6072 Leads Loaded under Redbank Bridge Second Day of 2005

    On January 2, 2005 I chased a loaded train with 6072 and 3081 leading 6076 and 5667 mid-train, from out near where Tabba Siding would later be installed, then past the 50 km, it crossed an empty at Mooka, when it was just a freshly minted passing track and then for the money shot, I snapped it as it passed under the Redbank Bridge on arrival into Hedland Yard at Nelson Point just after 1700 hours on the Sunday afternoon.

    As it happens a fair bit here in the summer, there was haze and high cloud impacting the image. The position that the below photo was taken from is no longer accessible with the duplication and yard modifications the fence line has likewise been altered.

    The Redbank Bridge was opened back on September 14, 1973. The track underneath that carries BHP Iron Ore traffic, and originally Mount Newman Mining traffic was duplicated in 2006.

    AC6000CW locomotive 6072 'Hesta', which was built by General Electric at their Erie, Pennsylvania plant in the USA back in January 1999 with serial number 51064 and was delivered in the April of the same year via the heavy lift vessel Titan Scan.

    6072 also has the distinction of being one of the last two AC6000 units to operate on the BHP mainline when it and 6076 worked a loaded train into the yard on September 1, 2013. It remained in the same livery its entire career. And was subsequently scrapped October 2014 at Sell & Parker, Wedgefield.

    As 6072 'Hesta' leads SD40-2 unit 3081 into Hedland Yard a couple of empty trains can been see on the departure roads at left.

    SD40-2 locomotive 3081 was one of five former Union Pacific SD40-2 models supplied by GE Transportation Services in a batch of twenty SD40 variants in a stop gap measure due to a motive power shortage on the BHP system.

    3081 was built by EMD at its McCook Illinois facility in March 1979 with serial number 786170-75 and was originally number UP 3573. The unit was overhauled by GETS and delivered in under coat wearing the number 3573 over the New Year in 2004 via the heavy lift vessel BBC China.

    3081 remained in the undercoat livery, along with all the SD40-2 units which were stored by May 2010, until it was eventually scrapped in July 2013 at Wedgefield.

Queued Loaded at Gillam, New Years Day 2005

    On New Years Day 2005 and CM40-8M locomotive 5637 'De Grey' leads a loaded train queued at the 99 kilometre post as it waits line clear into Gillam under the stewardship of Jacka Cale, a former Goldsworthy driver.

    5637 leads two former Southern Pacific SD40R locomotives 3087 and 3091 both in the then current BHP Billiton corporate livery, whilst 5637 wears the BHP Iron Ore livery, it was however repainted later it its career into the 'bubble' or 'earth' livery of BHP Billiton.

    5637 'De Grey' originally started for Mount Newman Mining as an AE Goodwin built Alco C636 locomotive from August 1968 with serial number G6012-05 and was the fifth and final member of the original C636 order of locomotives and was originally numbered 100-1005 for construction operations, prior to being given road number 5456 for operations.

    Following the successful rebuilding of eight C636 Alco locomotive into GE C36-7M units by Goninan in Perth, WA, and then the delivery of four new built CM39-8 units by Goninan, again in Perth, a further rebuild programme was undertaken to rebuild, by now BHP's fleet, of Alco locomotives into GE CM40-8M units. 5637 was the fourth unit so rebuilt in January 1992 with new serial number 8181-01 / 92-123, named 'De Grey' and painted into the BHP Iron Ore blue and white livery but with the marigold and charcoal stylised Australia symbol. In April 2006 it was repainted into the BHP Billiton 'earth' or 'bubble' livery.

21 Years Ago Today on the Hamersley Iron System

    Back in 2005 I spent a few days on the Hamersley Iron network, which was then known as Pilbara Rail which was managing the combined assets of Hamersley Iron and Robe River following the Rio Tinto purchase of the North Ltd holding in Robe River.

    On my return journey to Port Hedland I managed to catch the C36-7M pair 5052 'Ben' and 5051 'Bill' returning from East Intercourse Island with an empty rake of waggons as it passed over Anchovy Flats and was about to enter Seven Mile Yard.

    5051 and 5052 originally started life as a pair of AE Goninan built C636 Alco model locomotives for Mount Newman Mining. 5051 having been built in 1969 with serial number G-6035-2 and numbered 5461, whilst 5052 was built in 1970 with serial number G-6041-2 and numbered 5466. Both units were part of the world first Alco to GE rebuild program undertaken by Goninan in 1987/88 to rebuild eight Alco C636 locomotives into C36-7M models with new car bodies and Pilbara Cabs. In this rebuild process both locos received new builders numbers with 5461 becoming road number 5507 'Ethel Creek' with serial number 4839-03/87-072, and 5466 became 5508 'Fortescue' with serial number 4839-04/87-073. Both units were delivered in Mount Newman Mining orange and white with black swan emblem.

