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Ore and Steel

PDF package contents

Better Late Than Never Taconite West, Coal EastBy Richard Sanders Allen By Mark W. HemphillPages 40-49, January 1959 Cover, pages 36-47, March 1995

Q. Whos the No. 2 Ore Hauler? A. Pennsy! Steel SurvivorBy Bert Pennypacker By Paul D. SchneiderPages 34-41, September 1962 Pages 68-72, March 2001

On DM&IR, 4 Cars = 1 Car Steel and Railroads: Partners By David P. Morgan No More?Pages 12-13, February 1976 By Bill Stephens Pages 60-69, November 2002Weirtons Employee-owned AlcosBy Kevin N. Tomasic Map of the Month: Steel Mills of Pages 50-53, October 1985 the U.S. and Canada By Robert WegnerThe Hidden Treasures of Fairless Works Pages 70-71, November 2002By John M. PetkoPages 46-52, July 1989 Rio Grande Commodities By Mark W. HemphillStrong as Steel Pages 26-37, August 2004By Steve GlischinskiPages 62-70, November 1992

Il

THANBY RICHARD SANDERS ALLEN

Delaware & Hudson affords a classic corporateexample of the psychologist's eternal question: heredity or environment which is more important?

LN the early morning hours,Monday through Friday, three longblack Alco road-switchers hoot forthe Church Street crossing in SaratogaSprings, N. Y., and nose their waygingerly down Walworth Street to theyards. Behind them come trundling100 or more black hoppers, all stenciled DELAWARE & Hudson in big, boldletters on the somber paint. The content of these hoppers is black too, butthis is no funeral procession. Each caris loaded with one of three types ofore: fine gritty dust; coal-gray concentrate; or warm steaming chunksall on the way to American industrialplants.The sleepy milkman who waits at

the crossing for the freight wouldnever think that some of this blackstuff might end up in the fenders ofhis next truck, or that the gritty blackdust could be reduced to a pigmentthat would give the paint of his cab itssanitary white appearance.Titanium deposits, a national re

source found in the heart of the mountains of New York's northern wilderness, have given a dying branch linea new lease on life. For the black

40 January 1959 2011 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. www.TrainsMag.com

train jolting by in the headlight gleamis the Delaware & Hudson's "Adirondack Local," the nightly ore train fromNorth Creek to Saratoga Springs. Howit came to be one of the mainstays ofDelaware & Hudson freight businessis a story of sudden success after acentury of great expectations, tragedy,failures and unfulfilled hopes.

The element titanium was scarcely known 100 years ago. Iron wassomething else again, a commodity tobe searched for and exploited. Therewas ore in the Taconic and the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts and Con

necticut, but it was low-grade stuffand the ironmasters were constantlyon the prowl for new sources of betterore. The great wilderness tracts ofNew York State's Adirondack Mountains seemed a good possibility, and afew small beds were opened up alongthe rivers which flow into LakeChamplain.In the fall of 1826, three Scotsmen

were running a small furnace at NorthElba, N. Y., which because of inferioriron was about to go out of business.One morning an Indian, Lewis Elija,showed them a sizable chunk of orewhich had all the earmarks of some

thing good. For "a dollar and a halfand 'bacco" he took the Scots upthrough a pass in the mountains to aplace where the infant Hudson Riverran over a vein of nearly pure iron almost 50 feet wide. An ore bed of thisenormous size was enough to staggerthe imagination of the ironmasters.They lit out in a hurry for the statecapital in order to file claim for whatothers supposed to be only cheaptimberland.

What became of Elija, the Indiandiscoverer, is unrecorded, but theothers banded together to get the tractsurveyed and purchased. When thegreat find was announced, the promoters were able to attract somefinancial and political aid and commenced clearing the land to establishtwo settlements in the mountain wilderness. Ten years dragged by beforethings were in readiness to form acompany for making iron from thefabulous ore bed. A million-dollarconcern, it was called the AdirondacIron & Steel Company and was headedby old Archibald Mclntyre, an ex-state comptroller and a hard-headedbusinessman. Mclntyre was aided byhis young, ambitious son-in-law,handsome David Henderson, who hadbeen a member of the original partyof discovery.Mclntyre and Henderson had the

ore, the furnace, the limestone, thecharcoal and all the rest of the plantthat goes to make iron, including adequate manpower. Their problem was,How do we get the iron out? A railroad was the obvious answer. At first

they thought of tapping the Montrealmarket to the north, but the "stupendous rocks" towering some 1300 feetabove Indian Pass were an insurmountable barrier. The next best betwas to the east where a crude roadstretched over the mountains to CedarPoint on Lake Champlain. Here theiron could be loaded into canal boatsand shipped to Troy or down theHudson to the Big City. The two enterprising Scots formed a little company, the original Adirondack Railroad, in 1839. The idea was to connecttheir furnace with at least the "State

Road" running south to Glens Falls,and perhaps even to extend it to aloading pier on Champlain. Built ofwooden rails on a porous berm across

swampy land, it never got beyond theEast (or Opalescent) River, a scant 3miles from the Mclntyre Iron Works.Vestiges of the roadbed can still befound in the woods, but it is doubtfulif the little line ever carried a horse-drawn ore cart, since it simply led tonowhere.A railroad out to the south was more

feasible, and other promoters as wellas the Mclntyre interests looked nowto this possibility. There was theSackets Harbor & Saratoga RailroadCompany, whose idea was to bisectthe mountains with a 182-mile line

connecting Saratoga Springs withnavigation on Lake Ontario to thenorthwest. Like with most of the

proposed railroads of the times, it tookseveral years to get this project underway.

Meanwhile, energetic David Henderson, leading spirit of the Mclntyrelion Works, was accidentally shot andkilled when he laid his pistol down ona rock in the woods. (The spot todaystill bears the name Calamity Pond.)This was a severe blow to the com

pany, and it suffered thereafter fromlack of purposeful leadership. Theproprietors continued to make fineiron, shipping it out expensively insmall amounts by horse-drawn cartsover the awful roads.Charcoal iron was excellent for

making kettles, iron tools, chains andbars, not to mention railroad carwheels. But when the AdirondacCompany set up a plant at Jersey Cityto make steel it ran into trouble. It

THE New York State Conservation Act states that the Adirondack Forest Preserve

"shall remain forever wild." Three howling Delaware & Hudson Alco diesel road-switchersrolling a lengthy line of hoppers bring a modern aspect to the Boreas River Canyon.

