Sishen-Saldanha Iron Ore Export Line (OREX)

[John Ashworth]

Photos and descriptive text can be found at http://grela.rrpicturearchives.net/arch ... x?id=88175

On the Sishen-Saldanha Orex line distributed power is used, with General Electric Company (GEC) Class 9E and Mitsui/Toshiba Class 15E electric locomotives running consisted to General Electric (GE) U26C Class 34 and C30ACi Class 43 diesel-electric locomotives to haul the 342 wagon iron ore trains. Each wagon has a 100 ton capacity and the trains are 3.72 kilometres in length, powered by three mixed consists of electric and diesel-electric locomotives and with a single electric pusher locomotive at the rear end. An electric locomotive serves as the master of each mixed electric and diesel-electric consist, at present usually with a total of eight locomotives per train, twelve being the maximum number allowed. Each sub-consist is made up of at least one electric and one or two diesel-electrics, with each consist’s electric locomotive controlling its respective diesels by means of a ''slimkabel'' (smart cable) to translate electricspeak to dieselspeak. In effect each ore train is made up of three separate 114 wagon trains consisted together, with the locomotives of all three consists and the pusher controlled by means of a Locotrol radio distributed power control system by one crew in the leading electric locomotive. All four locomotive types are often used on the same train.