ES58ACi for Brazil

[Lyon_Wonder]

Brand new ES58ACis have been spotted in PA and they’re destined for Estrada de Ferro Vitória a Minas (EFVM) in Brazil.  The 58 designation suggest 5,800hp, likely powered by a 16-cylinder GEVO.  This makes the ES58ACi the near-equivalent of a AC6000CW.  I presume ‘i” stands for international and not isolated cab?  It’s also interesting the ES58ACis are on heavy-duty flatcars, and on the bottom right edge of pic you can see what looks like one of their trucks.  They don’t look like narrow-gauge either. 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=287170 

[M636C]

These units are for the 1600mm gauge Carajas line, run by the same company as the Vitoria A Minas line which is 1000mm gauge. Hence they can't run on their own trucks, despite them looking like standard gauge trucks. The "i" definitely stands for "international".

The body design is really interesting! The cab is a low clearance version (check out the angled sides where the cab side windows sit) similar to BHP Billiton's AC 6000s. The radiators are the same as those on the Chinese ES59 ACi, again providing better clearance near the locomotive sides with the angled panels.

Brazilian units sometimes have lower ratings due to the temperature, but the Chinese units are only 5900 HP. Note that none of the 16 cylinder EVO locomotives so far (China or Brazil) have air to air intercoolers as fitted to the USA ES44 units.

M636C

[carnej1]

Lyon_Wonder

Brand new ES58ACis have been spotted in PA and they’re destined for Estrada de Ferro Vitória a Minas (EFVM) in Brazil.  The 58 designation suggest 5,800hp, likely powered by a 16-cylinder GEVO.  This makes the ES58ACi the near-equivalent of a AC6000CW.  I presume ‘i” stands for international and not isolated cab?  It’s also interesting the ES58ACis are on heavy-duty flatcars, and on the bottom right edge of pic you can see what looks like one of their trucks.  They don’t look like narrow-gauge either. 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=287170 

Am I correct in assuming that these units are C-C?

[M636C]

Yes, the trucks are standard GE Hi-Ad type, as seen in the photo, just six and one half inches wider for the broad gauge. The BB-BB units are required on the metre gauge to provide adequate DC traction motor capacity with the limited motor size available on the narrow gauge. They might be able to use metre gauge C-C units with AC motors, but none of these have been delivered for the narrow gauge yet. M636C

[peterjenkinson1956]

 

VALE    has a mine in central queensland in australia      VALE is one of the worlds largest coal prodecers.....    do they still run the SD45b-b b-b  locos in brasil

[M636C]

peterjenkinson1956

 

VALE    has a mine in central queensland in australia      VALE is one of the worlds largest coal prodecers.....    do they still run the SD45b-b b-b  locos in brasil

I believe that CVRD is the largest iron ore producer in the world. BHP Billiton also own Queensland coal mines - I guess there are advantages in vertical integration, supplying both the coal and iron ore. The metre gauge DDM 45s operated by CVRD were built as Do-Do, not Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo, although they have subsequently purchased and converted ex USA SD40-2 locomotives to that wheel arrangement. The trucks were a narrow gauge version of the trucks on DD-35 and DDA-40X locomotives. The Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo design was used on GE Dash 8 and Dash 9 supplied new to CVRD but no EMD locomotives were built to that design. I think the DDM 45s are still in service as Do-Do locomotives, but conversion to Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo has been discussed. M636C

[pedrop]

Vale converted 30 SD40 type locos (SD40-2, SD40T-2) to BB+BB  and four SD45-2 to BB+BB also. The first group went to FCA and the four BB45-2 run on EFVM. Vale also converted 76 GE B36 and C36 locos to BB36-7, all them on FCA fleet nowadays

[M636C]

pedrop

Vale converted 30 SD40 type locos (SD40-2, SD40T-2) to BB+BB  and four SD45-2 to BB+BB also. The first group went to FCA and the four BB45-2 run on EFVM. Vale also converted 76 GE B36 and C36 locos to BB36-7, all them on FCA fleet nowadays

Pedro

You're back!

But the point I was making, just over a year ago, was that the DD45M locomotives on EFVM are still fitted with two, four axle trucks, not four, two axle trucks. That is still so?

Peter

[pedrop]

Hello Peter,

Yes, the DDM45's still using the D-D trucks. Only the four ex BNSF SD45-2 were converted to BB+BB trucks. They run the daily passenger trains between Belo Horizonte MG and Vitoria ES.

The DDM45 are back on tracks after some months stored at Vale shops in Tubarao. They were stored because the international financial crisis. There was no cargo for so many locomotives on Vale, so the company decided to use only the BB dash 9's in the ore trains.

Some DDM45 were sent to help FCA soy trains in "triangle" land of Minas Gerais during the crisis. FCA needs more locomotives during the soybean harvest. During this period of time there in FCA system, Locomotive 4292 (ex EFVM 802) had a fire in the engine compartment and was scrapped this year. Look here http://minasgeraisrailwaysenglishversion.blogspot.com/2010/05/sad-end-of-warrior.html

Locomotive 845 is also being scrapped by FCA in Uberaba MG shops. Another two were scrapped by Vale in Tubarao shops. We heard some rumors here that Vale will send some DDM45´s to its coal mines in Colombia and Africa.

 

[pedrop]

Vale is the second or first biggest IRON ore producer in the world. It also have coal mines in Colombia and Africa, among other minerals like phosphate, gold, bauxite. Vale also entered to the soybean business when bought Bunge group. 

I do not know if it has coal mines in Australia.