PILBARA RAILWAY PAGES
BHP Iron Ore Road

A few years ago BHP Billiton faced a motive power shortage due to an increase in global demand for iron ore, and with new locomotives at least 2 years away a decision was made to purchase some second hand SD40 type locomotives off GETS (GE Transportation Systems). Most of the units were re-conditioned prior to shipping.

So on the 9th of November 2003, ex GECX SD40R loco 6415 arrived at Nelson Point, off the heavy lift ship BBC FRISIA from Mexico. After some initial quarantine issues, the unit was lowered onto BHP Billiton rails out the front of the Locomotive Overhaul Workshop late that same afternoon. The other locos in that shipment where SD40R GECX 6401 and ex-Southern Pacific 8335, a tunnel motor SD40T-2. This SP unit is only for spares and has since been all but been gutted.

The second batch arrived over the New Year on the sister ship BBC CHINA. On it among others where SD40R 6407 in GECX blue and yellow, and SD40-2 3500 in khaki undercoat colour, one of the re-con units.

All the above locos had to be re-numbered before issue to traffic, and were so numbered from 3078 upwards to 3085.

On the 8th of June, 2004 loco 3086 was unloaded and was the first of the rebuild units to sport the bubble paint colour scheme. Over the 8th and 9th locos 3087, 3088, 3089,3090 and 3091 were delivered to site.

On the 6th of August, 2004 the final shipment of 6 SD40R locos arrived via the ship BBC SEALAND numbered 3092 to 3097 and all are in the bubble paint livery. After some testing 3095 and 3096 worked a return working to Yandi and back as the mid-train units behind 5636 on the 9th and 10th of August, 2004. 3094 and 3097 were also in service a day later.

With the arrival of the second hand SD40 locomotives from GETS it allowed BHP Billiton to increase the operation to 12 departures a day from the Port. It has also seen the BHP Billiton locomotive fleet swell in size to 56 units, plus one spare parts unit, the SD40T-2. The units see mainline action as 'trailing units' only and cannot be a leading remote as they have no LocoTrol, air conditioning or other crew comforts, and no ATP fitted. They can't even lead a work train. They are commonly seen marshalled behind an AC6000 or SD70ACe, or a pair of them behind a Dash 8.

Four of the SD40R locos, 3078 - 3079 - 3080 - 3091, have all had Daiken split air-conditioners, microwave ovens and radios fitted to enable them to be used within Nelson Point Yard as pilot engines, shunting the rakes into the car dumpers and running the compressor cars around the yard. 3096 has had similar treatment but copped an air-conditioner in the RHS of its nose. Ten SD40R units are also being fitted with ATP to allow them to lead trains between Nelson Point to Bing and around to Finucane Island. These units ended up with the ADP and running construction and works trains for the mainline duplication and bridge construction.

From January 2009 the SD40-2 units had started to be placed into storage. 82 and 85 were stored by the 21st Jan. From October 30 2009 the remainer of the SD40s started to be only used on mainline ore trains under shortages of power. By May 2010 all five SD40-2 units were stored at Nelson Point along with the hulk of the SD40T-2. Then in Feb 2011 they were stored at Finucane Island.
The SD40-2 units were fianlly scrapped by Sims Metal in June/July 2013.
The SD40R units were then scrapped by Sell and Parker in October 2014 along with the seven remaining AC6000 units.

Here is some information relating to the history of these units.

The Southern Pacific rebuilds were designated SD40R.