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The freight train of the mining company BHP Iron Ore in Australia was more than seven kilometers long, had 682 cars, and weighed close to 100,000 tons. More than 20 years after this historic milestone, it remains the longest and heaviest ever created.
Although it is known for having broken a record, it was not built with this objective. This train was created as a technological test to demonstrate that it was possible to move huge amounts of iron ore more efficiently and safely.
They build the longest train in history: How does this railway engineering milestone work?
The train traveled 275 kilometers between the Newman and Yandi mines to the port of Port Hedland. It was made up of 682 cars and 8 locomotives of the General Electric AC6000CW brand.
Each one had 6,000 horsepower, and instead of concentrating all the power at the front, it was distributed throughout the machinery.
The locomotives were controlled from a single cab using the Distributed Power (DP) system, which electronically coordinates each one so they accelerate and brake at the same time. In this way, stress on the couplings is reduced and overall stability is improved.
How much weight capacity does the longest train in the world have?
The train reached a total weight of 99,732 tons, a figure that includes the locomotives, cars, and cargo carried. Of that total, 82,000 tons corresponded to the iron ore in the load.
Why did it mark a before-and-after moment in railway engineering?
Beyond having been recorded in the Guinness Book, it was an achievement noted for its goal of validating technologies that would make it possible to operate much longer freight trains without compromising safety or efficiency.
The test showed that the intelligent distribution of power and synchronized braking made it feasible to move gigantic loads with a single engineer in charge.
After that demonstration, many railway operations dedicated to mineral transport adopted similar systems and several companies use semi-autonomous or fully automated trains based on the principles of this 2001 invention.