Description

Following Australian government approval for iron ore exports, four companies developed mining and rail facilities in the Pilbara region of north-western Australia. The first railway, Goldsworthy, began operations in 1966, followed by Hamersley in 1967, Mount Newman in 1969, and Robe River in 1973. Goldsworthy used English Electric locomotives, while the other three adopted American standards with Alco locomotives.

Alco engines, mostly built locally under license, dominated the Pilbara in the 70s and 80s. Hamersley briefly used Goninan-GE and Clye-GM locomotives before fully switching to GE C44-9s in 1995. Part 1 of this video focuses on these developments up to 1995.

In the late 80s and early 90s, Mount Newman and Robe River remanufactured their Alcos with GE equipment, resulting in a fleet of Goninan-GE CM39-8s and CM40-8s, many of which were still in service in 2001. By 1999, BHP Iron Ore, formed from Mount Newman and Goldsworthy, acquired new GE AC6000s, the most powerful locomotives in Australia. Hamersley and Robe River merged to create Pilbara Rail, adding more GE C44-9s. Part 2 of this video covers these updates up to 2001.

Trackside Videos. Approximate run time: 59 minutes.