“If we consider the train with all the locomotives(火车头) at the front, we have the longest and heaviest train in the world. That's for sure.”

 

 But it is the modifications to suit local conditions that make it a truly unique railway. The train, in operation since 1963, begins its 700-kilometer journey deep in the Sahara desert in the mining town of Zouérat. Here iron ores are loaded onto the approximately 210 wagons. 6 trains are operating both directions everyday between Zouérat and the port city of Nouadhibou. With temperatures reaching and sometimes exceeding 122 degrees Fahrenheit， as well as problems associated with the sand, the train services had to adapt.

 

 “There's a technique used to fix the dune(沙丘) problem. After bulldozing(轧平) the dunes, dead palm tree branches are planted into the sand dunes, making the dunes stable. After that, the dunes don't move any more. And we don't have a problem with sand drifting onto the railway tracks any more.”

 

The railway service also uses a second system-- sand ploughs（铲沙机), based on snow ploughs used on North American trains, can clear sand that drifts onto the standard gauge tracks.

 

Another challenge with this desert train is preventing sand from entering the General Motor's locomotive engines. In the diesel-electric(柴油电动的)locomotives first used here in 1982, sand quickly worked its way into the engines and destroyed them. As a result, the National Mining Industry Company, working with General Motors, devised a filtration system using an additional 36 filtering units per locomotive.

 

“Since we installed this extra filtration system, the problems with filtering the sand from the motors have been eliminated.”

 

While the train service is primarily for the transport of iron ore, there are limited passenger facilities, too.

“People take the train because it's cheaper than traveling by vehicle; however, we don't enjoy it because it's uncomfortable. There's a lot of dust, the wagon is in poor condition, and it's not clean.”

 

According to the National Mining Industry Company, the iron ore sales accounts for 40% of Mauritania's total exports. It's no surprise that every effort is made to ensure a reliable train service through the extreme conditions of the Sahara desert.