Action at the Steel Mill. Friday 21-12-1972

And lastly . I have been filling in the aisle with removable scenery boards here is the latest board this entire aisle can be removed in minutes if needed. The three boards with the electrical towers on them can all be removed.

Nothing is finished yet I intend to build a power substation on one of the boards.

Roo. 

Beyond wonderful, ROO, and I know what I am seeing there, having lived the 40's - 60's in my hometown Pittsburgh area. In fact, I worked as a common laborer at National Tube, McKeesport, PA, for one very hot summer, earning extra money, as a teenager, for college. It was so hot that, even though we were young and strong, we had to work for 15min and then sit for 15min, etc. If we did not rest every other quarter hour like that, we were fired (no pun intended) for endangering ourselves in such hot conditions.

I love your creativity, there, and especially appreciate your realistically stressing the profound presence of long lines of trains within the precincts of such a mill.

FrankM

Nice! 

very nice Roo.

Love to see some video of the trains in action.

Bob

Thank you all.

Frank. That is a great photo of the ingot being lifted out of the soaking pit I would have dearly loved to have had the space to fully detail inside my buildings but with O scale in the room I have it's just impossible.

Here is another photo from yesterday. It's a quiet time at Waterside yard, this yard is the interchange yard for the Mill. All the trains for the mill go through this yard usually it is jammed with cars of all descriptions the Lackawanna loco moving a Mill Gondola of furnace scrap must be on loan to the mill this job is usually handled by the Blue (one shown in the photo with a low clearance roof) Republic Steel Switchers. Of course Big John might have grabbed the nearest loco to do this job maybe! A slab train has just pulled a cut of flats out of the Blooming Mill this train will then move forward to the tracks on the left and make it's way to the Rolling Mill where the slabs will be converted into Coils of steel for a customer.  Roo.

Roo, it looks like another fun run day at the mill.  The republic coil cars look great.  Do you remove the electric towers when you remove the boards or are they permanently attached?

Wonderful layout and I am looking forward to future Videos and posts. Neat idea on the panels and access aisles.

ROO, did you work in the steel industry?

Joe: the towers are glued to the boards the first board is all we remove on operating days if I need to get to a derailment (which is rare) I just slide the others along and leave them on the runners. (See pictures)

Hokie 71: No I have never worked in the Steel Industry I do buy endless books for research.

Thanks. Roo.

Roo posted:

Great day today, busy, still managed to have lunch and afternoon tea!

Unusual to see the Highline empty but not for long!  Roo.

 

Excellent work Roo! Might I inquire where these background images came from? Have about 10' to fill.

Simply beautiful!   I can almost hear those two rails calling to me...

Roo:

Outstanding layout!

Joe

Very nice. No shortage of action there.

Thank you all for your kind remarks.

BOBBYD:  I found them on the bay under angietracksideflats he ships to Australia so I bought my backdrops as paper in a tube as they had to travel a long way. I glued the backdrop paper to Foamcore and blackened the edges. Roo.

Thank you Neville, hope you have a safe, happy, and prosperous New Year. 

Would like to make it down one day.

Laying some track today trying to finish off the foundry and the Slag reclamation mill. Good to be back working on the Railroad. Roo.

Outstanding Layout!

Roo, wonderful work!

Looks like you're having a blast.

Bill Chaplik posted:

Looks like you're having a blast.

In more ways than one!!

Thanks everyone I will post some photos of the progress. The "foundry" is supposed to be a pipe factory as well as a foundry gives me an excuse to run some Bulkhead flats, Hot metal cars, depressed centre flats, lots of action, looking forward to finishing this section have to take it easy today my back is playing up after leaning for hours over the layout yesterday. Take care and watch your back! Roo.

Despite a sore back I'm happy with the progress so far.

I am making a sign for the building at the moment. the workshop is bashed from a Heljan kit will eventually have a fully detailed interior in fact if you lift the building up there are a pile of detail items inside waiting, good place to store them. The floor is not glued down so I can detail the interior of the workshop at the bench. 

Because we operate the layout every week and enjoy switching there is not a lot of room for details like pipes and castings sitting in the yards the tracks come first the scenery second. The crane needs some streaks of rust and dirt on it along with everything else ! Roo.  

Well...It's summertime, it's painting time, so I go down to my favourite hobby shop to buy a dozen cans of rattle gun paint only to find it's closing down!

Sad he was only 15 minutes away no train stuff but plenty of paint I suppose it's the same the world over the internet is killing off the trad shop. Roo.

Publicity shot for Valley Pipe and Forge. Roo.

ROO, about the "Publicity shot" : When I have to lean forward and squint to get a closer look at the scene (above) to determine if it's great modeling or real-life.... Wow. And WOW again... that's great modeling!!!!!!!!!

FrankM

ROO, Frank is right, you cant get more real than that! Wonderful work!

mike g. posted:

ROO, Frank is right, you cant get more real than that! Wonderful work!

Mike, You are one of the more delightful voices on this forum that I always make a point of reading. So, when I see that we are in agreement about another hobbyist's work, that is a bonus, as far as I am concerned. You seem like a really good guy, so I am glad to have been in your company here.

FrankM

Moonson posted:

mike g. posted:

ROO, Frank is right, you cant get more real than that! Wonderful work!

Mike, You are one of the more delightful voices on this forum that I always make a point of reading. So, when I see that we are in agreement about another hobbyist's work, that is a bonus, as far as I am concerned. You seem like a really good guy, so I am glad to have been in your company here.