    Following the rebranding process of the BHP take over the units received the new BHP blue and white livery in 1991 with 5507 [5461-5507-5051] carrying the Goldsworthy Joint Venture lettering while 5508 [5466-5508-5052] had the Mt Newman Joint Venture lettering. Both units had the marigold and teal coloured version of the BHP stylised Australia logo.

    5507 [5461-5507-5051] has the distinction of carrying four names and two liveries for BHP Iron Ore, being delivered with the name 'Ethel Creek', then once repainted into the BHP livery was named 'Mt Whaleback', then 'Corunna Downs' and finally 'Nimingarra'. The two liveries being Mt Newman orange and then the BHP blue and white.

    The two locomotives were rebuilt once again in late 2002 by Goninan at Bassendean, Perth and then leased to Pilbara Rail for use at their Dampier Seven Mile operations as shunt engines and received the road numbers 5051 and 5052 along with the striking Pilbara Rail livery with HI markings, and were nicknamed Bill and Ben by the Pilbara Rail crews.

    The two units were road transported to Dampier ~January 2003 and survived in shunt service until withdrawn in ~2009 when they were then stored at Seven Mile yard for many years before being finally moved to Two Mile yard in early 2025 where both were subsequently scrapped in August 2025.

This shot is taken from the Dampier Salt road crossing. January 11, 2005 at 0905 hours.

    The second shot of the morning was taken just north of Dugite Siding on the Dampier to Tom Price line near the 60 km as an empty train train is powering south behind the standard combination of two General Electric 9-44CW units 7097 'Ken Onley' and 7093.

This shot taken on the cutting near the 60 km on the Tom Price line, January 11, 2005 at 0955 hours.

    7097 'Ken Onley' with serial number 54160 is from the fourth order with a build date of April 2003 and wears the Pilbara Rail livery with HI markings whilst 7093 with serial number 47772 was the final member of the original order with Hamersley Iron livery with a build date of November 1994.

    7093 was subsequently written off following cab damage after a collision with a loadout chute from March 2019 and was stored at Seven Mile prior to scrapping with 5051 and 5052.

Fortescue's BEL Class Leader 601 Delivered Tuesday December 9, 2025.

Fortescue's new, and class leader of the SD70J BB model battery electric locomotives, or BEL, 601 being delivered to Thomas yard on Tuesday December 9, 2025.

A Mammoet platform and two 'block' prime movers provide the muscle to shift these units that weigh around in excess of 260 tonnes. Hence why they were transported sans bogies, or trucks.

601 is a model SD70J BB with serial number 20218349-001 with a build date of 10-2025 and weighs 265 tonnes, or 584,225 lbs.

The two EMD 'Joule' 14.5 MWh BEL units left the Sete Lagoas plant of EMD in mid-October and were road hauled to the port of Itaguai where they were loaded onto the heavy lift vessel BBC Aquamarine for the sea voyage to Port Hedland via South Africa.

Designed to be charged by regenerative means and an overhead charging station, notice the conductor rods on the roof of the hood that contains the batteries.

Fortescue's New SD70J BB BEL 602 being Delivered on Monday December 8, 2025.

Fortescue's [formerly FMG] brand new EMD SD70J BB battery electric locomotive, or BEL, number 602, one of two units built for the company as it is delivered to Thomas Yard on a Mammoet platform and two 'block' prime movers and traffic pilots.

602 is model SD70J BB with serial number 20218349-002 with a build date of 10-2025 and weighs 265 tonnes, or 584,225 lbs.

The two EMD 'Joule' 14.5 MWh BEL units left the Sete Lagoas plant of EMD in mid-October and were road hauled to the port of Itaguai where they were loaded onto the heavy lift vessel BBC Aquamarine for the sea voyage to Port Hedland via South Africa.

Designed to be charged by regenerative means and an overhead charging station, notice the conductor rods on the roof of the hood.

Fortescue's new BEL 602 being delivered

Fortescue's [formerly FMG] brand new EMD SD70J battery electric locomotive, or BEL, number 602, one of two units [601 and 602] built for the company, turns off the Great Northern Highway as it heads to Thomas Yard on a Mammoet platform and two 'block' prime movers, for placing onto rails.

The two EMD 'Joule' 14.5 MWh BEL units left the Sete Lagoas plant of EMD in mid-October and were road hauled to the port of Itaguai where they were loaded onto the heavy lift vessel BBC Aquamarine for the sea voyage to Port Hedland via South Africa.

The BBC Aquamarine docked into Hedland port Wednesday morning on December 3, 2025.

This video was taken Monday, December 8, 2025.

Fortescue's Battery Electric Locomotives arrive in the Pilbara

The new Progress Rail EMD SD70J BB battery electric locomotives were built in Brazil and are numbered 601 and 602.

