Rio Tinto Train Going Into (ex Robe River's) Car Dumper 1 At Cape Lambert.

Here, I take a 168 car, 24,000 ton Robe River train into Cape Lambert's Car Dumper 1. This involves running past the dumper, over a set of points, and into a dead-end that's only around 10 meters longer than the train. This takes quite a bit of skill as the train must stop in a bunched state to fit in. Thus, you have to dynamic brake to a stop but if you slow down too much or worse, stop too soon, you have to take power again and that'll stretch the train out and it won't fit in so you must get it right the first time. Of course, if you try too hard to avoid that and stop too late, well.................

Once in the dead end, the points behind the train swing over and the dumper operator calls you back around 22 cars. He counts you down - 20, 15, 10 and at about there you shut off the power and coast for a few seconds and then apply just a little independent brake to stretch the train out by 5, 3, apply more brake, 2, 1, stop. You stop with the independent brake only so the train is stretched and just like going into the dead end, you must get it right first time. If you apply too much brake too soon and have to apply power again, you'll bunch the train and when he tells you to stop, the train will stretch out, going past where he wants it. If you've come in too hard and overshoot, he'll tell you to go forward again and when the last car (first to be tipped) is where he wants it, he'll tell you to stop but when you apply the brake, the train will bunch and that car will overshoot going the other way. Now you must come back again but you don't have room to bunch it up and stretch it out so as I said, you have to get it right first time. Assuming you did, you uncouple the locos and start the compressor car to keep the brakes supplied with air. You tell the dumper operator he can begin dumping and the dumper then pulls the train through, tipping one car every minute. The dumper itself was 35 years old when purchased by Robe River in the early '70s, making it close to 80 now. Your road out of the dead end is blocked until around 20 cars have dumped so time to relax for a short while before taking the locos back to couple to the next loaded train in around two hours.