FrankM

Thanks Frank, I try to be positive as this is spose to be fun! Plus there is so many great people here with such great skills! The best part is the sharing of thoughts and ideas! It really means a lot to me getting this comment from you!

Moonson posted:

ROO, about the "Publicity shot" : When I have to lean forward and squint to get a closer look at the scene (above) to determine if it's great modeling or real-life.... Wow. And WOW again... that's great modeling!!!!!!!!!

FrankM

mike g. posted:

ROO, Frank is right, you cant get more real than that! Wonderful work!

Thanks Frank. I've looked into your history and you are a great modeller yourself so coming from you that is a compliment that I appreciate.

Now Mike I notice you were in Artillery corp. In 1970 when I was based at the Australian task force at Nui Dat (small hill) the Americans had a couple of big guns in the centre and every second or third night they would fire a couple of rounds 10 miles into Nth Vietnam. You would be in your hoochie asleep and all of a sudden Boom! are we under attack? No it's just those crazy yanks firing their big guns.

The guns had a type of bulldozer blade on the rear dug into the dirt to absorb the recoil and were on tracks.  Roo. 

Everything on the layout is magnificent, Roo. Enjoy it and happy new year.

MELGAR

Thanks MELGAR.

Here are a couple of photos I snapped yesterday two shows Erie 435 switching Valley Pipe the third shows the other end of this district on a very quiet day. Next week we are installing a new Control Panel for this district which has a number of new industries plus a passenger station with a single team track. Most of the industries here are connected with the Steel Mill in some way like Valley Pipe and Forge receives among other trains Hot Metal trains there is also a Slag reclamation plant and a scrap yard that delivers scrap to the Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) the interchange yard has only three tracks (no room for more!) enough for the trains. There is a Locomotive that is rostered here permanently just for switching and making up trains. Roo.

Excellent Roo !!         

Fantastic layout and pics! 

jpv in France

Roo posted:

Publicity shot for Valley Pipe and Forge. Roo.

More fantastic work!

Roo posted

Now Mike I notice you were in Artillery corp. In 1970 when I was based at the Australian task force at Nui Dat (small hill) the Americans had a couple of big guns in the centre and every second or third night they would fire a couple of rounds 10 miles into Nth Vietnam. You would be in your hoochie asleep and all of a sudden Boom! are we under attack? No it's just those crazy yanks firing their big guns.

The guns had a type of bulldozer blade on the rear dug into the dirt to absorb the recoil and were on tracks.  Roo. 

This Neville? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUs6q1VjauE

The Army wanted us to make them NBC capable then dropped the project. Somewhere I have pictures of the front 3/4 gun enclosure designed to protect the standing crew from rifle fire.

That's the one! Love the video way to go mate! The ground used to shake when those things were fired.

We worked with you guys and US gunships supported us in SVN.  Aussies have worked along side Americans in most modern wars.

Thanks everyone for your kind words about the layout I will have more photos soon. These photos are the new control panel ready to install next week. Roo.

I thought I had more coil cars. After a post by Roo, I went down to look and I only found one by MTH. I got lucky and found another at a great price right before Christmas. Deichman's Model Train Depot had them and I wish I had got them all. I am thankful for the one I got. I will get more as I can. The Atlas cars are another great release in O scale for me.

 Anyways when I see pictures like these above, I have to pursue making it on my RR. I visited Republic Steel, and Bethlehem Steel when I was younger. The huge scale of those places amazed me then. Roo's layout took me right back to my youth and seeing those sights again.

 I am fond of tank cars so I will try to have a facility for those, along with my other favorites like auto carriers. Now with the steel cars in my sights, I may need a bigger house or I'll have to get creative and compress some type of scene. I am jealous of the quality work posted here and I think it will influence my layout moving forward.

Just a bit of info you may use or discard as you see fit.  On the prototype railroad the "control panels" were and are still called model boards.  As a modeler I am in favor of using prototype terminology where possible to both increase realism and historical accuracy of modeling efforts.  As an aside, I was once a Block Operator at Morris Tower in Morrisville PA, where we sent and received frequent transfer runs between Morrisville freight yard and United States Steel's Fairless Works.  Part of a 1979-2011 railroad career.

Bill

What wonderful work Roo!

Roo,

When you finish this layout, I hope you keep it. I seem to remember reading about your earlier layout years ago in OST and liked it very much. As I recall, it was based in Brooklyn. Is that correct? Does that layout still exist? Any pictures?

MELGAR

Looks great, Neville.

Thank you all.

MELGAR and members. Years ago when digital cameras came out I could not afford one at the time so my daughter who worked in a large cleaning firm borrowed their camera (with permission from the owner!) she worked in the office doing the payroll for 90 cleaners.

From that day onwards I kept a record of almost everything I built and still have most of the photos which now run into hundreds.

You asked about Brooklyn I spent 10 years researching the railroads in New York Harbor that layout is now long gone i will start a new thread to show you what happened to it. I will call it "The Destruction Of Bay Ridge Harbor" I was keeping it for a magazine article but I have stopped that phase of my life age is catching up and I have to many other things to do. Roo.

And here is the latest track plan of the YVR. Note the sidings on the lower left, Valley Pipe & Forge and the Slag Reclamation.

This is the plan for the talk I am giving soon at the local club that's why more names are in bold type. (so people can see what I'm talking about!)

The original is on a PDF file this is a photo from it.  Roo. 

Hi Everybody.

Good news twice!

First good news, you will no longer have to put up with anymore old " Nostalgia photos" !

