Americas steepest grade freight railroad Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold

[@travelingtom923]

railfan.com/arizona-eastern-railway/ For information about this unique railway

[@DomAZ]

Thanks for sharing the link.

[@travelingtom923]

@@DomAZ You are welcome.

[@15mngarcia]

Born and raised in Morenci, seen many trains 🚂 back in those days travel thru our mining town. Old Morenci the trains had Phelps Dodge on them and were blue and white. Thanks for sharing

[@bobbyanderson9633]

I went to this Mine a few times to deliver oversized front loaders from Komatsu of East Texas and from Galveston, Tx

[@alcopower5710]

Outstanding video and breathtaking shots at the end. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@travelingtom923]

Thank you.

[@drboze6781]

Now _this_ is railfanning! I've never heard of this operation. The Kennecot mine in Salt Lake? Sure. The Butte, Anaconda and Pacific RR in Montana? Sure. The Black Mesa and Lake Powell RR? You bet. Growing up here in Tacoma, WA, across the bay from the smelter, I'd see trainloads of sulfuric acid leaving the smelter. You could literally taste the smelter output in the air. Morning dew would burn holes in the leaves of the madrona trees. You could buy crushed slag from the smelter for landscaping. The high levels of arsenic would kill any weeds except horse tails, which are a kind of living fossil plant. Those grew all over the area around the smelter.

[@travelingtom923]

I used to live in Tacoma and I do love that city! I remember the smelter but was closed at the time and later demolished. I remember they wanted to keep the smokestack and that survived for a while longer. Area looks much different now where the smelter was. Nice story about the slag. Sounds like something Tacoma would dream up.

[@drboze6781]

@@travelingtom923 - Awesome, Tom! Tacoma, City of Destiny, or with a slight realignment, City of Density.

[@DelayInBlockProductions]

Amazing video!

[@travelingtom923]

Thank you. Always liked your channel.

[@railhead001trainzrantz2]

Live in Arizona over 20 years and never heard of this RR, thanks for sharing !

[@larryemenestrina6130]

I can’t believe you could possibly have a railroad up to this place! It’s amazing!!!!!

[@normansilver905]

That mine has produced more Copper than any other Arizona copper mine too.

[@arnoldjiron4469]

i used to work at the refinery in el paso, we put out the final product! 👊💪

[@ChadsRailfanExperience]

What a neat operation

[@travelingtom923]

Indeed! Really loved visiting there. Great little town and a throwback to the old days. Will have to spend a few days next time.

[@LuisLopez-rc8ev]

I was just out there last month and picked up copper coils. Those mountains are something to see for sure

[@travelingtom923]

Beautiful town. Would like to spend a week there.

[@thetexasrailfan]

WOW Great Catch Of The GP35

[@richierich2048]

GP38 and GP38-2.

[@donharsh5469]

Awesome video and locomotives and I'm watching and enjoying your video 😎👍👌❤️🚂

[@BarrieBusesandTrains]

The HCRY boxcars are from a railway north of me in Ontario Canada, the Huron Central. Wonder what cargo they bring out and where it gets shipped to? Also the train in general looks like a pretty nice operation to fan for me not just because of those Geeps, but the fact that most of the consist is registered in Canada and Mexico, including former NdeM CNCF-built cars.

[@travelingtom923]

I know they send many cars to a smelter in Globe, Arizona. One of the last smelters in America. That operation looks really neat too. It was down for 2 week maintenance when I visited.

[@bradleyogden5688]

Former Phelps Dodge?

[@gregturner5890]

Short line to short line to Southern Pacific\union Pacific..i got ship to that small town..catching the railroad out of Deming NM..

[@SteamCrane]

Wow! Great operation, great photography!

[@travelingtom923]

Thank you.

[@ssnoc]

If Arizona was only 20-30 degrees cooler in summer ..... gorgeous place.

[@travelingtom923]

Yes you open your door in the Summer and it's like walking into a giant oven.

[@drboze6781]

I was a kid when I visited there in '73? During the gas crisis. I remember not being able to see my shoes due to the heat waves. If I stood still, the shoes would melt into the pavement. Phoenix.

[@travelingtom923]

@@drboze6781 Yes I remember going to a grocery store once in Phoneix during the Summer and I thought I would pass out before I got to the front door.

