Guinness World Record Holder- 4.5 Mile Long Train
The Guinness World Record for the longest and heaviest freight train was set in 2001 by BHP Billiton’s ‘Mt Goldsworthy’.
Located in Australia’s Pilbara region, she is an iron ore train operating in Northwestern Australia and is part of the Goldsworthy and Mount Newman Railway.
BHP Billiton is the second largest iron ore mining company in the Pilbara region, behind Rio Tinto. They produce approximately 41 million tons of iron ore per year.
The day the record was set, the “Mt Goldsworthy” hauled ore from the Yandi and Newman mines to Port Hedland. It was a 10 hour journey with 682 cars loaded with iron ore and measured a whopping 4.5 miles long!
It took 6 minutes for the train to pass at railroad crossings!
The overall tonnage on this day was a massive 99,732 tons pulled at an astonishing 75 km/h (45 mph).
She was powered by 8 GE AC6000CW locomotives with a combined 50,000 horsepower!
Quick Facts
- Rail Line: Goldsworthy and Newman Railway
- Train Name: Mt Goldsworthy
- Power type: GE AC6000CW
- Builder: GE Transportation
- Train type: Freight
- Location: Northwestern Australia
- locomotive weight:432,000 lbs
Let us know your experiences fron “Down Under” if you have seen trains like these in action!