ALCOS twist up a stiff grade in BoreasRiver Canyon with 90 empties and

3 loads. Speed: 3 miles an hour.

Trains 41

had for years been given a faultyanalysis and now discovered that itsiron ore contained as much as 10 percent of "worthless, troublesome" titanium. This did not prevent thecompany from making some of thefirst American steel, and the prospectsof both plants were looking up. if "thatpesky railroad would hurry up and getbuilt!"Actual work was begun on the

Sackets Harbor project in 1854, andsome 30 miles of disconnected sectionswere graded that year. At Mclntyre,the proprietors rubbed their hands inanticipation of seeing iron bars fromtheir land-locked little industrial em

pire flowing cheaply on iron rails tothe markets of the world.But it was not to be. The SH&S got

into financial straits, and a second,third and fourth company were alsodismal failures. Work stopped at theiron mines, and for years the abandoned settlement of Adirondac, orMclntyre, was looked upon as aneastern ghost town.

D uring the Civil War, another attempt was made to reach the ironworks with a railroad. And this onealmost made it. In 1863, a new Adirondack Company was formed by NewYork City financiers. A bit cautious,they first obtained a franchise to buildonly the initial stretch an even 60miles north of Saratoga Springs.Luckily, the possibilities of the linecaught the eye of Dr. Thomas C. Du-i ant, a railroad promoter and contractor who will always be remembered asthe driving force that pushed theUnion Pacific Railroad through tocompletion.Durant, a medical college graduate

who put new life into sick railroadsinstead of ailing individuals, was ablunt, hard-to-know man with mustache, goatee and Buffalo Bill haircut.He had made a fortune on UP contracts and he took some of it to pumpnew financial blood into the shakyAdirondack Railway project. Duringfrequent visits East, he personallysupervised much of the grading andtrack-laying, so that 25 miles wereoperating in 1865.The first train on December 1 of that

year was drawn by the Adirondack'sNo. 1, an eight-wheeler named afterthe hero of the Battle of Gettysburg,Major General Hancock. The run wentonly from Saratoga Springs to WolfCreek, a little above Hadley village,but it included several rock cuts, muchfill, and a big wooden deck bridgesome 96 feet above the cedar-stained

Sacandaga River. Year after year Dr.Durant inched his little pet line up theHudson River, nearer and nearer tothe great vein of iron, now half

forgotten. He still retained the vice-presidency ot the Union Pacific andwas present at the famous golden-spike-driving ceremony at Promontory, Utah, in 1869. (Both he andLeland Stanford missed their blowson the last spike.) But more and morethe Doctor felt the spell of the NorthWoods and he turned his attention ex

clusively to the 60-mile wildernessrailroad he had fostered.By 1871, the rails were in North

Creek a hamlet favored by HudsonRiver log -drivers which Durantproceeded to monopolize. The Doctor(nobody would ever have dreamed ofaddressing him as "Doc") built on aknoll just off the main street a finemansion which still stands today. Hepersonally owned the depot, freight -house and turntable, and plot maps ofthe period show the majority of property marked "Dr. T.C.D."The Adirondack Company's 60-mile

franchise took the track-layers to apoint nearly 3 miles beyond NorthCreek. To fulfill the stipulations, onepassenger train was run to the end oftrack, and a few flats of lumber wereloaded there. Durant never lost sightof the possible extension and enteredinto negotiations with the Mclntyreinterests to purchase the entire ironproperty. Again fate intervened. Themoney panic of 1873 took a big bite outof Dr. Durant's fortune, and with itwent hopes of building a railroad on tothe mines. He pulled up the track atthe stub end of his line and for 70years the rails reached only to NorthCreek. Six million dollars had beenspent to get it that far.

Jo. oping to gain something out ofhis dead-end road, Durant lookedabout for another reason to justify itsexistence and discovered the GreatAmerican Summer Vacationer. As

early as 1837 ill-fated David Henderson of the iron works had foreseenthat "were a railroad to be built," thescenery and restful life of the mountains had the makings of a fashionablesummer resort. The beautiful coolclimate of the Great North Woods washealthy in summer and the huntingand fishing were unexcelled. As receiver of the bankrupt AdirondackCompany, Dr. Durant turned all hisefforts to promoting the summer vacation traffic, particularly out of NewYork City. He paid to improve thestage road to Blue Mountain Lake andhe had an interest in the launcheswhich operated on it and on nearbyRaquette Lake.Wagner Palace cars were run on the

Adirondack direct from New York,with the sleepers arriving early in themorning at North Creek. Most of theday was spent on a jolting "special

BEING A BRAKEMAN is no picnic in thiscountry in winter. At Maclntyre Development D&H crews spot cars for ore loading.

covered spring buckboard," followingsteep roads to the resort hotels in themidst of the mountains. At the round-trip excursion fare of $18.25, thousandsof New Yorkers made the combinedrailroad-stage-steamboat trip toRaquette Lake each summer. In addition to the presence of the hotels,the building of hundreds of summercottages and children's camps in themountains made for the Adirondack apassenger trade which has lasted 85summers. The winters were devotedto carrying out lumber, paper, tannedhides and tanbark, and to keepingNorth Country coal bins full.A traveler of this period boarded a

wooden coach at the AdirondackCompany's ornate depot and office onCongress Street in Saratoga Springs.An eight-wheeler (more than likelythe T. C. Durant) rolled the trainalong Walworth Street to the edge oftown, where it started the long, winding pull up the grade to the height ofland south of Jessup's Landing (nowCorinth). Beyond, the beautiful valley of the Upper Hudson River openedup, with the little train hugging thewest bank for the rest of the journey.Sawmills, paper mills and tannerieswere all going full blast along theHudson and its tributary streams.There was a fine resort hotel at The

Glen, and Riverside beyond was thejumping-off place for all the summerdelights of Big Schroon Lake. A longbend to the west brought the vacationer steaming into the terminus atNorth Creek, with the prospect of adelicious dinner at Eldridge's NorthRiver Hotel.