Second good news. We have finally installed the new control panel at Valley Forge and wired all the new track at the Slag and pipe works it's been tested everything works, I am now ballasting the area and laying some ground cover I will have some photos soon I might wait till Friday which is our scheduled operation day. The photos should look better as I will snap the action during the day while we are running the trains. The trains won't be staged just for the photos. I am so happy to have this area up and working it seems like it's taken years when it's really only been a few months as we get older things seem to take longer but I don't care we got there!

I say "we" because my good mate Bruce Temperley does the electrics and I do everything else we make a good team. So see you Friday. Roo.

 I will patiently wait for a video of a loaded steel train move. I will patiently wait for a video of a loaded steel train move. I will patiently wait for a video of a loaded steel train move. I will patiently wait for a video of a loaded steel train move. I will patiently wait for a video of a loaded steel train move. I will patiently wait for a video of a loaded steel train move. I will patiently wait for a video of a loaded steel train move. I will patiently wait for a video of a loaded steel train move. …….

Same here!

Ha Ha. Roo.

OK jokes aside.

When Big John arrives on Friday I will try and organise something. Big John fixes computers and everything else to do with them so I will try and enlist him to do something with his fancy High Tech phone.

I'm going I have ground cover to plant, things to do to make everything look pretty for Friday. I'm turning this thing off!  Roo. 

The old nostalgia photos were downright fun for those of us that hadn't seen your previous layouts.

I snapped a couple of photos mainly to see if anything major is missing apart from details. In the first photo that unloader you see over the tracks in the Slag plant is temporary I am building something three times bigger after a photo came to light of a crusher mine will just have the one track. I have every volume of Morning Sun "Steel Mill Railroads" and many more of their books I read them all the time. The tracks on the right lead into the Rolling Mill this is going to have a major change made as well when I get the time...... another large building with crane to load the coils. It's good fun. Thanks.  Roo.

The latest structure is for the Slag reclamation Plant it's for unloading broken up slag from Side dump cars part of a crushing plant here is the unloader before it gets it's cladding. That's 3mm MDF I hand saw or scribe most of it and wear a respirator mask for the dust. A few clamps are handy to hold it together. Sorry it's not much of a photo but sometimes it's good to see how other people build things and what materials they use. I could have used 3mm styrene or even 2mm for this instead of the MDF but it's very expensive compared to the MDF price and I have to keep costs down somehow.  Roo.

It maybe just my imagination here, I remember the steel mills I went to being dirtier than yours.

Other than that, I think you nailed it! 

Looks like a good start Roo! I hope you will post more as you go along!

of course, some are dirtier than others.....

Big Fire!

Thanks Mike. This is the latest photo getting to hot outside and not because of a fire!

 It all fits, now the cladding and the paint, and I assure you it will all be weathered one day this new structure will look all rusty and dilapidated. Now for a shower and a rest and read a Steel Mill book. Ha Ha. Thanks. Roo.

A Train of Brand new Hot Metal cars leaving Valley Pipe and Forge for various Steel mills.

In reality they are Lionel cars converted to 2-Rail and will be used on Hot Metal runs between the Basic Oxygen Furnace at Republic Steel and Valley Pipe and Forge. They are all different because I try to buy them at the cheapest price resulting in all kinds of colours and mills.  I don't get a choice when your chasing price! They will be eventually heavily weathered.

Wonderful cars Lionel at it's best.  Roo.

Fabulous, ROO, really fabulous.

FrankM

Thanks FrankM.

I am having the operating session on Thursday this week due to the Grandaughter getting presented with an award at school on Friday we have to be there, orders from her mother! 

I will try and snap some photos on Thursday's session of the action. Roo.

Roo posted:

In reality they are Lionel cars converted to 2-Rail  Wonderful cars Lionel at it's best.  Roo.

 

I had a few MTH hot metal bottles; I think that the Lionel cars look better, more detailed. The MTH cars had two two-axle trucks under each end.

Dave.

I like them both the Lionel cars seem to have a slight edge on the MTH cars I'm glad they made 12 and 16 wheel cars not all the same. Roo.

Due to the increase in Hot metal traffic I have decided to update the track work at the high line resulting in improved running and an extra dead end siding also the small dead end spur running onto the highline has been lengthened by running it off the slag track. See photos and diagram if interested. You just can't have enough tracks in a Steel mill!

The photo shows the first stage the diagram shows the final stage. The track to the highline nearest the furnace is temporary as two more turnouts will be added sometime soon. It's all working but the control panel will have to be renewed in the future. Apologies for the loco and the hoppers being "on the ground".

While this is going on operations will not be hampered as it is Saturday and train running is Fridays.

 Thanks Roo.

Roo, sure looks nice! But man that sure is a lot of work! LOL

Hi Mike.

Yes it's a lot of work but also a lot of fun. We look forward to Friday's and running trains.

One of the latest projects is 2-Railing six Lionel Metro cars unfortunately the way we have gone about it is beyond most people as a lathe and a milling machine is needed to make up all new powered and unpowered trucks from scratch this is a one of project we will never do again!

One day I'll take some photos we will expect people to laugh and say there is a simpler way, if there was we couldn't find it, we have limited access to talented O scale people and parts over here, so we work with what we have. Thanks mate.  Roo.

Roo, that sounds really cool! I cant wait to see how you did the new trucks! It doesn't matter if there is or isn't a simpler way, Its all about having fun and doing what you have to, to make things work the way you want them to!

I think what you have done so far is just amazing! Keep up the wonderful work and post!

