International Railroad Discussion > Narrow gauge coal C155 (Brazil)

Today morning I found Vale coal train C155 departing EVP  yard here in town bound to EKE yard. This coal comes here to be processed and transfered to GDE class ore cars and then sent back on Vale tracks again about 300 km to unload in the Usiminas steel mill car dumpers. We call it " the traveller coal" since this train passed in front of Usiminas steel mill yesterday.

1 - 2) Vale BB40-9W 1269 leading coal train C155;

3) Vale BB40-9W 1192 is the second unit in the consist.
 

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,

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4 - 5) Vale BB40-9W 1255 is the DPU;

6)  The end of C155.
 

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

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7) The video. The full video can be watched in my channel https://youtu.be/zKevxuQjf0I

8) The map of Vale narrow gauge system (EFVM). Coal train C155 was loaded at Tubarao port, passed by Intendente Camara ( that serves Usiminas Steel mill), passed by Vespasiano (purple dot in the map) and goes to Sete Lagoas (red dot). Then, after the coal will be processed and loaded in GDE ore cars, it will take the way back to Intendent Camara, about 300 km from Sete Lagoas.  That's why we call it the "Traveller Coal".
That's all for today.
Pedro

 

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



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/23 18:33 by pedrop.

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Nice coal train video Pedro. Great to see coal trains in your back yard.

Larry 

Thanks Larry. It was a long time since I saw one of these Vale coal trains running here. Most of the time they pass here at night.
Ritzville Wrote:
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> Nice coal train video Pedro. Great to see coal
> trains in your back yard.
>
> Larry 

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



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/23 18:35 by pedrop.

Pedro, what is the tractive effort of one of those engines?

They are rated 4,000 HP. Vale refused more powerful locomotives to the narrow gauge system. They tested the SD70BB and refused them. 

tomstp Wrote:
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> Pedro, what is the tractive effort of one of those
> engines?

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

I finally found out starting tractive efford is 68,500 and continous T E is 68000.

pedrop Wrote:
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> They are rated 4,000 HP. Vale refused more
> powerful locomotives to the narrow gauge system.
> They tested the SD70BB and refused them. 
>


Do you know the reasoning why they refused the more powerful locomotives?

As I could know, Vale says the 4,000 HP BB's are very good for the 258 ore cars train type they use on mainline with three units and it doesn't justify to invest in more powerful units for while.
Vale got the rights to built a branch beyond Itabira and maybe they will order ES43BBi in the future since Wabtech discontinued the Dash 9 and AC44 series.

bogieman Wrote:
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> pedrop Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > They are rated 4,000 HP. Vale refused more
> > powerful locomotives to the narrow gauge
> system.
> > They tested the SD70BB and refused them. 
> >
>
>
> Do you know the reasoning why they refused the
> more powerful locomotives?

Posted from Android

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



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/23 09:36 by pedrop.

Thanks Pedro.

I see dual guage tracks here--why stay with narrow guage??

By the 2021 data, the narrow gauge system in Brazil is almost 24,000 km and the broad gauge is 4,000 km. So, it is impossible to end with so many narrow gauge tracks, specially because the most profitable railroad in Brazil is the narrow gauge EFVM (Vale south system).

coach Wrote:
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> I see dual guage tracks here--why stay with narrow
> guage??

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