Passenger traffic was heavy during

42 January 1959

AN EMPTY CAR is moved into positionfor loading ilmenite. This operationis usually performed by a cable and winch.

WITH THE ROAR of a rocket beinglaunched, 20 tons of processed ore cascadesinto the waiting car at the sintering plant.

the summer, with as many as four fullroad trips on the timecard. Therewere numerous excursion trains, andoften the gilded private car of a WallStreet bigwig was attached to the rearof a local.When Dr. Durant lay ill a special

train brought his son to the dyingfinancier's bedside in North Creek.Engineer Frank Myers took a nearlynew Schenectady 4-4-0 (thought to bethe Utowanna) the 57 miles up theline in just 54 minutes! This trip,made on October 5, 1885, was thefastest recorded on the length of theAdirondack Railroad and has neverbeen equaled. Engineer Myers allowedthat this was one time he ran his locomotive at more than the half-throttlenotch, the usual procedure with passenger trains on this curving stretch ofroadbed.Before his death, Durant, a never-

give-up promoter, had begun to havehopes again of reaching the iron minesand he had reorganized his road witha projected 125-mile extension toOgdensburg. For a while, the tantalizing prize had seemed within hisreach. There had been a lot of excitement over a possible purchase byBoston interests and a hookup withthe Boston, Hoosac Tunnel & WesternRailroad, which had penetrated thestate as far as Saratoga Springs. Theboys from the Hub could envision a"grand independent line" to bring Canadian and Great Lakes traffic pouring

Sanford |Lake bo .30VI

/2 ft.

Lengths and weights above areaverages. In 1960, 1000 G-38-class jennies were built; a year later, another1000 were added to the fleet thesehave higher sides and are classifiedG-39's. Higher sides were desired tohandle finer grades of ore which has atendency to blow out of cars with aresulting weight loss. The jennies werebuilt at Pennsy 's own Samuel Reacar shops in Hollidaysburg, Pa., a fewmiles south of Altoona. They are con-structed of low-alloy, high-tensileCor-ten steel, and have flat bottomswith no openings.

Parker Stuart, in relating the suc-cess story of Pennsy's booming oreimport traffic, recalled that back in1952 the entire multimillion-dollar

expenditure for the Philly pier was agamble with future events. The railroad paid out the money and built it-self an ore pier without being surethere would be any use for it; and yet,there were men who had enough faithin the future to go ahead with the

project. Steel companies were devel-oping foreign ore sources, but thesewere costly and slow. The actualfuture import volume was in doubt.Furthermore, PRR had no ore ratesfrom Philadelphia; even if ore volumematured, the railroad had to get a

rate approval from the I.C.C. beforeit could load a ton. Well, the importsmatured and PRR got its rate but notwithout a fight. Baltimore & Ohio andWestern Maryland, wishing to preserve their Baltimore ore import business with no competition elsewhere,fought Pennsy every step of the way.Even though PRR is secure todaywith Supreme Court and I.C.C. stampsof approval, the case remains in courton appeal. Not only did Pennsy getits Philly rate, but the Baltimore rateswere 20 cents per ton cheaper, so theI.C.C. evened them up to give the twoports the same rate.The April 1952 closing of historie

Broad Street Station located in down-town Philadelphia aided in construc-tion of the new ore pier at GreenwichPoint, South Philadelphia. Much ofthe brick and stone from the station

building and unsightly Chinese Wallwas hauled to South Philly anddumped into the Delaware River tomake a solid pier foundation. Thesummer of 1954 saw the new pier'sopening. It was originally equippedwith one ore unloading machine, butspace had been provided for additionalmachinery, and by the end of 1956four unloaders were in operation. OnAugust 5, 1954, the freighter S.S.Hawaiian steamed up the Delaware

River, docked at the new 850-foot-long pier, and began unloading thefirst cargo of imported ore 20,000tons from Seven Islands, Labrador. Anumber of distinguished industrial andGovernment officials were on hand tocelebrate a double oceasion of the

pier's dedication and its first importcargo. Pennsy President James M.Symes was there, as were the mayorof Philadelphia and Pennsylvania'sgovernor. Two days later, that orearrived in Weirton, W. Va.; the firsttrainload was hauled by four-unitBaldwin sharknose freighter No. 9706.George Johnson, the ore pier super-intendent, recalled the first Labradorore shipments with a wry grin on hisface. "The pier was brand new and wewere expected to make a good show-ing, but that ore, when taken out ofthe ground in Labrador, had beenfrozen solid for over three thousandyears with permafrost. By the timeit got to us, after a five-day boat trip,it had the tough, sticky consistency ofgooey molasses and stuck to everything. What a mess!" Top speed wasdesired on initial Labrador shipments;this was a race against time and Moth-er Nature, to get frozen ore as far aspossible before it thawed to a completely unmanageable state. OnceLabrador miners dug through the permafrost layer near ground levei,everything was A-O.K.Superintendent Johnson reflected

briefly upon his pier's operations since

Trains 37

E*

TO

7o

, MW

Jim Shaughnessy.

NOTCH-NOSE Alo DL-600's crest the Alleghenies at Gallitzin, Pa., as the 2400 h.p. C-C'srev under a position-light signal bridge with ore hoppers behind them. Versatilehoods have also performed to good advantage for Pennsy as passenger helpers in the rea.

ground -stored; they are less suscep-tible to freezing in winter. Pennsycharges 1M cents per ton per monthfor ground storage. Another extraservice available at South Philly isan ore-screening plant which classi-fies the stuff by grades. Most foreignore isn't processed in any way, it'smerely mined and dumped aboardships. This is the only screening plantin operation at any import pier.West of the roaring machinery and

flying dust on the wave-washed orepier, South Philadelphia Yards sprawlout over a wide rea. There are 237tracks with a total mileage of 91.8.Yard space set aside for ore traffic

includes 63 tracks totaling 25V4 miles.Naturally, ore is just one part of theSouth Philly scene; there's a coal pieralongside the ore pier, and consider-able merchandise, industrial products,export-import, and produce traffic ishandled. During World War II, theyards were greatly enlarged, withmuch of the ground fill coming fromship ballast. This led to its beingcalled "Burma Road Yard." The

engine terminal, which formerlyserviced dozens of steam engines, nowplays host to a wide variety of dieseland electric power. The electric service tracks are usually well filled withE-44's, GG-1's, P-5a's, and the vari-

WsSmLHerbert Hanrood Jr.