If anyone is interested in how I went about building an O scale Blast furnace and all the related Mill buildings go to the Scenery and Structures forum and look for the "Steel Mill related structures" thread. I have so far posted scale drawings and lots of photos but that is only half of what I will post lots more to come.

And all the plans and photos are free to download and keep ! Thanks Roo.

Thanks Roo, excellent work! Thank you for posting. Looking forward to your updates.

Andy

Just a quick update for anyone interested.

First I'm not dead I just pinched myself and Yep, I'm still alive. I have had some kind of virus since I came back from the walk which has kept me in bed for 10 days about 30 tick bites didn't help things either, but I am now out of the worse of it and starting to do things I fitted some Kadees on another new Atlas SW yesterday so that's a start not a big start but something.

Today my mate Bruce is coming over and we are going to fit the new Republic Steel control panel the priority is to get the layout up and running again nothing else matters so that is what we will be doing this week. Lots of plans for the future lots of photos all kinds of things coming up as soon as i get fit enough.

You all take care.

Roo.

Nev

good to see your and development on Bayridge

Colin

Nev good to see you posting.  I was beginning to wonder if that walk took too much out of you.

coach joe posted:

Nev good to see you posting.  I was beginning to wonder if that walk took too much out of you.

Coach Joe.

I have to admit it did. Thank you for thinking about me.. We are getting closer to getting the layout up and running again this Friday if everything goes to plan.

Colin, nice to hear from you again we have just fitted some new trackwork and a control panel at Republic Steel then I got crook and things slowed right down I'm on the mend so see above. This Friday hopefully. The photos are an under and over view of where we are working.   Nev. 

ROO:

Looks like someone you know may work for the phone company - that's what the terminals look like to me!

Joe

Joe .

No, we didn't do a raid on the local telephone exchange, if your referring to the terminals on each end of the board they are 'through connectors" used in industrial switchboards. My friend and operator who does the electrical had a job once of planning and drawing industrial switchboards so he has a good knowledge of the parts needed !

Thanks Roo.

Hi Everyone.

At last we have the layout up and running again and to celebrate we are having TWO running sessions next week Tuesday and Friday give me a call if you can make either day or even both! I provide the lunch and the trains. Photos show the new control panel and trackwork at Republic Steel and our first of two Rail Car sets no more locos running around the coaches, more about the passenger side of the layout later we are working on that it's a project we do in between projects, we might be in our middle seventies Bruce and mysel,f but we are still building and operating trains more than ever. It's Mothers day this Sunday coming so the kids will be over with their kids maybe Grandad will let them run some trains! Take care. Roo.

Neville, very nice!

Dan Weinhold

Thanks Dan. More photos coming soon. Roo

Hi Everyone. I have just cleaned up the Team Track area at Valley Forge which included relaying one track and painting the cobblestones the high level platform where the rail car set is stabled is not yet finished that will be this week more photos soon. That Lionel Rail car set might not be the scale length but it fits in good with the sharp curves and short sidings on the YVRR and more important it runs fine after it's 2-Rail modifications, another set will be ready soon if we stop running trains and snapping photos for a few minutes!  Roo.

ROO, Looks good! You cant have all work and no fun! LOL Just enjoy the ride!

Roo, I never realized the Long Island Railroad or is that Metro North had an Australia Branch.  I don't think there is any "maybe" associated with Grandad letting the kids run some trains.  Happy Mother's day to the Missus.

Roo, Looks great. Glad you are running trains too !!

-Tom

Hi ROO, I much enjoy seeing the detail of the guys on that walkway relaxing above empty ladle-cars, because having them standing above such cars filled with molten contents in real-life, would have had them cooked alive. Attention to detail like that is masterful, IMHO, and enjoyable.

FrankM

Tom, Joe, Mike, Dan thank you for your kind remarks yes, Metro North exists in West Australia as well Ha Ha. We had a great day with the kids. Roo.

Hi Everybody.

Well things are back to normal again with the layout, great day running trains even managed to snap some photos. As you can see most photos are from my operators position and show a variety of cars associated with Steel Mills even two Lionel Car Works, Hot Metal cars  ready to go into service!  Take care. Roo.

Looks great Roo! I am glad things are back to normal! I sure bet you had some fun running the trains!

Very nice. You guys must have a lot of fun operating the layout.

Roo posted:

 

 

Those slag cars remind me of the numerous containers of Dole and Del Monte fruit cups I've gone through in the past few months. When I first started buying them, I thought the empty cups looked an awful lot like slag car pots, which got me to thinking if I could scratch-build slag carriers around them, since if it could be done, there'd be enough for a whole mess of them, even in the form of the twin-pot unit in the photo.

The amount of scratchbuilding needed to make just one of them however dissuaded me from such a loony scheme. That and the non-practicality of having that many of these kinds of oddballs lurking about a layout (or even my bare loop) with not even an implied steelmaking infrastructure (and I also have three-packs of both the MTH and Lionel versions).

That leaves me with an impressive teetering stack of the empty cups, awaiting either the motivation to bundle them up for a trip to a recycling bin, or to distribute to someone/s mad enough to experiment with them

---PCJ 

Nev that gantry is amazing.

Thanks Coach Joe.

IT was built out of two HO kits and converted into O scale using Plastruct items.