The two EMD 'Joule' 14.5 MWh BEL units left the Sete Lagoas plant of Progress Rail / EMD in mid-October and were road hauled to the port of Itaguai where they were loaded onto the heavy lift vessel BBC Aquamarine for the sea voyage to Port Hedland via South Africa.

The BBC Aquamarine docked into Hedland port Wednesday morning on December 3, 2025.

The images on this port were taken on December 7, 2025, and see 601 on stands while 602 is waiting for the following days departure time, and the span bolster Bo-Bo bogies or trucks. The locomotives are  reported to weigh in at 265 tonnes, or 584,225 lbs.

  

AC6000 6074 Leads Loaded Train Off the Avoidance Rd on the GML

    On the former Goldsworthy Mining Limited, GML, line [now owned by BHP] from Finucane Island to Goldsworthy, and later to mines Nimingarra, Shay Gap and later out further to Cundaline and Yarrie there was a siding, Kober which located between the 12.4 km and the 13.6 km between the Boodarie yard and Goldsworthy Junction. The siding Kober was named after Alfred Kober who was the Goldsworthy Mining Limited General Manager.

    The Kober siding was located towards the western end of Bofin Yard which was the name given to the line between the Newgold diamond crossing, and later Goldsworthy Junction with the Mount Newman Mining mainline and the GML Finucane Island location including Boodarie Yard when that was built following the closure of the GML workshops at Goldsworthy.

    In the attached picture taken on Christmas Eve, 2006, we see General Electric AC6000 locomotive 6074 'Kalgan' and Goninan rebuild GE CM40-8ML locomotive 5663 'Newcastle' [originally built without a cab as a Locotrol controlling remote] with a single rake train as it runs off the Avoidance Road onto the former GML mainline towards Finucane Island and Car Dumper 4 for unloading. This new location of SER4 is within the original siding location of Kober which was originally decommissioned on May 30, 1999.

This section of line to Finucane Island is now duplicated all the way, and both locomotives and a number of those waggons have been scrapped.

BHP's Wabtec BEL 9001, a couple of different delivery views

    Another couple of views of the delivery of BHP's brand new battery electric locomotives, this time it is 9001 and it was delivered on Sunday afternoon of November 16, 2025, at Nelson Point.

    9001 is an FXH70C model rated at 3163 kW and tipping the scales at 452,000 lbs for 205 tonnes. It is serial number 66453 and was built at Wabtec's Erie, Pennsylvania plant in the USA back in December 2023.

    A rear view looking down the left hand side of 9001 as it waits at BHP's Gate 9 for entry into site.

    As 9001 sits suspended, at the Nelson Point hard stand area, off the delivery trailer waiting to be placed on rails at Nelson Point, a loaded BHP train passes as it witnesses the future of rail transportation motive power as it proceeds towards the car dumpers behind the BHP standard pairing of EMD SD70ACe/LC locomotives 4344 'Tenacity' and 4342 'Marillana', both of which are from the fourth SD70ACe order and 2008 build year, hauling 135 loaded waggons.

BHP's Wabtec built FLXdrive™ BELs have arrived in the Pilbara.

    At around 0950 hrs on Thursday November 13, 2025, the BBC Chartering heavy lift vessel BBC St Petersburg arrived into Port Hedland harbour and part of the cargo was two Wabtec built FLXdrive™ locomotives for BHP. These battery electric locomotives have been a couple of years in the making.

    And after a number of hours the first of the two Wabtec battery electric locomotives, [BELs], 9002 and built for BHP, was unloaded and transported to the Pilbara Ports Authority 'Gobi' hardstand area on a 128 wheel Tutt-Bryant platform hauled by a Volvo FH16 prime mover a little before 1800 hrs.

    9002 is still gift wrapped in the protective tarpaulin which is also stencilled for LI-ION BATTERIES, as an early Christmas present for BHP's WA Iron Ore division and is seen here early evening, Thursday November 13, 2025, on the rear platform, the front empty platform would collect 9001 the following day.

    These battery electric locomotives were built in December 2023 at Wabtec's Erie, Pennsylvania, USA facility and weigh in at 452,000 pounds or 205 tonnes, with a model designation of FXH70C and a power rating of 4240 horse power or 3162 kW. The two BHP units, numbered 9001 and 9002 carry  the serial numbers 66453 and 66454 respectively.

    On Friday November 14, 2025, the class leader of the two Wabtec FLXdrive™ locomotives for BHP, 9001, was unloaded and is seen here arriving into the Gobi hardstand area on a 128 wheel Tutt-Bryant float being hauled by a Volvo Globetrotter FH700XXL prime mover at 0830 hrs.

    Both units with tarpaulins removed now await the completion of the Loco Lift hardware to be setup at BHP's Nelson Point hard stand trackage so they can be transferred to BHP's rails.