[@paveltolz6601]

Grew up in the Phx metro. As kids, it was a point of pride to have callouses sufficient as to allow one to walk slowly across the paved roads, bare foot, by mid-summer. Locals would say about Snow Birds (not taking into account their contribution to the economy) "If you can't stand AZ at 120, you don't deserve it at 65."

[@dannyrichardson6319]

In the summer out at tonopah at the TA truck stop when you walk across the parking lot you can feel the asphalt giving in

[@georgecarter838]

Very nice. The first half of this was of the train decending the steep hills in dynamic braking which you can hear. It's not until you get to 8:29 when you see him throttle up for the pull which gives a good view of the hill he's climbing. After retiring as an engineer of 32 years, I had my share of climbing steep hills with sometimes having to double the hills if my train was heavy or not enough locomotives.

[@travelingtom923]

I didn't get it on video but about halfway up the hill there is a short 1/4 mile stretch where it levels out a bit. The engineer really pours it on going through there as after the stretch it goes up a very steep hill. Seems like he gets a running start for the big hill!

[@flybyairplane3528]

Tom,,nice work , yes I did notice the fuel tanks being different, then there was all the extra ductwork, but given the operation,DUST is the enemy , all those locos reminded me of a PBS series’GREAT RAILWAYS of the WORLD’ there IS a train which goes up the ANDES NTNS IN SO AMERICA with switchbacks, it originally had STEAM LOCOS, but ‘modernized , so put 1 diesel, which fell flat on its ass, so 2,then 3, then 4,then5 even turbocharged to replace 1 steam loco, it was so funny, nut even at altitude it still made steam ! Cheers 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@travelingtom923]

Yes I believe the small fuel tanks was because they would use the locomotives on occasion to clear rock piles on the tracks. A rock could puncture the fuel tank with the low clearance of a normal locomotive.

[@mcoffroadinaz4075]

Fun fact. If you go to duckduckgo maps, you can see a train on the map approaching Columbine RD in Morenci, Arizona

[@scottkew6278]

This is RAILROADING MAN!!! WOW!!!

[@valeriebassett3107]

Wow a really great video and a really big area. Thanks for sharing.

[@travelingtom923]

You are welcome.

[@TheGrumpyPete]

Is that Morenci?

[@travelingtom923]

Morenci is at the top of the hill. Clifton at the bottom. Only separated by about a mile or so.

[@TheGrumpyPete]

@@travelingtom923 Thanks. I didn’t know about Clifton despite having worked at Morenci as a contractor 10 years ago. We drove out from Safford every day

[@bjradrian9176]

What an interesting video. I'm in the humid, chilly Midatlantic, so I don't know any better about arizona, a few questions? I see a beautiful rock face that was clearly blasted in order to build the RR Tracks. The rock looked almost black. I like Geology. What kind of rock is it? Also, i know AZ can get very hot. Local friends recently retired and relocated to SCottsdale AZ. They like it, but the outdoors are very tough in summer afternoons. Nancy said in summer you CANNOT go outside without a personal bottle of water. Evenings are nice. It looks so dry. Does it rain in that part of the world? Thanks for the great work, and advice. We're eager to learn.

[@magmajctaz1405]

I've lived in the Phoenix area for 22 years. I can answer some of your questions. I can only speculate about the black rock. It may be the result of bacteria that feeds off the minerals when it rains. During the summer, even nights are hot. Around midnight, it can still be close to 100F! It's common for me to leave my house for work around 5am in jeans and tee shirt, and run the AC on the commute. It does rain. The winters are mostly dry (low humidity), with occasional rain. Late summers the humidity from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans moves up through the desert, and we do get thunderstorms which brings with them flash floods, giant walls of dust, and downed power lines from micro bursts. Sometimes, the monsoon rains are very cold, which brings the temps down to the 70sF from the 110sF. But as soon as the storm passes, the humidity is high and very uncomfortable.

[@npo64]

I really enjoyed this! Thanks for posting!

[@travelingtom923]

You are welcome.

[@wallochdm1]

The grade on the spur from the BNSF mainline at Mukilteo, WA to the Boeing Everett plant is 5.6%.

[@wallochdm1]

@Jaylen Jackson It's pretty incredible, especially if you're looking at the grade from the summit. BNSF uses a pair of GP38-2s that supposedly have enhanced dynamic brakes.