We had another run on Friday busy time but still managed a couple of photos! 1. Coil train at Rolling Mill. 2. Bruce at Bay Ridge. 3.Big John at Waterside yard. 4.Coil train and limestone trains at Republic Steel. %. This is an interesting phopto shows the variety of trains involved in a Steel Mill this was not staged taken during the session. It shows a Covered hoppers returning from Slag recycling with a load of pellets, Slab train on the way to the rolling mill, Ore cars on the way to the High Line at Republic Steel and finally a loaded coil train Stabled at Republic Steel waiting to be moved to the rest of the world through Bay Ridge It gets busy at times that's what we enjoy, we love it. 

I meant to post this photo, taken today, to show the tracks in the last photo of the previous post.

It might help to understand why it gets so busy you can always look back at the track plan as well.

Funny enough this photo is also interesting as it shows two "Pup" scrap gondolas waiting to be picked up at the Rolling Mill and the unfinished Slag processing plant with Side dump hoppers at the unloading plant on the left.

Getting back to the above photos this photo shows all those tracks now empty waiting for the next session. Thanks Roo.

Nev how high off the ground is your layout table-top?

Coach Joe. To answer your question the layout is 48inches or 1220mm high. Thanks Roo.

Hi Everyone.

I have never been a person that has believed in "self praise" as everything I've done in my life has been the hard way what with little education and my parents passing at a young age but last Friday or yesterday I had a very well known modeller and railway person in (West Aust) drop in to look at the layout he ended up running Bay Ridge and Valley Forge as Bruce was missing that day leaving only Big John and myself running the layout, so the extra operator was just what we needed, anyway the visitor's comment after five hours of running was and I quote "It runs like a Swiss watch" Thank you Simon.

OK that's over with no more pats on the back. Here are a couple of photos taken this morning did not have time during the session yesterday for photos the last photo is the new Bay Ridge control panel ready to be wired I picked it up from the engravers during the week. thanks. Roo.

Good for you, Roo !

Great comparison shot of the Bay Ridge control panels.  Makes it easy to see the changes.

ROO,

You've done a great job capturing the look and feel of a Steel Mill.    I've worked at Ford's Rouge Steel Mill as the Operation/Equipment Maintenance Foreman both at the Slabbing and Hot Strip Mill.  There are a few things that can increase the believability of your Mill complex:  

1. At a real steel mill every square inch of the place is heavily covered in soot, oil and dirt!
2. The buildings are heavily soot covered.  The color will be a rusty dark orange.  (In real life when the plant released these emissions on a weekly basis, it would fallout onto your car.  If you didn't wash your car within a timely manner and with a brush, this stuff would eat away at your cars paint and pit the metal surface!)  
3. There will be many gondolas and cars of various types being beat-up and sagging pulling and carrying stuff around.
4. The steel mill employees will be wearing the green fire-resistant pants and Jacket and be very dirty from the grim that they been working in all day.  
5. The foremen have a dark blue uniform but not fire resistant.
6. Everyone needs to be wearing a helmet, but the Salaried Employees helmets will be typically white and the hourly yellow.
7. The track in many places will be bent and misshapen and barely within gauge.
8. Crossties will never look new but will vary in condition from bad to worse to missing!
9. Very high heat needs to be pouring out of some areas of the layout where the steel making operations are occurring.
10. Nary a plant grows on the property with the exception of a weed here and there.
11.  Loud noise from sirens, horns, bells on equipment that is moving around.
12.  Broken pieces of equipment, iron bars, bolts, nuts, steel rods, crushed rusty barrels, rope, etc strewn in odd places or in piles or along the track or against a building.  Just anywhere.  Make as untidy as possible.  But make the article look as useless as possible, as anything on the ground or within the building that is in good shape left unguarded will be stolen!
13.  Beat-up rusty dirt laden cars in the employee parking lot as you would be crazy to drive anything but one there.

Hope this helps!  

Kazar, your description reminds me of being there. It's tuff to write things without sounding like your criticizing his work. I do remember the overall look being like you describe. I got dirty just delivering parts there.

 I think that it was a very dirty era at these places that when totally captured on a model, can look very monochrome.

Engineer-Joe posted:

Kazar, your description reminds me of being there. It's tuff to write things without sounding like your criticizing his work. I do remember the overall look being like you describe. I got dirty just delivering parts there.

 I think that it was a very dirty era at these places that when totally captured on a model, can look very monochrome.

Engineer Joe,

You are so right, my intent was NOT to coitize ROO's work as he's done a marvelous job capturing the various operations. 

Instead I was more or less poking fun at what the real deal is all about.

I forgot to add in my initial list the mill needs to STINK like a bunch of rotten eggs as the plants emissions were horrific at times.  

I was thinking about the steam era and the steel mills back then. It must have been real bad with the addition of the soot from the steamers.

Hi Everyone.  Thanks for your contributions Ron, Coach Joe, Engineer Joe and Kazar.

Kazar, you have some interesting suggestions and I will eventually use them, as you might have observed we run the layout every Friday and I try to do some work on it every week I realise the Mill needs lots of weathering and am looking forward to that phase of the construction trying to find the time is one of the problems I have other interests and a large family but I will get there and I do appreciate you taking the time as well as the other members to contribute to the thread I've never regretted changing the layout to a Steel Mill it's been a challenge to say the least which is why I call it "The last Great Project" ! Thanks Roo. 

Hi Everyone.

We had our weekly operating session today (Wednesday) instead of Friday due to other commitments. We tried a new system not sure if I liked it, anyway I have two weeks to consider it as the other two blokes Big John and Bruce won't be around I'll still be home till next month when I have a walk planned in the middle of winter rain and cold but that's the way things happen at least a positive thought no snakes or other walkers around!