BALDWIN shark-noses grossing 6400 h.p. thread through crossovers while working upgrade from lakefront ore docks in Cleveland on an ore train. In the rear a Bangor &Aroostook Geep on loan during BAB's summer lull shuffles up freshly shopped hoppers.

ous experimental models. There arediesel road units, many switchers(mostly Baldwins), and two kinds ofunits which are rare the Baldwin

centipede BH-50 class and the Baldwin 2400 h.p. double hood units."Ore extra, Enola, three-thirty p.m."

These telephoned words, spoken bya crew dispatcher, are quite familiarto train and engine crews workingout of South Philadelphia. Westboundore jobs are usually assigned a trio ofelectrics, with an occasional three- orfour-unit diesel showing up. Bethlehem ore trains get three diesel unitsto run through over the nonelectrifiedBelvidere Branch north of Trenton.These trains go on Pennsy rails toPhillipsburg, N. J., where they're in-terchanged to Lehigh Valley. At Enolaor Harrisburg, westbounders get diesels. At times when there are a num-ber of westbound dispatches leavingSouth Philly in close succession, theengines are very often needed backeast in a hurry, so it's not uncommonto see six electrics running light,eastbound from Harrisburg /Enola. Anaverage ore consist is 80 to 90 cars,although it sometimes gets higher,especially if the new E-44's are assigned to lock coupler knuckles withthe jennies. Incidentally, PRR mensay the E-44's are doing a fine jobhauling ali types of freights. Ore-traintonnages are not especially high, inview of far heavier mineral traintonnages on some railroads. However,it must be remembered that Pennsywestbound ore jobs move uphillagainst the unfavorable grades, andthe railroad's operating policy has al-ways been to keep its very busy mainlines fluid by running ali trains at asteady pace. Helpers are also used atcertain points, and the ore trainsusually roll along at 30 to 40 mph.An unusual experience occurs whilewatching a train of very short (27,2-foot) jennies roll by. The train mightbe making 40 mph, but the machine-gun rapidity of wheel clicks makes itsound as though it's doing 90! Belowis an example of ore trains dispatchedfrom South Philadelphia November7, 1961:Crewcalled2:30A7:00A3:30P5:30P

10:30P

Engines Class Cars87908785

Ton.8420899086167941

4858/4828/4840 GG-14724/4719/4762 P-5a4830/4855/4852 GG-14755/4741/4770 P-5a4401/4400/4414 E-44 112 10784

Notice that the trio of E-44's wasgiven more tonnage. These trains aliwent to the U. S. Steel plant at Sax-onburg, Pa., about 10 miles south ofButler, and just north of Pittsburgh.The Pennsy routing is via direct mainline to either SG or JD (ConpittJunction) interlocking just west ofJohnstown, then over the old Cone-maugh Division freight line to ButlerJunction, over the Butler Branch to

Trains 39

DIFFERENCE specialized design makes is illustrated by standard all-purpose H-39A hopper (top) and G-39 ore jenny, both rated at 70 tons capacity. The jenny is only 27% feet

long, costs $9000 whereas the hopper is 41 feet and costs $10,000. Of course, the jennyis restricted to service to terminais equipped with rotary dumpers for unloading.

an interchange with Bessemer & LakeErie, which delivers ore trains to Sax-onburg. Interestingly enough, emptiesdo not return by the full load route.They make a circle of sorts coming toPRR's Pitcairn yard on the main line15 miles east of Pittsburgh, a big trainmake-up point for the rea. FromPitcairn, they are either sent back toPhiladelphia empty, or, if they're coalhoppers, to the mines if needed.

Let's follow one of those trains outof South Philadelphia on November 7,1961. Ore extra 4858/4828/4840 isleaving with three GG-1's hauling87 cars, 8420 tons. Destination: Sax-

onburg, Pa., 383 miles away. Ore trainsget helpers as far west as Paoli andthis train rates a rumbling BH-50centipede. Two BS-24m units are alsoused as helpers when no BH-50's areavailable. The train moves along theWest Philadelphia high line, passesZoo Tower, and soon bucks upgrade on the hill requiring helpers2.2 miles of 1 per cent near Merion,where three GG-1's are rated at 5100tons westbound. Farther west, near

Coatesville, there is 5.6 miles of 0.58per cent, sometimes requiring a helperout of Thorndale. However, the useof three electric units on many oretrains eliminates this helper. This trainis safely below the tonnage limit bya margin of 280. In Enola Relay Yard,three EF-15* units replace the GG-1's.EMD model F3 or F7.

Diesel power can be three or fourunits in a variety of possible engines

EF-15, BF-16, FF-20,t but probablynot EFS-17mt which is in motivepower pool "A," reserved for long-distance symbol freights. Three EF-15's could roll the 8420-ton train toAltoona with ease; they're rated at8800 tons over the westbound rulinggrade 5 miles of 0.46 per centnear Tyrone. The keystone-emblemedtrain moves along, traversing endlesssweeping curves of the scenic Susquehanna and Juniata river valleys.In East Altoona yards, preparations

are made to boost the ore train overthe Alleghenies; 9.4 miles of ruggedgrades averaging 1.85 per cent areahead. The train is cut in half and a

burbling trio of AS-18am road-switchers is slipped into its center.After the rear section is sandwiched

against the midtrain helpers, anotherAS-18am threesome nestles snuglyagainst the cabin car. Air test, clearblock, and nine units, totaling 15,300horsepower, move easily out of theyards, passing Slope Tower with adeafening roar as the train hits thestiff upgrade resistance. The orerounds Kittanning Point, HorseshoeCurve, and rolls through AlleghenyTunnel at Gallitzin Summit, 2193 feetabove sea levei. These are the heaviesttrains Pennsy has ever put over the

tFM 2000 h.p. passenger unit. used in freight work.tKMD model GP9.IAleo DL-702, model RSD-12.

