International Railroad Discussion > MRS ore trains at Itabirito

Some pics from a trip done last weekend to MRS P1-03 and P1-04 yards at Itabirito, MG Brazil. P1-03 is the location of the loading facilities that can load three ore trains at a time. P1-04 is a siding where empty and loaded trains can do the crossing. Both are great locations for train watching. Here are some pics taken with my cell phone. Later better ones from my Nikon.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,

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Pictures 1 and 3: AC44i's at P1-03 yard waiting to be used as DPU in the rear end if the ore trains been loaded in the yard. MRS standard ore trains use 2x1 locomotives with 134 ore cars. But there are smaller trains of 90 cars and big ones with 268 cars. It will depend is the costumer.
Pic 2: An empty ore train in the siding tracks at P1-04 yard waiting to cross with a loaded one.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

While I was at P1-03 yard, a couple of EMD SD70ACe Demonstrators arrived with an empty train of HFT class hoppers for loading. They are the only EMD in a land domenated by AC44´s. EMD plans to produce a speciall model of ACe´s to MRS, sice these standard SD70´s are not convince MRS to buy them.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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Three AC44i´s waiting the time to be coupled to the end of the ore trains as soon they can finsih the loading process. MRS uses 2 x 1 locomotives in the standard 134 cars of the common ore trains. 

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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pedrop Wrote:
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> Three AC44i´s waiting the time to be coupled to
> the end of the ore trains as soon they can finsih
> the loading process. MRS uses 2 x 1 locomotives in
> the standard 134 cars of the common ore trains. 

Hello Pedro,

The last photo is great illustration of maintaining grades with a concrete
retaining wall with tie backs to hold the entire line of concrete poured walls intact Pedro.

I cannot tell from the last photo, but is this section of their narrow guage line tied into
a hillside cut excavation or is it a section of the line that has cast concrete walls with
fill beween the cast concrete walls??

In my neighborhood they cut through a hill rather than cross it and installed cast concrete
interlocking blocks to create the new right of way and roadbed.

Do you have any images of the pantograph electric 6-8 Stadler rack drive locomotives that
they purchased for the rack railway to the port. If I could I would be there train watching and
taking many videos and pictures to post of the rack drive units. 

Very nice pictures Pedro, I've never seen any broad gauge operations in Brasil. Where does MRS ship the iron one to?

> The last photo is great illustration of
> maintaining grades with a concrete
> retaining wall with tie backs to hold the entire
> line of concrete poured walls intact Pedro.
>
> I cannot tell from the last photo, but is this
> section of their narrow guage line tied into
> a hillside cut excavation or is it a section of
> the line that has cast concrete walls with
> fill beween the cast concrete walls??
>
> In my neighborhood they cut through a hill rather
> than cross it and installed cast concrete
> interlocking blocks to create the new right of way
> and roadbed.
>
> Do you have any images of the pantograph electric
> 6-8 Stadler rack drive locomotives that
> they purchased for the rack railway to the port.
> If I could I would be there train watching and
> taking many videos and pictures to post of the
> rack drive units. 

Hello

The big wall we see in the picture is a retaining wall  to the fill that enlarged the yard to receive other tracks. P1-03 yard had only two tracks when built in the 1980´s, but now has six tracks. The loading facilities were enlarged to load three trains at a time.  The first picture in this thread show the same three AC44 seen in the pictures 3 and 6 with the big retaining wall at left.

Unfortunately I din not have time to visit the cog railway in Paranapiacaba, SP but I intend to visit it this year.  Videos of them in the links below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxSlOqXxDj4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALUGnBNZT2s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ATOTFsiys


 

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

Hi, the ore is shipped to some costumers in Brazil and also to export. MRS send most of the ore to Guaiba island in Mangaratiba, RJ where it is dispached by Vale to international costumers.  It also send ore to Vale narrow gauge (EFVM rwy) at Ouro Branco, MG. The train with the two ACe´s seen in this thread will deliver ore to Vale at Patrag yard. There the ore is moved from the broad to narrow gauge. The MRS HAT class open top hoppers are unloaded in a bridge at Patrag yard and the front loaders load it to EFVM (Vale) narrow gauge GDE class gondolas. 
A video of MRS at Guaiba island is seen in the link below. It is narrated in portuguese, but uou can see the falicities located there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCkXgn-8M8U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z56TBgroFAw


Pedro

86235 Wrote:
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> Very nice pictures Pedro, I've never seen any
> broad gauge operations in Brasil. Where does MRS
> ship the iron one to?

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

Thanks for the links Pedro.

MRS is changing the old GDT class gondolas to GDU class. These have a bigger gross load capacity, Below two kind of GDU. Pic 1 and 2 are the rivited ones mande by Maxion. Pic 3 show a GDU made by Usiminas. We also have GDU made by Randon;

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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Great photos!