Here are the only photos I snapped yesterday one shows an Ore train entering Republic Steel yard while an empty ore is sitting waiting, the coil train is loaded and ready also,the second photo shows lots of engines one for the Hot Metal, one for slag, one does the switching on the High line and the EL is waiting to match up to the Coil train soon bound for Bay Ridge. Lots of action the way we like it. Take care. Roo.

Roo,

I really look forward to your posts and I like the clean look of the mill. I've also toured steel mills and true they are filthy and noxious. However your plant allows one to appreciate the railroad and its operations.  IMHO, weathered, it would all fade into a continuous mound of rust and crud.

Keep up the great work.

Ron H

Thanks Ron but sooner or later I am going to weather things but not to severe.

Now to another project I have had in my mind for a while... expanding the Rolling mill. (The Bayridge rebuild is held up waiting for some special trackwork from England) still two weeks away. 

The Rolling Mill expansion does not require any baseboards and not a lot of extra track just a large building that you can see into and the trackwork set into concrete it's actually where the coils will be loaded so if your interested sit back and watch the transformation. The first photo will be what it looked liked then after that all the photos will be about changing the area the crane is gone and one siding moved over to fit under the roof.

Now before you say "but, but". where are all the details going to go if the shed is full of paved track. Easy answer is seeing I have to pave the track why not add another one just in case in the future it is needed easy to do now while the plaster is still wet! The new track will be covered with details but will still be wired for use in the future. Actually the track work is held up for a couple of days waiting for another turnout seems to be the story of my life ! I have cut the styrene for the building so I can show the progress on that at the present time.

Hope you enjoy looking at it changing as I do building it stay with me.

Thanks Roo.

Update already. Here is the styrene cut ready to glue together I hope this turns out OK, after me going public with it before it's finished!

The building is 42 inches long 18 inches wide it's 10 inches high because I want to run a full length gantry crane inside and maybe outside the interior I hope to detail it that's why the aisle side will be left open.

Thanks Roo.

ROO,

You are doing a great job!  Keep it up and you'll be able to roll your own steel.

Thanks Kazar.

Here is the first stages of the Coil Loading building that's 3mm styrene sheet my favourite for large structures. Thanks Roo.

The progress with the coil loading building is moving along slowly, next up is the gantry crane. I am pleased with the building so far it is all nice and square been doing it in the house on a small bench risky but it's to cold outside in the workshop I'm a wimp!    Roo.

Roo, you work is looking great! I would also bring my projects into the house to work on, but now that I have the train room behind the garage. I don't have that option per the CEO! LOL

Thanks Mike.

I have reached a point with the Coil loading crane where I don't want to go any further YET. I have finished the basic parts including the hook but no paint at the moment.

Today I am replacing a Turnout for once it's easy to get to this turnout is about 25 years old and is giving some trouble in the frog when little four wheelers run across it the SW's have no hesitation but the little critters do so I looked further and found the frog rails which are set in plastic are not always live. It will be ready for this weeks running session in fact it should be finished by tonight. (Tuesday). Anyway here are some photos of the crane.

If you look to the rear of the Coil loading shed across the aisle that's where I'm installing the new Turnout that's the Blooming Mill where ingots are rolled into semi finished shapes for further processing.

Take care. Roo.

Looking good Roo! Is that overhead crane scratch built or is it a kit? Looks great!

Thanks again Mike. Yes that crane is scratch built almost everything else is as well, if I do find a kit suitable for the layout I usually bash it sometimes O Scale scratch building is easier than O scale Kit building just my opinion now if the manufacturers built all the HO kits in O scale I might change my mind!

The photos are of the new turnout installed waiting for the Ballast crew all wired up and working. I removed the Blooming Mill building while I was working there.  Roo.

Everything is back to normal the little "critter" that handles the Ingot train back and forth from the BOF to the Blooming Mill now glides effortlessly across the new turnout on it's four wheels.   Roo.

Looks good Roo, I really like the scratch build idea, cause it makes you use your imagination and is cheaper! LOL

Nice work Nev, and ready for the running session just as you said.  The coil loading facility and the crane are coming along nicely.

Well Friday has come and gone another great day of running trains.

I've moved out of my little area today and taken some photos of the action around Bay Ridge, Waterside, Valley Forge and then back to Republic Steel.

All the photos are new and taken while we were operating the layout nothing was staged for the photos. The bloke facing the camera in one of the photos is Bruce who works with me on the Railroad the other bloke Big John is in another photo with his back to the camera he is a great operator and good friend. The first photo shows Bay Ridge in a temporary mode where we stage trains this will be developed in the near future with othere tracks added and a passenger station.

Roo.

Roo, you and your crew put the FUN into model railroading!

Dan Weinhold

MORE "fun" today about to pour some concrete. Show results tomorrow ! Fingers crossed.   Roo.

Oh man. Now I'm going to need more coil cars. Maybe even somewhere for them to go?

Love the look of the RR. Your switches looked like the Peco ones I had in HO scale. So I had to go look them up. I saw 2 codes of rails for them.

Some "action" photos it's all good "Fun"? More soon otherwise the plaster will need a jackhammer this has only taken an Hour so far. Roo.