Big Hill. At one time, BH-50's wereused as helpers, but at this writing,most are out of service and newerAlcos are being used. Gallitzin isthe drop-off point for the rear-endhelpers, and midtrain helpers aretaken out at Cresson.Just west of Johnstown, SG inter-

locking puts the ore extra onto Penn-sy's Conemaugh River freight line,which is the principal Pittsburgh by-pass route for through freights. Kis-kiminetas Junction is the Iast helperpickup point, where a four-unit EF-15waits to boost the train out of the

Allegheny River valley and over the21-mile long Butler Branch to Bessemer & Lake Erie interchange con-nections at Butler. B&LE takes it 10

miles southward to Saxonburg.On its Philadelphia-to-Butler jour-

ney, that 87-car ore train requires 6different locomotives, and a grandtotal of 18 locomotive units quite anassemblage of power for a run of only383 miles. November 7 saw only fiveore trains out of South Philadelphia,and they were run at widely spacedintervals. Many days are busier; oretrains are spaced closely, and littleimagination is needed to realize thegreat motive power requirements.

"Although we have done wonderswith a very efficient import ore hauling operation, continued increases inefficiency are most important, andthe newly proposed high-capacity,bulk commodity train is a step in theright direction." Parker Stuart wasreferring to a new concept in trans-porting single commodities in bulk,by using an integral-unit train withsemipermanent couplings betweencars, having a 25,000-ton capacity, andpowered by diesel units at each endas well as throughout the train.The Eastern Railroad Presidents

Conference announced in June 1961that 35 railroads are sponsoring astudy of the possibilities of buildingsuch a train. The New York consultingengineering firm of Theodore J. Kauf-feld is conducting the probe. Theinitial study will concern itself withcoal traffic, but such trains would alsobe adaptable for hauling ore, stone,grains, crude oil, cement, and sulphur.The trains would be owned by leasingcompanies, such as General AmericanTransportation Company, and wouldoperate at high speed on schedulesallowing rapid loading and unloading.Increased efficiency is expected to pro-duce substantial rate cuts.Stuart explained further: "Of

course Pennsylvania is among thesponsoring railroads, and althoughthe whole idea definitely holds goodpromise for the future, right now, atthis early stage of the game, it's justa big dream." The new method of

40 September 1962

HOT, freshly minted taconite pellets steam inBiwabik-Two Harbors (Minn.) miniquad train.

0nDM&IR,4cars=1carDAVID P. MORGAN

photographs / HAROLD A. EDMONSON

I TWO WINTERS AGO a railroad not given to immodest claims told its employees that it might have

"the train of the future" made up of "the most sophisticated railroad cars in America." Duluth, Missabe & IronRange was so impressed with its train of tomorrow thatit assembled six of them, each 124 cars long. If you sawone moving across northern Minnesota on the MesabiRange, you would not be impressed. Imagine a trio ofnot-so-new SD18's leading a consist of stubby ore hoppercars built more than 20 years ago and a modern wide-vision-cupola caboose. You don't spot a roller-bearingjournal between power and markers; only occasionalflashes of orange end posts on the cars differentiatethem from those on DM&IR trains of 2-8-8-4 times. Thistrain is futuristic? This train is sophisticated?Yes. Because this train carrying 10,300 short (2000-

pound) tons of pelletized ore in 124 cars rolls year-round,even if the temperature falls to 45 degrees below zero.Because this train never stops to allow retainers to beset up or released [page 50, October 1975 Trains] eventhough it must descend 1000 vertical feet at the end ofits loaded journey on gradients as steep as 2.9 per cent.Because this train, captive to a short-haul railroad,exceeds 40,000 miles a year vs. a national average ofless than 21,000 miles per serviceable freight car. Because this train is testing a safety system which initiatesan emergency brake application if any journal suffersa hotbox or if any wheel derails. Because this train contains one-third less slack than a typical ore consist andaccordingly gives its caboose crew a passenger-train-likeride.This train hauls taconite pellets; indeed, taconite

obliged its development. Taconite low-grade iron-bearing rock that is mechanically upgraded and processedinto marble-size balls of uniform consistency has been

gradually overtaking natural ore in number of carload-ings on DM&IR, as evidenced in this table expressed inmillions of long (2240-pound) tons:

1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974Natural ore 18.5 21 13.5 14.5 11.5 15.5

Taconite pellets 0 1.5 7 9 11 14.5

Because natural ore freezes, the Missabe Road once

was largely an April-to-October carrier (many DM&IRcrews worked for Florida East Coast each winter). Also,the disparate physical makeup of ore necessitates car-by-car sorting and blending at the boat docks. Conversely,

SIMPLICITY of drawbars between cars compared with com

plexity of conventional couplers is evident in overhead and

ground-level views of inner and outer ends of a miniquad.Stubby 24-footers allow but 1 3 inches between wheels of cars.

12 FEBRUARY 1976

taconite pellets can be produced and shipped year-round.and they require no mixing.The unit-train operation implied by taconite pellets

is frustrated by winter. Federal law limits the drop intrain-line air-brake pressure between engine and cabooseto 15 pounds per square inch (PSI), and DM&IR operating rules narrow that allowable difference to 5 pounds onheavy grades. To reach Lake Superior docks, loadedtrains must descend either 5 miles of 2.1 per cent (toDuluth) or 10 miles of 1.3 per cent and 3 miles of 2.9 percent (to Two Harbors). As the temperature declines, therubber gaskets in angle cocks and brake-hose couplingsbecome like steel washers, and air leakage occurs. Tocompensate for this, train length has to be reduced from124 cars to 75 and even to 40. The steep descents to theports meant that retainers had to be set up and laterreleased, a time-consuming activity that prevented certain runs from being completed within the Federal 12-hour "hog law."The approach toward a solution was twofold: (1) reduce

the number of angle cocks and hose glad hands, whichleak air in the winter; and (2) introduce a pressure retaining system operable from the engine cab. At thisjuncture taconite, which had caused Missabe's dilemma,began to help resolve it. Since there was no need to cutcars apart for mixing ores, it was feasible to tie the carstogether with drawbars, eliminating most angle cocksand brake-hose connections in the process.Thus was born the "miniquad": a set of four 24-foot

ore hopper cars with couplers, angle cocks, and hosecouplings only at the two outer ends [for plans of theminiquads, see February 1975 Model Railroader].First and foremost, the elimination of three out of everyfour train-line connections reduced airflow resistance32 per cent. At 25 below zero, the difference in brake

