constructed linking it to Port Hedland which itself was upgraded to handle shipment of the ore to the world market. On 21 June 2001 a train long, comprising 682 ore cars and eight locomotives made the Newman—Port Hedland trip and is listed as the world's longest ever train. The ore trains are typically over 2 km long. Newman is also a service town to the nearby mining settlements like Tom Price and Paraburdoo. Electricity is supplied by Alinta from its 180 MW gas-fired power station with a 30MW/11MWh Kokam battery at Newman. The station also supplies the Roy Hill mine, with grid construction reaching the Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek mines. Architecture Being founded in the 1960s, Newman's architecture reflects the modernist styles of that decade and the next, being predominantly functional and devoid of detail or embellishment. As the town was founded and built by a steel company, the majority of buildings use a steel frame construction. This applies to the homes themselves, most of them being two prefabricated halves inserted together into a steel I-section frame, the columns of which are left exposed on the exterior of the home. This construction method serves not only to showcase the company's product, but also gives strong resistance to cyclone winds which can affect the region from time to time. For this same reason most houses are elevated from the ground by a few steps. Many houses also have large air-conditioning units situated next to them to provide adequate cooling against the very hot summer temperatures. Climate Newman has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with very hot summers and mild winters. The temperature reaches or exceeds for many days in the summer. On 15 January 1998, the temperature reached an all-time recorded high of . The annual average rainfall is which would make it a semi-arid climate except that its high evapotranspiration, or its barrenness, makes it a desert climate. Precipitation is sparse, but the influx of monsoonal moisture in the summer, which generally begins in December and lasts until April, raises humidity levels and can cause occasional heavy storms. Winter months are mild to warm, with daily high temperatures ranging from the to , and low (nighttime) temperatures rarely dipping below . See also Pilbara historical timeline Pilbara newspapers Red Dog (Pilbara) References Further reading Austin, Noel (1999) The Newman story, 1967-1969. Publication details not known - held