Things are moving along smoothly. The plaster is still damp but then it has been raining all the morning and we are in winter time. So far it has been about 100 minutes. The important thing about a job like this is to have everything ready and more throw in anything you think you will need even a couple of good wood chisels you can sharpen them after the panic is over I am showing you some tools I use and after the theatricals there is a photo of where I am at now of course I don't have to mention the feeders that shopukld have been soldered in at the start and of course the track paving has to be painted and the Turnout paved over I wait till the rest is done then take my time for the turnout when I am at a more relaxed state and my Blood pressure is back to normal. This is also the time to smooth over any Gouges or mistakes hopefully there are not many. I have a portable Vac cleaner somewhere amongst the tools I am using that is handy don't let the missus see you using it.  The beanie is not necessary as you are going flat out for an hour and soon warm I just forgot to take it off the heater is not on I don't want the plaster to dry to quick.. Roo.

OK. The track is cleaned and free of plaster the next stage was to place the Coil Loading building over the Plaster or concrete slab to see how it sits.

There is a couple of small High spots detected once these are leveled out and the building sits level the next stage is to carve the ends of the track for the wheel stops and if I feel like it patch a couple of potholes, after that its painting but not right this minute it is still damp maybe tomorrow morning. The whole thing has taken about three hours apart from the turnout. I know there are other ways of paving track and I have tried them all over the years but I still come back to the old Plaster of Paris hard to teach an old dog new tricks I guess or maybe this is just the best way! Ha Ha. Good job for a wet Sunday. Roo.

Great work Roo. Working with plaster is stressful no doubt. Just trying to get the mix right before it sets is enough in itself.

Looking forward to the finished product.

Bob

Roo, great work with the plaster. looks really nice.

-Tom

Roo, the paving looks great! You look like you might be having a little to much fun playing in the mud, but that's ok. Having fun is what its all about!

Can't wait to see the next post.

Roo,

You did such a nice plaster job, you should go into that business!

My mother's Godfather was a professional plasterer and his work was outstanding. 

He made a very good living at it.
I believe you should contract out as I'm sure the boy's here could use your talents! 

Kazar, I don't think so It's not a job I like doing but the results are nice.

Photo Caption. "I guess the trolley is a bit small"

More photos soon, have to prepare the layout for Thursday 's running session Friday is out this week no power all day, go for a drive in the hills.

Thanks guys. Roo.

I don't work on the Railroad layout all the time there are other things I do.

When the termites got into my shed and timber including all my treasured jigs dating back 35 years I tossed the lot down the dump I cried that day and had the Termite man spray and treat everything including the house, workshop, shed, everything, took him a full day after that crisis I don't keep any timber at home except the odd piece if I need to build something I buy what I need on the day before the project. Today I rebuilt one of my jigs out of scrap pieces it's for industrial stairways it makes me happy to see this again this time I will keep it in a safe termite free place. Great hobby if you can get through these things without falling down! . Roo.

Nice looking Jig Roo! I need to make some someday, now I know where to look for ideas!

Thanks Mike.

When the time comes I can give you the size's of the stairs I use and how to cut the plastic floors. Your welcome mate. Roo.

I gave the workshop a "shake over". Roo.

Hi Everyone.

Today we had another great operations day here are some photos and even one of the "Boss studying the train orders looking a bit confused Ha Ha !

The layout has been operating for many years now in different themes the railroad track plan has changed during this time but not the actual baseboard space one day I will try and trace a timeline and see how old the layout actually is, there is still some original track on the present layout we have certainly had our money's worth over the years and expect a few more years yet. never had plans to rip it all out and sit around playing snakes and ladders for the rest of my life! All the photos you see here were taken today during the session. The last photo is looking down on the BOF (Basic Oxygen Furnace) The staging area where that Skinny bloke is (Bruce) is not yet finished will be soon. It's not a prize winning layout but is very reliable it's very rare excluding operator's mistakes do we have any problems.  Roo.

Roo, looking good. 

Dan Weinhold

Thanks Dan.

I'm making some signs up at the moment we have to advertise our product!  Roo.

That is very impressive Roo, I love those massive structures.

Roo, really nice signage. 

-Tom

I like it!

 I found this old pic of the plant in Buffalo

Thank you Brother love Tom, Joe and thanks for the photo Joe I like the Republic Steel Font I had a similar Font on My Control Panels once. That photo gives me an idea to build a gate and office like that I have the perfect place. Roo.

I have painted the signs and the "EVA" sign I am working on is for the Blast Furnace named after one of my Grand daughters who is quite volatile sometimes ! 

The large Republic Steel sign is for the roof of the Rolling Mill Roo.

Roo posted:

I have painted the signs and the "EVA" sign I am working on is for the Blast Furnace named after one of my Grand daughters who is quite volatile sometimes ! 

The large Republic Steel sign is for the roof of the Rolling Mill Roo.

Roo, if I missed the reason why sorry, but why did you choose Republic Steel?

Ron

Hi,

Came across your blog by accident (am modelling the Newcastle Steel Mill (Australia)) and love your work. Mine unfortunately is humble HO scale (hope I wont be booted off the site!) but love what you are doing, and would love to see it in person some time.

Photo of my mill attached for interest

Cheers

Beautiful work.

Dick

I placed the large (2,1/2 inch letters) or 65mm Republic Steel sign on the roof of the rolling mill to see what it looked like I like it. Roo.

Gary.

Do you live in WA or NSW?

If you live in Perth or visit from the east you are welcome to drop in and have a look I'll even give you a train to run. It is O scale so don't expect anything like you HO blokes can build I have severe space limitations. Let me know. Roo.

PRRronbh posted:

Roo posted:

I have painted the signs and the "EVA" sign I am working on is for the Blast Furnace named after one of my Grand daughters who is quite volatile sometimes ! 

The large Republic Steel sign is for the roof of the Rolling Mill Roo.

