BHP- AC6000

[Colonel]

MRL Mick provided me with a site on the GE AC6000 locomotive.

The site can be found at

AC6000 (http://www.railways.pilbara.net.au/ac6000.htm)

here are a couple of pictures from the site

http://www.railways.pilbara.net.au/6076_6073_bing.jpg

http://www.railways.pilbara.net.au/6077_bridge.jpg

http://www.railways.pilbara.net.au/6076.jpg

[Alan]

Very interesting, Paul. The third photo shows the huge overhang of the radiator very well, also the truck detail.

Also a very interesting website. I will go back for a further browse.

[MRL Mick]

Paul,
thanks for posting the pictures.

How good do those bad boys look!!! tongue.gif I think main line railroading in Australia is certainly up there in technology. You could almost model something worthwhile from Australia.

I remember reading an article in an Australian Model Railroad Mag some years ago about a club in WA replicating the Hammersly rail system and running Athearn C44-9s with 160+ car train on a modular system at a WA show. The pictures looked good.

I think from memory Punchbowl Hobbies has an Athearn painted in the silver HI scheme, it looks good. Ridiculous price for an Athearn, I think it was over $200.

I am sure Dad or GATS could paint the either BHP or HI the scheme in Nscale or HO. Obtaining the ore cars maybe the problem, especially in Nscale.

This would be a good exhibition layout. The mind boggles :D

I just happen to have some spare Kato C44-9s low numberboards. (if you wont buy them Paul(UP))

[Chessie_SD50_8563]

wow CN style cabs. AWSOME!!!!!

(I am one of the few that like the GE cabs with EMD windows and wished that all GE power came like that) smile.gif

[Gats]

They have just set the world record for the longest/heaviest train running 11 (I think) of these brutes and something short of 600 loaded ore cars. I'll dig up the info and post.

Gary.

[MRL Mick]

Here is the link to Hamersley Iron. Like BHP they have some very long ore trains. They are certainly easier to model as they run C44-9CW loco's in perhaps the best scheme the C44 has been painted in.

Hamersley Iron C44-9CW (http://www.railways.pilbara.net.au/hi.htm)

[yankinoz]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chessie_SD50_8563:
(I am one of the few that like the GE cabs with EMD windows and wished that all GE power came like that) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think the cabs are made locally - looks like they took the best parts from GE and EMD in the design. smile.gif

[Gats]

Rob, the cabs would have been ex GE with the current design using EMD styled windscreens. I can't think why that would important out here as the only loco I can think of with anything remotely similar is the Victorian C class, unless it is a standard feature with GE's now.
The local cabs are known as Pilbara cabs and feature an overhung roofline - like the NSW 82/90 class but more so. Keeps the midday sun out of the cab. smile.gif

Gary.

[yankinoz]

I know that in some of the older locomotives, the engines and electronics were imported and the frames and bodies were built locally. I just sort of assumed that that was still the case, but they were now following the GE designs more closely. Do the North American AC6000's have such severe overhangs on the rear of the radiator? Or is the radiator bigger to deal with that harsh Aussie sun?

I guess they don't ship them by air do they?
:D

[BC Rail King]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chessie_SD50_8563:
wow CN style cabs. AWSOME!!!!!

(I am one of the few that like the GE cabs with EMD windows and wished that all GE power came like that) smile.gif<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It would be better to say that the CN units have Austrailain Cabs, as they were done first, the BCR C44-9Ws have australian cabs as well.

PS- Those units look bigger in Ausralia!

Happy Railroading!

Dane ;)

[ 06 July 2001: Message edited by: BC Rail King ]

[Gats]

Nope, they're a little big to ship by air. (a K x'ing used in diamonds was installed the other night. Had to be imported from the UK @ $30K. Not sure if that included air freight ;))

This covers all Iron Ore roads -

From memory, the original ALCo C-636's were assembled here from imported components by A.E. Goodwins, who went on to eventually become Goninans. One of the last ordered was BN 6368 when BN retired the unit and was shipped complete!

Those ALCo's were rebuilt with Pilbara cabs and GE internals by Goninans some years ago. Later units were as you said, except some directly imported U series locos, built with loco frames and bodies.

From what I recall, all the -9 GE's running over there are direct imports, probably through Goninans being the local GE agent. I'm certain there may be a member here that could expand far more on this.

As for the AC6000's, the rear overhang looks longer than that I saw on a CSX unit in Nashville in 99 (I haven't bothered to look up any sites for US pics). It would have something to do with the temps they get out there. 40C ambient requires additional cooling. smile.gif

Gary.
Love those siamesed AC6000 stacks!

[Chessie_SD50_8563]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gats:
Nope, they're a little big to ship by air. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not entirely true... Theres a 6 engine russian jet that can airlift 250 ton objects. and if memory serves me correct a AC6K is only 225 tons.

Though the price wouldn't be worth it.

Oppon closer examantion I noticed a minor differnce between the CN -9 cab and the BHP AC6K. on the BHP units the cab side slants slightly inward under the side windows. while on the CN and BCR units it stays level.

[BC Rail King]

And the BCR units have $10 000 seats in them...

Happy Railroading!

Dane :eek:

[Chessie_SD50_8563]

for $10K these better be some Damn good seats
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Justin]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chessie_SD50_8563:


Not entirely true... Theres a 6 engine russian jet that can airlift 250 ton objects. and if memory serves me correct a AC6K is only 225 tons.

Though the price wouldn't be worth it.

Oppon closer examantion I noticed a minor differnce between the CN -9 cab and the BHP AC6K. on the BHP units the cab side slants slightly inward under the side windows. while on the CN and BCR units it stays level.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Take a look at this:

http://www.airfoyle.co.uk/gallery/loco1.html


The An-225. Huge Plane. I was looking at specs for it.. and it can lift 250 METRIC tons. An AC6000CW wouldn't exceed its capacity. Hell, the it could probably fit into the An124's (A bit smaller, but still pretty large, its the plane in the link above). The Russians also made a HUGE helicopter.. Ilyushin something something I think. A 6 bladed two story tall monster. Supposedly there is one of them flying around which is a hovering hospital. They're that big. I'd bet they could take an engine that "extra mile" too. The USAF also has a large cargo plane.. the C5-A Galaxy, only a mere four engines, but I've been inside em, and well, I was stunned at the size. Sikorsky also makes the "SkyCrane", a very heavy lift helicopter. Only caveat is that it carries the cargo outside the fuselage.

Well..'nuff about planes... smile.gif

Do any of you down in Oz have any pix of this latest record setting run by BHP? I'm quite eager to see some.

Justin

[ 08 July 2001: Message edited by: Justin ]

[mepham]

Don't have any photos of the record run however did see the big WA model railroad layout in Adelaide 2 years ago. As you can imagine it took up a lot of space; however the long train could not travel more than about 3 metres at a time due to continual derailments of wagons.

Understand that this is not a problem for the real thing.

Photo in the April/May edition of the Motive Power magazine of the scrap line at the Bing siding with Alcos M636, 5499 and all of the BHP C30-7 fleet awaiting disposal on the 19th of October last year.

Cheers