Dual MU Sockets.

I received a comment on one of the earlier posts about the dual MU sockets on the Roy Hill ES44ACi units asking what the story was with them.

Well, the Roy Hill units have dual MU sockets and dual dummy sockets, very much like both Rio Tinto's ES44DCi and ES44ACi locomotives all have the dual MU and dual dummy sockets whilst the Rio Tinto / Hamersley Iron 9-44CW units have dual MU and only a single dummy socket.

I can only think this reduces the need to reach across a coupling to plug in or disconnect the MU.

Roy Hill ES44ACi unit RHA 1012, serial number 62584, built November 2014 at Erie, Pennsylvania USA, shows the dual sockets and dummy sockets during its delivery.

If you know more, please feel free to leave a comment, thank you, Pilbara Railways.

Roy Hill fuel train at Great Northern Highway.

Roy Hill's fuel train with four locomotives, three ES44ACi RHA class and one CFCLA CM40-8M

Back on the 17th of January 2018 the Roy Hill loaded fuel train with eleven fuel tank waggons was captured running south at the Great Northern Highway crossing behind no fewer than three RHA class ES44ACi units and one CFCLA CD class lease unit CD 4302 'Lord Fury' which was under test during the run.

The locomotives are RHA 1018, RHA 1019, CD 4302 'Lord Fury' and RHA 1013.

Roy Hill's latest locomotive RHA 1028.

Roy Hill's latest locomotive RHA 1028 was delivered to site today (12/01/2022) by Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift & Shift. RHA 1028 is in the breast cancer awareness livery.

This livery already adorns RHA 1022 to RHA 1026 locomotives and a couple of hundred waggons. RHA 1028 has a build date of November 2021 and was built by Wabtec at their Fort Worth, Texas facility as an ES44ACi model with serial number 66307.

It was shipped out of the port of Houston, USA on the 23rd of November 2021 on the vessel CALYPSO and unloaded in Port Hedland on the 9th of January 2022.

This brings Roy Hill's locomotive fleet to 28 ES44ACi units.

West Australian Rails - Extra North 003

The latest issue of West Australian Rail is now online, albeit a special 'Extra North' edition covering some of the sightings myself and Roland Depth have captured in the Pilbara during the month of March 2021.

There will be a follow up edition to cover a few days in the Kalgoorlie region in April and then a third to cover the Pilbara again in May, stay tuned...

It can be found in the usual place or via the link below.

Enjoy!

West Australian Rails - Extra North 003

West Australian Rails - Extra North 001

The latest issue of West Australian Rail is now online, albeit a special 'Extra North' edition covering some of the sightings myself and Roland Depth have captured in the Pilbara during the month of March 2021.

There will be a follow up edition to cover a few days in the Kalgoorlie region in April and then a third to cover the Pilbara again in May, stay tuned...

It can be found in the usual place or via the link below.

Enjoy!

West Australian Rails - Extra North 001

Roy Hill's RHA 1024 pink ES44ACi unit.

Roy Hill's brand new breast cancer awareness liveried ES44ACi unit RHA 1024 on track in the Pilbara.

The RHA class unit RHA 1024 was built at General Electric's Fort Worth plant in Texas and shipped out to Port Hedland on the vessel BBC Virginia which unloaded them with road delivery completed by Tutt Bryant on the 7-8th of September 2018.

The unit serial number is 64741 with a build date of June 2018.

A link to the unit in the US is here; railpictures.net.

Roy Hill's RHA 1022 pink ES44ACi unit.

Roy Hill's brand new breast cancer awareness liveried 'leader' ES44ACi unit RHA 1022 is on track in the Pilbara.

The 'pink leader' RHA class unit RHA 1022 was built at General Electric's Fort Worth plant in Texas and shipped out to Port Hedland on the vessel BBC Virginia which unloaded them with road delivery completed by Tutt Bryant on the 7-8th of September 2018.

The unit serial number is 64739 with build date of April 2018.

A link to the unit in the US here; railpictures.net

Roy Hill's new pink ES44ACi units.