[@timothyshepodd7826]

That is a lot of sulfuric acid in the tankers! (Byproduct of smelting sulfide ores.). Where does the copper go? In the box cars? Blessings.

[@travelingtom923]

They make copper plates which are used in electric car batteries. They are loaded in the boxcars. There is also a black type slag that is loaded into those gondolas where it is sent to the smelter in Globe, Arizona.

[@magmajctaz1405]

I'd like some clarification. I've been on a tour of the Morenci operations several years ago. It is my understanding the sulfuric acid is used to "leach" the copper from the blasted earth. The acid/leached copper mixture is very bright blue, and is used to fill a giant tank with grates above that allow workers to walk over the mixture. Anodes are lowered into the mixture, and current is passed through the tank and the anodes. The copper ions in the mixture grow into the anodes forming plates. The plates can be used in any industry that requires raw copper. The plates are very heavy, and only a few of them can be loaded on a semi-truck flatbed trailer because it doesn't require many to reach the weight capacity of the truck/trailer. What I'm not clear on, is how the sulfuric acid is produced. I know copper mining both produces, and consumes sulfuric acid. The consumption is how the copper is leached from the blasted rock. There are enzymes (bacteria?) that will "consume" the copper in the rock, activated by the acid. A byproduct of their action is copper laden sulfuric acid.

[@timothyshepodd7826]

Depends on the type of ore. Roasting of copper sulfide ores in air “burns” the sulfur to bake, with water, sulfuric acid. I do not know what type of ore body this mine is?

[@travelingtom923]

@@magmajctaz1405 Yes you are correct. The sulfuric acid is brought in from another company in the tank cars as well as molten sulfur. Considering the daily tank cars they are receiving they must be using a enormous amount of sulfuric acid. Not sure how they dispose of the used acid once it is not longer good.

[@DomAZ]

Amazing scenery. One train with 23 cars, the other one with 42 cars and a lot of boxcars with the door opened.

[@travelingtom923]

42 cars is pretty good for that grade.

[@sunishkumar769]

Great video&best photography

[@travelingtom923]

Thank you.

[@MagnetOnlyMotors]

0:42. #59 is now one inch longer than it was the day before.

[@JohnnysTrainVideos]

Love the video. Thanks for sharing.

[@peterbilt509]

Used to haul copper cathode plates out of Morenci to Denton, TX to make copper wire

[@anthonymcmillan5881]

Outstanding video

[@travelingtom923]

Thank you.

[@wellgoiano]

Bela vila residencial essa do início do vídeo!!

[@travelingtom923]

Sim, parece um bom lugar para viver. Acredito que todo mundo que mora lá trabalha na mina.

[@phuturephunk]

Kind of wild how much power they need for that few cars. It's incredible what grade demands.

[@kleetus92]

Steeper than Saluda?

[@travelingtom923]

Yes it is.

[@ThePaulv12]

Descent under dynamics was awesome.

[@vincentcalvelli6452]

Was this rail line built by the mining company or a freight railroad?

[@glenn6936]

Mining Co.

[@BossSpringsteen69]

If memory serves me right i've seen one of those blue units in Illinois years ago.

[@Nalinc33]

What is that sound, Wheels grinding ?

[@rossbryan6102]

THE BIGGEST SOUND IS THE DYNAMIC BRAKE GRID BLOWERS WHEN THE LOCOMOTIVES PASSED BY

[@factsoverfiction7826]

@@rossbryan6102 The crazy ones use all caps.

[@jamesm6638]

yes, wheels against curves

[@grovestgman]

The trainline airbrakes are on in addition to the dynamic brakes.

[@jonassonbacon3388]

What are those two big "boxes" on top of the roof near the dynamic brakes?

[@kittty2005]

Well then, the 645s gotta have belt or gear driven blowers then being 2 stroke cycle engines they use exhaust valves and intake ports.

[@gm16v149]

They’ve got gear driven blowers, same as all GM and EMD 2-strokes.

[@20PINKluvr]

What are the tank cars carrying? And are those houses for the miners?

[@travelingtom923]

The tank cars are carrying mostly hydrochloric acid to dissolve the copper in the rocks. Yes this whole town is only there because of the mine. It's in the middle of nowhere.