2011 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. www.TrainsMag.com

pressure between locomotive and caboose on a 124-carminiquad train (counting each quad as four cars) istypically 3 pounds or more than that on conventionalore trains in July. Brake control and response is faster,as is train-line charge time. Second, the utilization ofsolid drawbars instead of conventional couplers reducedfree slack in a 124-car consist from 21 feet to 13.9 or34 per cent. Not only is the ride in the caboose improvedbut presumably long-term car maintenance savings willresult.Item: Drawbars instead of couplers saved 965 pounds

of tare weight per miniquad set or 15 tons per 124-cartrain. DM&IR considers the conversion a "wash" interms of weight since new door seals plus 9Vfe-inch extensions to car sides and ends* added 1100 pounds per car.Still, assuming the 1100 pounds would have been addedanyway, the 15-tons-per-train saving, multiplied byenough train-miles, becomes significant.The retainer problem was solved by the adoption of a

system developed by Westinghouse Air Brake for U.S.Steel's Orinoco Mining trains in Venezuela (but whichin principle actually dates back to the 1880's on theDenver & Rio Grande narrow gauge) namely, the addition of a second, straight-air line. In practice, the engineermakes his initial brake application with an automaticbrake-pipe reduction; then he opens the straight-air lineto hold and, if necessary, to modulate that brake application. Meanwhile the automatic brake line is rechargedand is held in reserve if needed. Thus the function ofsetting up retainers is handled from the engine at speedand the pressure applied can be varied.Now. all U.S. Steel-owned railroads stress safety and

DM&IR even incorporates the admonition "Safety First"Previously taconite-service cars had 19-inch extensions, which over-loaded them thus the term 'mini'' for the cars with 91 2-inch extensions.

++*#**+*##**+****#*+#***+***************^

in its logo. The subject is particularly pertinent to taconitehauling because production of the pellets is continuousand cannot economically be shut down as a mine couldbe if a train derailment clogs the delivery system. Also,the miniquads are high-mileage car sets (quads accountfor 9.2 per cent of the road's ore-car roster but carry over33 per cent of its tonnage), hence have a higher accidentexposure rate.Missabe imposes a tight security screen around its

operations. For instance, hotbox detectors are spacedonly 20 miles apart in high-train-density territory (in1973 DM&IR averaged one-third more miles betweenhotboxes on solid-bearing cars than the AAR reportedfor roller-bearing cars nationally). The miniquads ratespecial safety surveillance. They're shopped once a year;must pass air brake leakage tests as if they were singlecars; have Type F couplers at their outer ends to preventvertical separation in case of derailment; and carry non-

mating straight and automatic air line couplings.Still, an accident in 1973 convinced the railroad that

an on-board automatic derailment detector was worth atest. An ore car derailed, bounced along still coupled for7 miles, and hit a switch; the toll was more than 18,000chopped ties and 25 destroyed cars. One member of thesafety task force appointed in the wake of this wreckrecalled reading of an antiderailment sensor developedby the Naval Ordnance Laboratory at the behest of theFederal Railroad Administration [page 3, January 1974Trains]. NOL proposed the application of an impact/heatsensor in the bearing of each journal. If the bearing ranhot, or if the adjacent truck side frame began to bouncevertically as wheels hit ties, the sensor would activate athermal battery which in turn would fire an explosivecharge opening an n/32-inch hole in the brake pipe, initiating an emergency application. If continuing DM&IRfield testing of the NOL invention arrives at acceptablefalse-alarm and maintenance rates, the cost seems justified. In the railroad's summary, "The prevention of onemajor accident could cover the cost to equip severalunit trains."

Ultimately, the miniquad cars (and they could become"minisixes" to further reduce the number of or to simplify intercar connections) might be wired with an electrical train line which, through a minicomputer in thecab, would give the engineer continuous knowledge ofthe brake-pipe and straight-air pressures at the cabooseas well as the status of the brakes and bottom dump doorson each ore car in the train. "A natural addition," saysDM&IR, would be electropneumatic brakes, which havecharacteristics of smoother, faster application and release.The next time you're up on the Mesabi Range, and a

trio of maroon-and-gold Missabe Road SD's coil out ofthe woods on .62 per cent, chanting away in Run 8 at8 mph with 124 70-ton ore hoppers at their backs, looklong at the consist. If you see orange corner posts everyfour cars, plus high-mounted double air lines, you areseeing a railroad movement with credentials for the claimof "train of tomorrow." J_

Weirton's employee-owned

liIffmm.

"^

*

IN view from Lee Avenue bridge, S2 207 and partner pull turn from Walnut Street Yard across Cove Road on April 30. 1984

Loyalty dating to steam days is about to end

I IN the early 1970's, the Chicago &North Western became employee-

owned. As a consequence, C&NW received a great amount of press, in bothrail and business circles. An equal, ifnot greater, amount of business coverage has been devoted to a more recent

employee buyout, the Employee StockOwnership Plan (ESOP) of NationalSteel's Weirton works in the West Vir

ginia Panhandle. The coverage has occurred because of the Weirton mill'ssize ($1 billion 1982 sales), and becauseit is part of the greatly troubled American steel industry.

Weirton Steel is of interest to diesel fans because the plant rosters 27Alco switchers, which perform all theswitching for the large complex. (Is itcoincidental that North Western, nowpublicly as well as employee-owned, isone of the last large Class 1 roads alsoto own Alcos?) Just like Armco Steel'sLima-Hamilton diesel fleet of recent

memory at Middletown, 0., Weirton'sAlcos are one of the last large groups oftheir kind in the country (BethlehemSteel's South Buffalo is another). TheAlcos and their railroad are the backbone of the Weirton Steel mill.