Roo, if I missed the reason why sorry, but why did you choose Republic Steel?

Ron

Ron.

It's got nothing to do with the original Republic Steel or American politics! I just like the word "Republic" I think it sounds like a good American word. I've modelled American Railroads for almost 50 years and when I decided to build a Steel mill I thought Republic Steel sounded better than the other Steel mill names or a fictitious name that I could have thought up myself.

Being a Ford man all my life I should have gone for Ford or River Rouge Steel but no I liked Republic that's the reason I chose it. Roo.

Roo posted:

Gary.

Do you live in WA or NSW?

If you live in Perth or visit from the east you are welcome to drop in and have a look I'll even give you a train to run. It is O scale so don't expect anything like you HO blokes can build I have severe space limitations. Let me know. Roo.

Hi Roo,

Thanks for getting back so quickly. Unfortunately I live in NSW (Southern Highlands)- long way from Perth! In fact I haven't been there for quite a few years, though used to go there often about 15 years ago for work. But hopefully will visit again some time in the not too distant future.

You would be most welcome here of course if you are over East at any time. We live in Burradoo, next to Bowral, about 1 1/2 hours (by car) or 2 hours (by train) south of Sydney.

Incidentally, if you are interested in more info on my layout the website is www.newcastle-modelrail.com. There are some articles there, including one on how I model my steelworks. I'm also doing another article at the moment for the US NMRA Steel Mill Modellers Group. So I was excited to see another Aussie modelling a steel mill - as far as I know, there aren't too many who do.

Cheers

Garry

Hi Garry.

There is not many Steel Mill modellers over in West Australia BUT believe it or not there are a couple more in sadly (for me)  HO scale. I am a member of the NMRA steel group only joined a few months ago can you get back copies of their journal ?

Your layout and website is impressive very nice and of course your layout is wonderful, there is a HO section at OGR where you can post, I have only one place on the internet where I post about my Railroad and that's here on the OGR forum so if you want to keep informed on what I get up to look here and the structures threads. In O scale you have to scratch build almost everything for a Steel Mill which is not that hard just time consuming as we run the layout every week so I work in between building and operating and of course keeping the layout in good shape. Take care. Roo. 

Roo posted:

Hi Everyone.

Today we had another great operations day here are some photos and even one of the "Boss studying the train orders looking a bit confused Ha Ha !

The layout has been operating for many years now in different themes the railroad track plan has changed during this time but not the actual baseboard space one day I will try and trace a timeline and see how old the layout actually is, there is still some original track on the present layout we have certainly had our money's worth over the years and expect a few more years yet. never had plans to rip it all out and sit around playing snakes and ladders for the rest of my life! All the photos you see here were taken today during the session. The last photo is looking down on the BOF (Basic Oxygen Furnace) The staging area where that Skinny bloke is (Bruce) is not yet finished will be soon. It's not a prize winning layout but is very reliable it's very rare excluding operator's mistakes do we have any problems.  Roo.

 

 

You are way too modest Roo. You have a beautiful layout! One of the best on the Forum IMHO.

It's too bad you decided to build it in the middle of the Pacific Ocean though. Many of us would love to see it in person I'm sure.

Bob

Bob. Thank you very much for those very kind words. Roo.

Roo posted:

,

Roo,

These overviews of the layout clearly show how impressive it is.

MELGAR

Roo posted:

Gary.

Do you live in WA or NSW?

If you live in Perth or visit from the east you are welcome to drop in and have a look I'll even give you a train to run. It is O scale so don't expect anything like you HO blokes can build I have severe space limitations. Let me know. Roo.

Hi Roo,

Thanks for that - will let you know if I plan to head over to Perth. Incidentally, would also like to contact the HO steel mill modellers in Perth you mentioned - do you have their email addresses? -  and also I wonder if you might send me your email address, as I come across material from time to time which might be of interest to your steel mill modelling efforts, which I could notify you about, such as the "Muster Point" site for the BHP Steelworks in Newcastle, on which are now posted hundreds of excellent photos of the plant by people who worked there, and which are invaluable for modelling purposes. 

Not sure how you could get back copies of the Steel Mill Modellers Group Journal "The Mill" from the US, but you could try contacting the editor, Don Dunn, don_csx@hotmail.com.  Cheers Garry

Hi Gary, and anyone else, apart from here (OGR Forum) and my personal email it's the only place you can contact me not being rude and I welcome messages but don't always expect a quick reply, I'm busy building, I come on here when I'm waiting for glue to dry!

Contact me on neville-1234@bigpond.com 

Roo.

Hi Everyone.

I have just spent the afternoon making up some trucks for a 16 wheeler K-Line flatcar. I used MTH trucks with metal Weaver wheelsets talk about a combination! The Weaver wheelsets I was ready to scrap they were in the Weaver truck frames and it's almost impossible to get them out they are riveted then the idea came that I could use them in the MTH frames so I junked the Weaver frames used the wheelsets but first I had to re guage every set they just won't run through my finer scale Marcway frog turnouts without "bumping" now they do very smooth, a horrible fiddly job but they work fine now I could have used Intermountain wheelsets but thought no I'll try and use the Weaver first and save some dollars. Of course the K-Line flatty hasn't arrived yet, next week it's in Singapore at the moment next stop Perth.

And the other job today was to put up some signs.

Roo.

Roo the signs came out exceptionally well.  Can't wait to see the 16 wheel flat when it's done

Roo, things sure are looks good at the mill! I also cant wait to see the 16 wheel flat car~!