Biggest Railway Bridge in the Pilbara: Rio Tinto Deepdale Iron Ore Railway

[@jamesacland1041]

I've seen the river level here up to the steel girders on this bridge! Crazy shit! The amount of rain in the Pilbara is phenomenal sometimes.

[@davidrayner9832]

The Deepdale (ex Robe River) trains have 168 cars for a weight of around 24,000 and a length of 1,800 m. The 'pooled fleet' (mostly ex Hamersley Iron) trains have 240 cars for a weight of around 34,000 tons and are 2,300 m long. The train leaving Maitland goes uphill for just a short distance and only notch 4 power is required, over a knob, and then it's downhill from the 90 km to 45 km. The bridge 10 minutes in is only around 10 years old. The one it replaced was washed away in a flood. That section of track is known as 'the killing fields'. More cattle are run over there than you can imagine.

[@michaelhayden725]

Thanks for confirming that it was the ex Cliffs Robe River Line. I was living in Port Hedland (71-73) when this line was being built from Panawonica to the deep water port about 15km WNW of Roeburn town. It use to cross the Hamersley (now Rio Tinto) Tom Price to Dampier line at what was then Camp72 - 72 miles from Dampier. Cheers

[@espeescotty]

I love the larger radiator sections on those ACi GEVO's. They look much more macho and they sound awesome under heavy load too. Good stuff!

[@ChadsRailfanExperience]

Those ore trains are cool

[@TrainsOnGoPro]

05:40 I love those hard working Gevo sounds! Need more POWER!!! 2 DPU at the rear would be nice.

[@TheHuesSciTech]

The most amazing thing about this video is an Australia River that actually contains some water. (But seriously, awesome content)

[@colorfun1963]

Ou yes, water is very rare, but when it comes, then ist flooding...

[@kenzodiary2639]

Loco ID : - Rio Tinto 9128 - Rio Tinto 9123 - Rio Tinto 9130 - Rio Tinto 9131 - Rio Tinto 9121 - Rio Tinto 9124 - Rio Tinto 9142 Model: GE ES44ACi

[@mcites]

Very impressive bridge!

[@scoobycarr5558]

This area in Australia could easily pass for Wyoming near the Powder River Basin.

[@thorstenstaerk9200]

or the moon

[@4WDutah]

5:37 if you look on the right of the train (left of the screen) on the top of the roof to its side, you can see two strobe lights, this train is unmanned, one of many rio tintos unmanned long haul trains

[@davidrayner9832]

The locos all have the blue lights but the Deepdale Line is not AutoHauled. All the trains in this clip are manned.

[@147258GS]

I can also see a man in the cabin LOL. Not trying to take the piss, it took me several watches to see him for sure.

[@kerryjames7150]

Been over this bridge quite a few times

[@rolpfeiffermuller935]

Thanks airing anf sharing the outstanding vid.Endeavors are unmatched.Bliss

[@JoshRidestheRails]

That is a very impressive bridge.

[@chrisholmes6311]

I’ve seen these up close heading to PT Headland harbour. I’d love to go back with camera gear.

[@ThePaulv12]

This bridge was in Trainz. I remember getting pissed one night and falling asleep while playing the game and when I woke up all the cars and locos had run off the end of the track at Cape Lambert and into the sea LOL. Great stacks of derailed hoppers and submerged locos and about 150 still on the rails. Naturally no vigilance control : )

[@bushranger51]

Welcome to the club, my friend, I did exactly the same, however this video does put that bridge into perspective now, doesn't it? P.S try doing it with a record train with UP DD40x's instead of the Alcos, hauling 60000 tonnes plus, still gonna be a mess at Lambert though.

[@robertbate5790]

Greetings from Birmingham UK. I also have this line on sim. With minor tweaks I have managed to keep four trains in circuit, but it takes ages to get the timing right. Mine is an older version so I load NQV

[@robertbate5790]

Pleased wrong thingy!!! I load NOD gondolas instead. Not so many as real either, how long would that take?? Great fun though. 😀😀😀

[@strop9331]

120 wagons of Ore and 120M flies.

