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BHP Iron Ore Road

Sundowner - Silver Star

This passenger carriage was a gift to the then Mount Newman Mining Company from AMAX Iron Ore Corporation who were a partner in the original joint venture to celebrate the first 100 million tonnes of iron ore railed from Newman in 1974 (they have since sold their part).
The carriage was originally built by E. G. Budd in 1939 numbered 301 as the Silver Star as a diner-parlour-observation car on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad's General Pershing Zephyr train from the 1930s and 40s which ran from St Louis to Kansas City.
A plan of the car can be seen here.

The entire carriage was relocated to the Courthouse Gallery Gardens precint in 2010 and is now in operation as a cafe called the Silver Star Cafe and open seven days a week. A Wikipedia page can be found here.

Pilbara Black Rock Stakes Special

BHP Billiton took the Sundowner coach out to Goldsworthy Siding for the 35th annual running of the Pilbara Black Rock Stakes wheel barrow race, from Goldsworthy to Port Hedland, which was run on Saturday 25th June, 2005. The Sundowner was stabled at Goldsworthy Siding passing track overnight to assist with the entertainment. Thus preventing crosses or meets at Goldsworthy whilst it was there.
5636 did the honours on Friday by taking it out to Goldsworthy, placing it in the passing track and was suppose to work back light engine. But due to engine problems on a loaded train, it ended up double heading the loaded back to Goldsworthy Junction long hood leading, very rare indeed!
And then on Saturday the 25th of June, 5648 headed out to retrieve the Sundowner, got all the way to Rubin Junction to turn (there is a triangle located there) only to find that the Hedland Gang had one leg out of service. So it ended up leading the Sundowner back to Nelson Point yard long hood leading!

Alstom Special

BHP ran a Sundowner special to commemorate 25 years of ALSTOM's signal and comms service contract on Friday 12th of April 2002. The train consist was 5634 "Boodarie" on the south end, The Sundowner coach, and 5653 "Chiba" on the north end.
The Sundowner carried BHP Rail and ALSTOM staff out to the 39 kilometre detector site. This site has Hot Wheel Detection (HWD), Hot Box Detection (HBD), Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) and Wheel Impact Monitoring (WIM). All this information is relayed to Repeater 1, located at the 55 kilometre mark (East Turner River), and relayed via radio back to Train Control at Nelson Point, Port Hedland.