tatans]

Great photos, and very nice looking locomotives, but isn't North reallys South in Australia, as everything is upside down according to us on the "right" side of the equator?   If there are 3 gauges of track currently in Australia how do trains travel from one state (province) to another?? or am I incorrect?  g'day now.

[GMS-AU]

Howdy All

I don't think the AC6000's were there when the big train was run. I believe they were running 4400's.

The Cabs on the QRN Clydes ( EMD local builder ) were very similar to EMD,s in the US. Initially they had the 4 windows like the standard cab and the curved roof to fit the loading outline. The cab mods were done by QRN and gave it a bigger front window is to allow single driver operation. This is similar to what SP ordered on its SD's in the 70's. This loco is a 16-645E @ 2000 hp or there abouts. Being narrow gauge the loading outline is smaller than US or even local standard gauge. Also with electrification height limits are restricted to 10' high containers and similar. No piggy back or double stacks however coal and ore trains in excess of 8000 tonnes with MU'd electric and diesel loco's with axle limits up to 26 tonne do operate in some areas.

GMS

[owlsroost]

IIRC, the Pilbara carriers hold the world-record for the longest train ever. Does anyone know how many tons

From http://ironore.bhpbilliton.com/repository/operations/rail.asp -

"In June 2001, BHP Billiton Iron Ore ran the world’s longest and heaviest train. It stretched 7.4km, had 682 ore cars, eight locomotives, a gross weight of almost 100,000 tonnes and moved 82,262 tonnes of ore."

Note that's eight GE AC6000's - anyone got a sound recording of it ?

Tony

[PBenham]

Very nice! Or as Aussies would say, RIPPER!

[james saunders]

James, nice pics. Thanks for sharing!

Who built the loco in the first shot? If I had to hazard a guess, I'd go EMD...but it almost looks like a mix of EMD, ALCo and GE, assmebled by the folks at Santa Fe responsible for the CF7's. Kind of a mean looking critter, ready to pull for all it's worth day in and day out. I like it!

It was built by Clyde, EMD's Aussie agent. It has all EMD internals and basically rides on Narrow gauge SD trucks, the cab and hood was all designed from scratch, most likely so it can get under the many low clearances across Queensland.

Also there is now a standard gauge network running from the acacia ridge terminal in brisbane to Perth in Western Australia and north to Darwin ( you may remember the article in trains about 2 years back)


theres a little insight into Australian Railways

[CopCarSS]

James, nice pics. Thanks for sharing!

Who built the loco in the first shot? If I had to hazard a guess, I'd go EMD...but it almost looks like a mix of EMD, ALCo and GE, assmebled by the folks at Santa Fe responsible for the CF7's. Kind of a mean looking critter, ready to pull for all it's worth day in and day out. I like it!

[martin.knoepfel]

IIRC, the Pilbara carriers hold the world-record for the longest train ever. Does anyone know how many tons

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

There was a quite informative thread a few years back about the Australian gauges titled "The Folly of  the Different Gauges".  The gauges broke down roughly as follows:

3' 6" - Queensland, Western Australia

4' 8.5" - New South Wales, Commonwealth Railways, Pilbara ore carriers

5' 3" - Victoria, South Australia

The two 3'6" operations are on opposite sides of the continent and the two standard gauge operations did not initially connect with each other, they were separated by South Australia.  The Pilbara carriers are separate from everything else, not unlike Reserve and Erie Mining Cos.

[james saunders]

Enjoyed your pic's James.....Question.  {And I should know the answer}....but I'll ask anyway....Those rails do not look to be 4' 8 1/2" gauge....What is the gauge..?

It is 3' 6'' or 1067mm  Australia is very odd when it comes to a standard gauge almost every state uses a different gauge!.

and yes, I hope to head down a bit earlier next sunday, and get a few freight pics (fingers crossed) Sunday is a pretty quiet day for freight though, I think only 3-4 come through.

[Anonymous]

Exceptionally nice photos.

[ericsp]

Interesting. Any freight train pictures coming?

[Modelcar]

Enjoyed your pic's James.....Question.  {And I should know the answer}....but I'll ask anyway....Those rails do not look to be 4' 8 1/2" gauge....What is the gauge..?

[james saunders]

QR National 2190 Leads a Sunlander Passenger train.

The Tilt train streaks past

A QR city train EMU

Another QR EMU, note the odd placing of the horn (in the plough)

 

QR IMU flying past

 

hope you enjoy