KEVIN N. TOMASIC

PHOTOS / KEITH CLOUSE

Weirton, W. Va population 25,371and 37 miles due west of Pittsburgh,Pa., is the quintessential mill towni.e., a community which is virtually inseparable from its biggest industry. It'sa town where the homes don't need abackyard fence; the brick walls of themill see to that. The biggest building isnot the town hall or some office building, but the Weirton Steel Basic Oxygen Plant, which looms huge and greenabove everything. The town of Weirtongot its start in 1909 when Ernest T.Weir built a sheet and tinplate mill onthe bank of the Ohio River. The company grew quickly and by 1915 was operating 50 hot mills in Weirton andClarksburg, W. Va., and Steubenville,O., just across the river from Weirton.The company's total tinplate outputwas second only to mighty U.S. Steel.The name Weirton Steel was adopted in1918, but it only lasted until 1929,when Weir and his associates joinedwith George R. Fink to form National

Steel, with Weirton Steel as its majordivision.

As a producer, Weirton has earneda fine reputation in the hotly competitive beverage-can market, and billboards around town proclaim Weirtonto be "the home of the mighty tin can."To keep the plant competitive, NationalSteel modernized it during the late1960's and early 1970's, adding the Basic Oxygen Plant, a continuous slabcaster, and a new coke plant on BrownsIsland in the Ohio River. But the cokeplant was shut down, and that, combined with the entry into traditionalcan markets by aluminum and plastic,probably figured in National's divestiture plans. Citing Weirton's capital investment needs and marginal profits,National Steel announced in March1982 that it would sell the whole steelplant, or slowly phase it out beginningwith the melting operations. Quickly,the plant's 7000 employees, plus theState of West Virginia, combined tofund a feasibility study on the proposal of employee ownership. After almosta year's preparation, on September 23,1983, the workers voted 84 per cent infavor of employee takeover and, after a

50 OCTOBER 1985 2011 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. www.TrainsMag.com

LEFT: Caboose No. 2, with Bessemer-like look, leads on slagtrain backup move as seen from Main Street viaduct. Above:Cat-engined 226 is sixth deep in storage line of nine Alcos inJune 1983 telephoto view from Lee Avenue. Below: Glimpsefrom between homes on Weir Avenue finds radio-controlled202 pulling empty bottles from BOP as m.u.'ed S2's sort flats.

second round of legal challenges, tookfinancial responsibility for the plantJanuary 11, 1984, at a ceremony atWeirton's general office.

In its first year, Weirton Steel Corporation netted $60.6 million on salesof $1.1 billion, a good performance considering having to play "catch-up" withplant maintenance deferred by National. Weirton made plant improvementsand will build a new continuous casterto complement the existing unit, enabling Weirton to continuously cast allof its steel, a competitive advantage.Steel shipments in 1984 (2.1 milliontons) were highest since 1981 (2.6).

Weirton Steel's Alco loyalty canbe traced back to steam days, whenSchenectady delivered everything from0-4-0's to 0-8-0's for batting cars aroundthe mill. So when Weirton began looking for diesels near the end of WorldWar II, it called up Alco and orderedthree switchers. One 660 h.p SI andtwo 1000 h.p. S2's were delivered in1945. In 1946, Weirton received twomore Si's, continuing a string of newAlco switcher purchases which lasteduntil 1959. According to the currentPlant Traffic Manager, Weirton Steelstopped using steam in 1951 or 1952.

To set up a program of diesel main

tenance, Weirton Steel hired RobertsGreene from the Pennsylvania Railroad, who set up strict guidelines whichthe plant follows to this day. All of theunits conform to DOT/FRA/ICC specifications for inspection and repair. TheAlcos worked out so well for mill workthat from 1958 through 1970, Weirtonacquired 12 more S2's (one might havebeen an S4 see roster) on the second

hand market for service, plus some derelict units for parts. One of the derelictswas cut down and made into a slug,numbered 100, for use in the ore yardwhere slow, hard, pulls are normal.

To allow for the highest availability of motive power, Weirton Steel hasa fully equipped shop, which is underthe jurisdiction of Joseph L. Hunter Jr.,

manager-traffic and transportation. Joejoined Weirton in 1979 after spending23 years on Pennsy/Penn Central/Con-rail. One of his special memories is riding the last PRR steam engine out ofNiles, O., with his father at the throttle. The next week, Joe rode in thesteamer's "covered-wagon" replacements. At Weirton, he supervises ashop force of 36 men who repair theAlcos, plus air compressors for the mill.The shop can do complete overhauls,except for electrical work, which is doneeither elsewhere in the plant or sent tooutside contractors. Weirton also has afive-man track gang and a car-shopcrew.

"The Alcos are tough to maintain,"Hunter says. The externally mountedlube piping on the Mcintosh & Seymour model 539 prime mover is fragileand prone to leakage and breaking. Allof the Alcos now ride on roller bearings,and all the units have had their original turbochargers replaced. You can seeas well as hear the difference the newturbos result in an oblong stack atopthe hood, rather than the S2's traditional stack with the round, flared out bottom, and these units don't "chirp" or"whistle" like good old 539's usually do.The sound now is much more gutturaland deep, like the later Alco S6 and T6switchers with 251 engines.

After Weirton had settled on 1000h.p. units, its plant crew rebuilt theearly Si's, raising their rating from 660h.p. to 1000. Another, more extensiverebuild job deserves mention, as it diluted the Alco roster 221 was upgraded by an outside contractor with a revamped cab and a Caterpillar dieselengine. Hunter: "The unit didn't workas well as we had hoped. In fact, itdidn't work at all." The 221 now isstored, and only a major business upturn could bring it back to work again.

Four units are equipped with radiocontrol to allow them to do hazardousduty with only a two-man crew. Weirton's forces also designed and appliedmultiple-unit controls to six units for

use on heavy drags delivered by Conrail. All of Weirton's Alcos are radio-equipped for efficiency in dispatching.

In addition to the interchange carsfrom Conrail, Weirton Steel has 706cars of its own for use in the plant: 97cinder/slag cars known as "Pots"; 170flat cars for hauling coil steel withinthe plant; 144 40- and 50-foot gondolasfor general plant use; 111 hopper cars;129 "Hot Cars," which are 35-foot flatsfor hot steel slabs; 20 "Bottle" or "Torpedo" cars, which are 55-foot, 777,000-pound capacity cars riding on four 4-wheel trucks for hauling molten ironfrom the blast furnace to the Basic Oxygen Plant; 2 ore transfer cars withdrop bottoms; and 3 cabooses. The cabooses, for use on the slag runs, are ho-mebuilt and numbered 1, 2, and 3. Twoare cut-down box cars; the other resembles a Bessemer & Lake Erie caboose.