[@tucobenedicto109]

Ok operational, just a question was Saluda grade steeper?

[@mybrotherskids1086]

Yes it was steeper and Madison was steeper than saluda.

[@tucobenedicto109]

@@mybrotherskids1086 Thank you.

[@mybrotherskids1086]

Scratch that, saluda is actually 4.9 , I had 5.6 in my head so I was slightly wrong about that one, Madison however is 5.89% , that one I was sure of.

[@chrisackerley1842]

I see that Unit 59 has a standard 2,000 gallon fuel tank, but the others are quite a bit smaller. Any idea why this is so? Also, why are these locomotives not turbocharged? Given the steepness of the grades, I would think they would want the extra power. Great video! Thanks.

[@travelingtom923]

Yes those are older locomotives and the high clearance fuel tanks are for rocks in between the tracks. Some locomotives would plow rock piles away from the tracks during the mining operations. Rocks that would be very close to the bottom of the fuel tanks. Non turbo charged locomotives have a slower load up time and move slower once they get going. Very good for yard work, especially if you are dealing with small moves to places where you have short sidings. Turbos have far more power and it's easy to push a car off the end of a siding as turbos load up quickly. Turbos are also more sensitive to dust and dirt so that could be another reason.

[@billyrueckert5113]

About how many times per day does the railroad operate?

[@travelingtom923]

Two trains going down hill and two trains going uphill around 11AM. Both trains follow each other very closely with the second train only about 5 minutes behind the first one.

[@shonseibert48]

Video came up after watching Shoestring Hobo.......👍

[@travelingtom923]

I do like his channel!

[@georgew.5639]

Saluda is no longer the steepest grade in use as it is out of service.

[@frombryant6678]

Sad! 😥

[@mikemanning5019]

Does anyone know what those add-ons are on the three middle units?

[@stevewoodard4314]

Air filters.

[@1topfueldrag]

i couldn’t live just feet away from track

[@mrfingerlakes8735]

Cool video

[@georgematthews2877]

Wow Tom! Any idea the grade? Hope no knuckles or drawbars ever break!!!!!!

[@zeke7237]

Up to 5% .. see description

[@travelingtom923]

@@zeke7237 Yes over 5%.

[@steveluckhurst2350]

No, it would be totally stupid to read the description of a video you're watching. Just ask dumb questions instead.

[@georgematthews2877]

@@travelingtom923 Tom, due to unsocial media sarcasm, I'll be making no more comments. But I will continue to watch and appreciate your videos!!

[@steveluckhurst2350]

@@georgematthews2877 Have a word with yourself, soft lad.

[@noelio67]

Why are there tank cars at the start of the vid? ....from a copper mine .....fuel or some chemical maybe. Clinchfield Railroad just arrived on Train sim world 2 .....PC Xbox PS4

[@travelingtom923]

Tank cars are full of mostly hydrochloric acid which dissolves copper from rocks. Other tank cars are full of molten sulfur.

[@noelio67]

@@travelingtom923 Cheers Tom.... didn't know, Copper could e a great investment soon

[@insylem]

Engines don't sound like they are work that hard. Lots of squealing. Lots of motor noise, Going down grade in dynamic breaking with occasional train braking?

[@scubajoe3321]

This is weird it’s like it’s stuck in the 90s there’s no ditch lights on some of the trains and they were leading

[@MarkAHHDvideostreaming]

Nice one

[@kittty2005]

What loco model GP40, or GP38 or 39.

[@richierich2048]

GP38 and GP38-2.

[@arpschneider]

Wait! They put the copper ore in tank cars?

[@travelingtom923]

Sulfuric acid and molten sulfur in the tank cars. Gondolas get slag which is sent to the smelter later.

[@edporter8009]

What locomotives were those?

[@richierich2048]

EMD GP38 and GP38-2.

[@jamescaliendo1030]

@@richierich2048 what's the differences between 38s and -2's?

[@richierich2048]

@@jamescaliendo1030 Many manufacturer improvements, primarily to the electrical systems. You can do an internet search for 'emd gp38-2' and find lots of information about the units.

[@dannyrichardson6319]

How far is this from Bagdad AZ

[@eieio1943]

North of Safford. Other side of state.

[@georgematthews2877]

No FRED on the rear. How far into the system does it travel?

