now we know where those narrow guage hopper cars are going. According to the Financial Times, the Brazilian government is leading a $408 million investment in improving rail service to increase their exports of soy beans and iron ore. They would also like to add 5,000 kilometers of new railway.
dd
Iron ore would explain the narrow gauge. EF Vitoria a Minas (home of the DDM45’s) is meter gauge and is one of the world’s top ore haulers. Imagine a meter-gauge DM&IR located in the tropics.
I think I also remember seeing that this same road is buying used US EMD SD40’s and converting them to 4 axle narrow guage trucks.
dd