Roy Hill's brand new breast cancer awareness liveried ES44ACi units are on track in the Pilbara.

The five RHA class units RHA 1022 to RHA 1026 were built at General Electric's Fort Worth plant in Texas and shipped out to Port Hedland on the vessel BBC Virginia which unloaded them with road delivery completed by Tutt Bryant on the 7-8th of September 2018.

The units' serial numbers are 64739-64743 with build dates of April and June 2018.

Loaded Roy Hill and FMG at the Roy Hill 63 km post.

Loaded Roy Hill train behind General Electric ES44ACi model RHA class unit RHA 1011 with CFCLA lease CM40-8M unit CD 4305 with two ES44ACi units RHA 1014 and RHA 1004 mid train visible around the curve as a loaded FMG train behind a pair of Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACe model units.

The Roy Hill configuration is 2 locos, 116 waggons, 2 locos and 116 waggons, while the FMG train employs only two locos on the lead as they still bank their loaded trains away from the some of their mines.

1st of July 2018.

Roy Hill's pink locos arrive in Hedland.

Roy Hill's five pink, in support of breast cancer, ES44ACi units (RHA 1022 - RHA 1026) commenced being delivered to their Flash Butt yard on Friday 7th September, with the reminder to be delivered on Saturday 8th September.

The vessel BBC Virginia berthed in Port Hedland overnight (early AM Friday) Thursday 6th September 2018.

These locos will complement the already in service pink waggons and also mean that the currently on hire CFCLA CM40-8M unit should become surplus to power requirements.

An image of the units can be seen here.

Roy Hill's pink ore waggons arrive.

Over the last couple of days unloading or Roy Hill's pink fleet of 130 ore waggons has happened in Port Hedland, built by CRRC Corporation Ltd and delivered by the vessel Daiwan Fortune from Changshu Port in China.

CRRC Video here

CRRC twitter post here

CRRC Corporation Ltd. on Twitter: "Cargo trains are mostly grey or green, but our order from Australia actually saw the trains sporting the same color as Peppa Pig! This 130-car train is specially customized for Roy Hill. The color pink is representative of the Pink Ribbon breast cancer campaign. https://t.co/5ROtCXcSUa" / Twitter

Just need to wait for the five pink ES44ACi units to arrive now!

Roy Hill loaded train at Indee Rd.

A Roy Hill loaded train headed up by General Electric ES44ACi units RHA 1007 and RHA 1010 with mid-train units RHA 1014 and RHA 1004.

Roy Hill no longer bank or push their trains away from the Roy Hill mine, now employing a similar power configuration to BHP.

FMG and Rio Tinto use only head-end power but also bank their trains out of several mine sites.

15th of June 2018. Roland Depth image.

Roy Hill fuel train, 17-01-2018.

Great Northern Highway 18.2 km grade crossing on the Roy Hill railway sees General Electric ES44ACi unit RHA 1018 serial number 63829 leading sister units RHA 1019 and RHA 1013 with interloper CFCLA lease unit Goninan ALCo to GE rebuild CM40-8M locomotive CD 4302.

Originally Robe River 9421, a Comeng NSW built ALCo M636 with serial number C6103-1, rebuilt by Goninan in 1993 with serial 8297-2/93-137, then sold to CFCLA in 2012 and was used to build this Roy Hill railway then leased to Rio Tinto for a while before being leased now to Roy Hill. Seen here powering a loaded fuel train with eleven TA class fuel tank waggons as part of the mainline testing of these CFCLA lease CM40-8M units prior to ore train service.

17th January 2018.

CM40-8M CD4302 image here.

Roy Hill leases CFCLA CM40-8M units.

Doolan's Heavy Haulage delivered the four stored CM40-8M model locomotives to Roy Hill's Flash Butt yard on the 2nd of December 2017. The units were then tested on the 22nd of December, before CD4302 was used to power the loaded fuel train from Tad Yard (Boodarie) to Roy Hill mine. And the units have been in service ever since.

More images can be found here: Pilbara Railway Pages | Roy Hill Road