[@travelingtom923]

It goes into a yard further up the hill, then after that into the mine complex.

[@55tmilam]

These are not regular 38-2s someone plaease address the sound and extra ductwork on the top! Something is being driven from the prime mover

[@stevewoodard4314]

Extended range dynamics and additional air filters

[@jlc55army]

Engine 51 in Bicentennial colors? Anyone know?

[@georgematthews2877]

Can you say which mine it is?

[@travelingtom923]

Morenci mine in Marenci, Arizona.

[@georgematthews2877]

@@travelingtom923 Thanks, Tom! I will Google Earth it!😊

[@georgematthews2877]

Wow, you were out in the boondocks for sure!!!!

[@travelingtom923]

@@georgematthews2877 Yes beautiful drive heading North out of town.

[@janeordway4841]

Wonder what that extra junk is on top of those engines ?

[@frombryant6678]

Extra ductwork & filters to keep the dust & blowing dirt out? Just a guess though...

[@travelingtom923]

Air conditioner on top of the cab and I believe Bryant is right with special filters for dust going into the engine air intake.

[@kittty2005]

As mines go I suppose it's OK, my dad worked for a company that had a limestone quarry 21 miles long and they loaded 600 foot long ships with self unloaders, and he was the stokerman.

[@SteamCrane]

Rogers City?

[@kittty2005]

@@SteamCrane yes.

[@SteamCrane]

@@kittty2005 Thanks! Quite a place!

[@josefloresvilla4701]

Saludos a Arizona

[@josefloresvilla4701]

Hermosas máquinas

[@planebois]

Isn’t the Madison rr the steepest? Ig in operation this is.

[@joankamp2319]

Wow’

[@bradleyogden5688]

Looks like 59 was once a GP40.

[@tom7601]

Used to work on microwave equipment in the Clifton-Morenci area.

[@donaldadams420]

Mentions going up the grade: how about the braking going down.

[@andreweppink4498]

Why non turboed? That wouldn't seem to make sense. Too inefficient

[@travelingtom923]

Turbocharged locomotives consume a lot more fuel. Great if you are climbing those steep hills but not needed when you are switching cars most of the day. Turbos are also extremely expensive to replace and working around a lot of dirt and dust is one of the worst things for turbos.

[@andreweppink4498]

The thermal efficiency of turboed diesels is much better than that of naturally aspirated engines, under any load conditions. Google it. Research it. You're recovering heat which would otherwise be exhausted to atmosphere. Just common sense, really.

[@andreweppink4498]

Tho what you say about dust etc. is obviously true. Got to keep filters clean.

[@manoellucasdasilvaterceiro5624]

Quando etas locomotiva não estive mais concerto manda para América latrina vugor Brazil sim o não

[@bend5648]

Heavy into them dinees

[@traceybonds8794]

..too hear those diesels whine.. under load... x %

[@1000kmckinney]

Old NW on Clarke’s Gap is wayy more steep

[@dannydillon6360]

I dont believe this is the steepest grade. Just east of ronceverte west Virginia is one of the steepest

[@WestPac-ny9vi]

Instead of 5 Geeps, 2 or 3 SD40-2's would be better.

[@dougc190]

Might be tight areas of the track where a 3 axle will not work

[@stevewoodard4314]

SD's won't work for us. Some curves are too tight and the three axel trucks climb out.

[@elvinritchey416]

5

[@houseoftrainsgarcia9794]

Just subscribe

[@crusty3260]

I am stunned that they run such short trains with crappy power on 5% grade. I bet their TOB is a joke on a loaded train.

[@stevewoodard4314]

It depends on what is being shipped each day. What is considered a joke in TOB?

[@robcicero8746]

Geez what a waste. Only 1 short clip of the GP38’s at full throttle and even then you can barley hear them! The whole point of finding great locomotives like this is to from them set back a ways while they are running on notch 8 at 20 mph. The new locomotives on BNSF and UP SUCK! I hate them! Too damn quiet and boring! And where did this Arizona railroad come from anyway! I never heard of them till I saw this video !

[@bend5648]

You foamers crack me up

[@nitinbalachandran7844]

These are Small trains 😂😂 watch Indian freight trains longer n powerful 12000HP electrified ...

[@Nicola636128]

Amazing video!