[@davidrayner9832]

I've driven over this bridge countless times but it's only when you drive underneath it in a car you get how high it is.

[@nathanlynch6041]

Gidday Dave!! Remember when I bogged my Prado not far from the bridge? lol

[@davidrayner9832]

@@nathanlynch6041 Young Nathan, how are they hangin'? No, I don't recall that but I do recall going across that river during a flood and all the gravel they put on the crossing had been washed away. I was bouncing from rock to rock to rock all the way across. You driving trains anywhere? I'm retired.

[@conceyullena]

Bom video! Saludos 🚂👍👋

[@einaelatnuceinaelatnuc2780]

Nice video ..i would like to see the bridge in the wet season . Were they eagles at the start of the bridge. ?

[@chatterjeemilan]

Just a query. Since, it is a heavy haulage line, don't you think that electric locos would be more easier to haul the train?

[@DerUfo]

As a Rail Fan, I used to watch the trsin in Hsmilton Canada haul coal up to escarpment on a Sunday morning to the power plant several towns over, often the steep hill would be too much for the laiden locomotives and they'd drop sand on the rails to try and get traction for the up hill haul and they'd go so slow and be so long.. with the worn coal cars in tow

[@gm16v149]

Enjoyed the video. Looks super clear with your obviously high resolution camera. Next time you’re up there, just off the highway at the Yandi turnoff north of Newman you can see 3 x GE4400s at the head end with 2 x GEs banking at the rear. Going up the grade through the cutting they look and sound pretty impressive at 22,000 HP all up! They cut the bankers off once they’re over the hill. Most of Rio’s trains I see have got 3 on the head end. I know that some are 12 cylinder EVOs but the earlier ones are 16 cylinder with DC traction.

[@brianschwartz6185]

Are these manned trains?

[@4WDutah]

A few but the rest is sorta unmanned, rio tinto has many unmanned trains operating throughout the mining areas in Australia (friend of mine lives in Australia and sees them all the time)

[@chrisgriffiths2533]

Impressive Bridge Given the Weight it has been Carrying. Well done to those that Built the Bridge. However, How Often is the Bridge given a Full Structural and Foundation Inspection?.

[@michaelhayden725]

not sure about recent but was built to take some of the heaviest trains in the world.

[@raptor9813]

Are these standard gauge

[@franzbrunner499]

what is the length of these cars? they look short compared to coal cars in the US

[@davidrayner9832]

They are around half the length of the average coal wagon. The reason is that iron ore is so much heavier than coal. If you filled a coal wagon with iron ore, it would break in half.

[@franzbrunner499]

@@davidrayner9832 thank you, appreciate

[@MrMondeo2010]

excellent

[@Muggar62]

Awesome . . .

[@graememellor8319]

Are these trains completely remote operation now or still manned, and no distributed power ??

[@davidrayner9832]

The trains that run on the Tom Price line are autonomous but on the Deepdale Line they are still driven by humans. They are currently 168 cars with either 3 dash9/evo/ac or 2 ac locos at the head end. They talk about running the 'pooled fleet' rains of 240 cars on the Deepdale Line with bankers at the rear.

[@johnmoore8016]

how old is the bridge? How often are the power units serviced? The scenery was out of this world, look outstanding on widescreen, thanks for an outstanding video (Mississippi gulf coast, USA)

[@MrOlgrumpy]

The bridge was built 1969/71 by Morrison Knudsen Mannix Oman nr the old 72 mile camp on the Pannawonnica /Wickham track for CRRIA.

[@patrickwamsley3284]

I find it totally bizarre how terrible the rolling stock sounds on railroads in the states sound in comparison to Australia. None of that clanging and thudding of flat spotted wheels and just a smooth, more or less, humming sound.

[@mkultrabrasil810]

Tanks Brasil

[@richharris9489]

Funny you guys call them wagons in the USA they are freight cars

[@davidrayner9832]

And we call the people who operate the trains (wait for it) drivers.

[@solcarzemog5232]

Let me guess... the chinese own the Rio Tinto network??

[@davidrayner9832]

Rio Tinto is an English company.

[@alltrains2111]

Ex BNSF k3la horn