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Ferronor

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A Ferronor train

Ferronor (Empresa de Transporte Ferroviario S.A.) is a Chilean railway company operating on the old Red Norte (northern network) of Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado, which was privatised in 1997. Since 2004 the primary shareholder is APCO.

Currently Ferronor owns a railway network of about 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi),[1] consisting of a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge main line between La Calera and Iquique and various spur lines. However, about 60% of the railway network are currently unused due to damage like landslides, washouts and rail theft. Ferronor mostly transports mining supplies and products.

Ferronor transports 7,000,000 tonnes of iron ore concentrate, 900,000 tonnes of salt, 290,000 tonnes of copper concentrate, 530,000 tonnes of sulfuric acid, 230,000 tonnes of copper cathodes and 35,000 tonnes of fuel annually. Other railway operators transport 2,200,000 tonnes of freight on Ferronor lines annually.[2]

Diego de Almagro division

Ferrocarril de Potrerillos
Legend
Diego de Almagro division
 Barquito
Chañaral
Empalme Salado
Longitudinal Norte
Diego de Almagro
Longitudinal Norte
 Diego de Almagro
(FCP)
 Llanta
Río de la Sal
Encanche
Montandon
Potrerillos
Potrerillos mine

The Diego de Almagro division connects Potrerillos (a now abandoned town and mine in the Andes at 2,800 metres (9,200 ft), only the smelter is still in use) with Llanta (filtration plant and workshops) and Diego de Almagro, where the line connects to the Longitudinal Norte, and continues to Chañaral and the harbor at Barquito. The Longitudinal Norte is still used from Diego de Almagro northward to connect Mina Franke.

The line was built starting 1916 by the Andes Copper Mining Company to connect the Potrerillos copper mine and smelter with Pueblo Hundido[3] (now called Diego de Almagro), where it connected to the state railway network, which continued to Chañaral. At Chañaral, a branch was built to connect the harbor at Barquito with the state railway network. Production at the mine started ten years later. The railway was subsequently used to transport supplies to Potrerillos and refined copper to the harbor at Barquito.

In 1959, the El Salvador mine opened and the mine at Potrerillos subsequently shut down,[4] however the smelter remained in operation. Since then, the liquified ore is transported by pipeline from El Salvador to a filtration plant near Llanta, from where the dried ore concentrate is transported by railway to the Potrerillos plant.

The copper refining process requires large quantities of sulfuric acid, which is produced on-site at Potrerillos.[5] Potrerillos also supplies other plants with sulfuric acid, both by truck and railway. Facilities to transfer sulfuric acid from train to truck exist at Llanta and El Salado.

Vallenar division

The Vallenar division connects the Los Colorados iron ore mine with the harbor at Huasco.[6] It consists of a branch which connects the mine with the Longitudinal Norte north of Vallenar, which is then used southward to Vallenar. A further branch line then provides the link from Vallenar to Huasco.

Baquedano division

The Baquedano division used to transport natural gas via Palestina and the Socompa pass to Argentina. This traffic ceased in 2006, after two Ferronor locomotives (408 and 412) were damaged in an accident in Argentina and the Argentinian operator Belgrano Cargas initially refused to repair and return the locomotives.[7] The locomotives have since been repaired and returned to service for Ferronor, but traffic over the Socompa pass has not been resumed to date.

Ferronor also owns various steam locomotives and other historic rolling stock, which is on display in an open-air "museum" at Baquedano.[8] However, most of the locomotives are stored outside without any protection and are in very bad condition.

Locomotives

This is an incomplete list of locomotives used by Ferronor.

Ferronor no. Type Order no. Year built Previous owners Comments Pictures
71 - 72 EMD G18U 710938, 710939 1968 Andes Copper Mining Co. [9]
73 EMD SW1200 Codelco [10]
81 - 82 EMD G12 701651, 701652 1957 Andes Copper Mining Co., Codelco [9]
83 EMD G12 701954 1959 Andes Copper Mining Co. [9]
91 - 93 EMD GR12U 710341 - 710353 1965 Codelco [11][12]
94 EMD G22CU 1971 Codelco Ordered by FCAB for Codelco to circumvent US export restrictions
401 - 419 EMD GR12U 700190 - 700208 1961 - 1962 EFE Dt 13001 - 13019 [13][14][15]
420 EMD GR12U [13]
421 - 423 EMD GR12U 700209 - 700211 CAP [16]
424 - 426 EMD GR12U 710550 - 710552 CAP [9][17][18]
601 EMD GT26CU FCCA [6]
4601 - 4606 EMD GT46AC 2013 [19]
  • GR12U 412 (one of the engines involved in the 2006 Socompa pass accident) between Montadon and Potrerillos
    GR12U 412 (one of the engines involved in the 2006 Socompa pass accident) between Montadon and Potrerillos
  • GR12U climbing the grade to Potrerillos (in the background)
    GR12U climbing the grade to Potrerillos (in the background)
  • Two GR12U shunting at the filtration plant near Llanta. The pipeline from El Salvador mine is visible on the right.
    Two GR12U shunting at the filtration plant near Llanta. The pipeline from El Salvador mine is visible on the right.
  • Roundhouse at Baquedano
    Roundhouse at Baquedano

References

  1. ^ "FERRONOR; Una empresa en movimiento". Ferronor.cl. Archived from the original on 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  2. ^ "Empresa de Transporte Ferroviario S.A. (FERRONOR)".
  3. ^ "Potrerillos Beginning". Losandinos.com. 1927-01-12. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  4. ^ "Potrerillos, Región Atacama". Geovirtual.cl. Archived from the original on 2011-11-13. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  5. ^ "Codelco to process, sell acid from Potrerillos smelter". BNamericas. 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  6. ^ a b Markus Fischer. "Ferronor Vallenar - Huasco, Chile". Markusworldwide.ch. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  7. ^ Markus Fischer. "Ferronor Potrerillos - Llantas - Chańaral, Chile". Markusworldwide.ch. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  8. ^ "FERRONOR; Una empresa en movimiento". Ferronor.cl. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  9. ^ a b c d "Andre's Gm Locomotive Serial Number Page". Archived from the original on 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  10. ^ "EMD Export Page". Emdexport.railfan.net. 1992-10-28. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  11. ^ "EMD Export Page". Emdexport.railfan.net. 1980-04-15. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  12. ^ "Photo: Codelco 93 Ferronor Chile GR12U at Diego de Almagro, Chile by Peter Hürzeler". Railpictures.net. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  13. ^ a b "Tren Diesel Chile - Locomotoras General Motors G(R)-12(U)". Trainweb.org. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  14. ^ "EMD GR12 Order Numbers". Trainweb.org. 2004-06-22. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  15. ^ "Photo: 401 Ferronor Chile GR12U at Diego de Almagro, Chile by Peter Hürzeler". Railpictures.net. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  16. ^ "EMD 26900 to 26999". Trainweb.org. 2004-01-14. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  17. ^ "Photo: Ferronor 424 Ferronor EMD GR12 at Vallenar, Chile by Jean-Marc Frybourg". Railpictures.net. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  18. ^ "Photo: 426 Ferronor Chile EMD GR12 at Vallenar, Chile by Darío Saidman". Railpictures.net. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  19. ^ DVV Media Group GmbH. "Ferronor takes delivery of EMD locomotives". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
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