Sishen Saldanha railway line and bridge
Sishen Saldanha railway line and bridge
The potential of a deep-sea harbour at Saldanha was recognised as early as 1907. It is the deepest and safest harbour and is South Africa’s largest natural anchorage. Saldanha Bay is partly protected by a 3.1 km-long artificial breakwater.
When ISCOR began mining at Sishen in 1953 in the Northern Cape, it became necessary to build a railway line to transport large quantities of ore.
Construction of the railway line began in 1973. The fully electrified line is 861 kilometres long and crosses a large part of the West Coast. Sishen Saldanha railway line and bridge
The only tunnel near Elands Bay is the Bobbejaansberg Tunnel which is 840m long, The impressive Sishen Saldanha railway bridge over the Olifants River is worth a visit if you find yourself in the area. It was completed in 1975, the bridge is 1035m in length, supported by 22 pillars that each extend 45m into the riverbed.
Record-breaking train
On 26 August 1989, South Africa set the world record for the longest and heaviest train ever assembeled covered the distance. There were 660 fully loaded wagons of iron ore. The total length was about 7.2 km, and it weighed in at nearly 70 000 tonnes. The iron ore cargo alone weighed in at more than 68 000 tonnes. The train used nine electric locomotives and seven diesel-electric locomotives positioned along the length of the train, which had to be coordinated to distribute the pulling and braking forces.
The line was specifically engineered for heavy haul operations. It was built with continuously welded rail lines on concrete sleepers. It was designed to accommodate very heavy axle loads. Long passing loops, steep gradients. A centralised traffic control system has enabled the movement of some of the world’s largest freight trains.
     
     
- Length of train – 7 303km
- Gross mass of the train – 71,210 tons
- No. of loaded trucks – 660
- No. of locomotives – 9 electrical and 7 diesel
- Distance covered – 861km
- Maximum speed – 80km/h
- Average speed – 38,04km/h b
- It took 27 hours to complete the journey.
Regular tours are arranged at the unloading point in Saldanha Bay harbour.
Longitude 17º 58′ E and Latitude 33º
shadrack.tshikalange@transnet.net. Â 022 703 5314
