Trainspotting: a Day in Saldanha

South Africa's world record train. (1989): www.theheritage...
The longest production trains on Earth operate between Sishen in the Northern Cape and Saldanha in the Western Cape, South Africa. These trains transport iron ore from the mines in Sishen to Saldanha Steel (mother company: Mittal Steel South Africa) and to the port of Saldanha for export. A few other ore and mineral trains also run on this line.
Locomotives and their general duties on this stretch:
class 34GE : shunting (used to run in consist until replaced by class 43GE's) en.wikipedia.o...
class 35GE: shunting
en.wikipedia.o...
class 43GE : runs in consist to help with traction between electric substations where maximum torque for acceleration may be limited for the electric locomotives, (depending on the line current). These diesel locomotives also haul other, lighter trains such as the manganese ore train in the video.
en.wikipedia.o...
class 15E : 50 kvAC electric locomotive provides the most traction power for the OREX heavy-haul trains.
en.wikipedia.o...

[@thomaslusk7621]

I wish I was there in person to see this! Wish I went there when I first seen footage one night in 1985 of the Kimberly - Deaar line.

[@carfanfan]

Thanks Reese. Love your videos. Keep em coming 😉😁

[@reeselourens1459]

Hilton Thank you / dankie.☺

[@JawTooth]

Awesome video! I like seeing how different your trains are from ours. I also like the dry climate look. In Ohio we just had our 3rd wettest year on record. Happy New Year Reese!

[@reeselourens1459]

Thank you. Wait...are you implying that you stole our rain? lol..😂 ... Happy New Year Jaw Tooth!

[@BaltimoreAndOhioRR]

Happy Friday 🌞

[@celestinofaginas1281]

Good video, do you know where I can go to film iron ore trains in South Africa? Plus, how bad is it in Africa crime wise?

[@amessman]

Interesting to see electrics and diesels (ones not too different from ours in the US) running together, and the multiple sets of distributed power! Do you call distributed power over there? We call it DPU in the US and I guess they are referred to as bankers in Australia and other parts of the world.

[@theonetheonlyjj7445]

Nice to see a new video from you!

[@reeselourens1459]

TheOneTheOnlyJJ Thanks Andrew.☺

[@theonetheonlyjj7445]

I just try to imagine what kind of yard you need to handle that train. Or how many yards, if one ain't enough!?

[@reeselourens1459]

TheOneTheOnlyJJ The Salkor (formely, Yskor) yard in Saldanha is huge, but the empty trains only start speeding up once the leading units are about 4 kilometers out already, since the rest of the train is still in the yard limit!

[@bentleymtafu23]

Anyone know why the vids stopped?

[@reeselourens1459]

Hey. :). My sincere apology. I attended high school in Cape Town between 2017 and 2019, but had very limited options to travel. I stayed on campus. Currently I'm in Caledon (Overberg region) where trains also don't run as much during this period. But I'll make all the efforts now when lockdown eases and allow Me to travel to hotspots of railway activity. :)

[@bentleymtafu23]

Reese Lourens Thanks bro, keeps us going instead of staring at the wall! Take it easy and keep safe

[@deepblueacc]

Cool. Van die noorde af.

[@reeselourens1459]

Dankie Kobus :)

[@danielgouws1470]

Dit is waarom hulle nie so goed ontwerp is nie want wat weet Suid Afrika van behoorlike Lokomotiewe te bou

[@deepblueacc]

Kak brieke, bebou deur …………...

[@deepblueacc]

In die begin van die video

[@reeselourens1459]

@@deepblueacc Sterk brieke! Rof en hard :). In vergelyking met die 'sagter' vakuum remme wat nog baie te sien is deur SA. Maar Ek dink die drywer het dalk te vinnig die wind in die lyn laat uitblaas, met die oneweredige remming deur die lengte van die trein met gevolg.