The Alcos roam over a rail networkof 125 track-miles in three yards andon two mains. The mill railroad wasjust like any other until July 1980,when Conrail and Weirton signed anagreement for the steel company to

TRAINS 51

BELOW: BOP dwarfs 208 pulling flats tocontinuous caster building. Right: partners of D&RGW and IT heritage, as seenfrom Main Street. Lower right: May 1983shot from Avenue A of steel-pouring atNo. 4 blast furnace is datedfurnace isshut down, other three can't be viewed.

lease CR's 33-track, 1100-car capacityWeirton Junction yard, plus 3 miles ofConrail's New Cumberland Secondarywhich bisects the plant. With that, theAlcos had a real railroad to run. Weirton Steel calls the old CR yard its Walnut Street Yard.

Within the plant there are two other yards, one called the main yard andthe other the finish yard. An old PRRstation building, used by the mill formaterial storage, stands at the southend of the main and finish yards. Weirton Steel uses the CR branch line asits "main" but also has another mainto reach a slag dump. This is run by

Standard Slag Company, which has twosmall GE diesels to do the switching.

"This could be its own railroad,"Joe Hunter says proudly of Weirton'splant pike. His Alcos hauled 27,000cars in April 1983, and the railroad averages 11.3 cars per engine hour. Therailroad is run by three or more yard-masters, by radio, which allows greatflexibility. An hour of train-watching(but please, from off company property)will yield a dozen different moves bythe little green Alcos. The 86 railroadcrewmen, all members of the Independent Steelworkers Union, are assignedby 8-hour shift, or "turn," as follows:

one 2-man crew for the blast furnaces,one 2-man crew for the slag train, three3-man yard crews, and one 3-man crewat the ore yard. The blast furnace, slag,and ore yard crews usually get one Alcoeach, but one or more of the yard crewsmight get a pair of m.u.'ed switchers orthe S2-slug set.

Conrail serves Weirton with tworegular trains which pick up and setoff at Walnut Street: WIMJ-30, a Mingo Junction-Weirton-Follansbee, W.Va,local, and WIMJ-32/WICE-33, a MingoJunction-Weirton-Conway Yard, Pa.,turnaround job. Conrail also deliverscoke in special trains, as Weirton Steelmust buy this from outside sources.Iron ore is brought over from MingoJunction by special moves which go directly into Weirton's ore yard, the onlywork Conrail now is allowed to do inthe plant. Every few days, Conrail willrun a local up through the plant toChester, W.Va. Hunter says Weirtonhas been pleased with Conrail's performance over the last couple of years.

Since Weirton is a complete steelmill (except for coke producing), theAlcos are required to haul many commodities, from slag to iron to shiny coilsteel. The most moves are for steel invarious forms such as slabs, ingots,

52 OCTOBER 1985

Weirton's Mcintosh & SeymoursNo. Build200 73343201 73366202 73389203 73907204 74965205 75378206 75379207 75380208 76780209 77829210 78836211 79808,212 61837,213 61838,214 82007,215 70077216 69421217 70208

er No., DateApril 1945May 1945May 1945June 1946December 1946September 1947September 1947September 1947June 1949December 1949

September 1951June 1952

April 1956April 1956January 1959May 1943March 1941October 1942

218 74805. October 1946

219 74804, October 1946

220 74972, March 1947

221 75368, August 1947

222 69907, July 1942223 75655, January 1948

224 78789, June 1951

225 75673, April 1948

226 77051, March 1950

Weirton serviceApril 5, 1945June 5. 1945June 5, 1945

July 5. 1946December 9, 1946September 17, 1947September 23, 1947September 24. 1947June 2, 1949December 13, 1949September 19, 1951June 27. 1952

April 22. 1956April 24, 1956January 22, 1959December 2. 1958October 9, 1965April 23, 1966

July 20, 1967

September 10, 1967

December 23, 1968

NotesBuilt as 660 h p , raised to 1000 h p by Weirton Steel

Radio controlBuilt as 660 h p , raised to 1000 h p by Weirton SteelBuilt as 660 h.p., raised to 1000 h.p. by Weirton Steel

Multiple unit, designed and installed by Weirton Steel

Radio control, built as S4, retrucked with Blunts

Radio controlEx-Denver & Rio Grande Western 108Ex-Peoria & Pekin Union 300Ex-Peoria & Pekin Union 301 , multiple unit, designedand installed by Weirton SteelEx-Minnesota Transfer 94, multiple unit, designed andnstalled by Weirton SteelEx-Minnesota Transfer 93, multiple unit, designed andinstalled by Weirton, eguipped to m u with slug 100Ex-N&W 2027. nee Nickel Plate 27. multiple unit, designed and installed by Weirton Steel, equipped tom u with slug 100

February 20, 1968 Ex-N&W 2040, nee Nickel Plate 40, rebuilt by outsidecontractor with Caterpillar engine and new cab, stored

March 27, 1968 Ex-Union Railroad 512July 28, 1970 Ex-Illinois Terminal 701, multiple unit, designed and

installed by Weirton SteelJune 16, 1970 Builder No. is for New York Central S3 906 (later NYC

9401), built in September 1950, Weirton unit is an apparent S4

July 8, 1970 Ex-Illinois Terminal 705, multiple unit, designed andinstalled by Weirton Steel

April 25, 1970 Ex-Illinois Terminal 707

Note: Weirton Steel does not record model type listings All units were built as S2's except 200, 203, and 204(S1's); 210-214 (S4's); and 224, origin uncertain Switching of trucks and cannibalization may cause mts-identification of some units.No 100 is a slug converted from a cut-down S2, Alco data lists New York Central S2 8505 as purchased byWeirton in 1966, and Union Railroad S2's 507 and 511 in 1967Roster from Manager, Traffic and Transportation, Weirton Steel, additional information from Alco data incollection of Kenneth L. Douglas Effective June 15, 1985.K.N. T./J. D.I.

coils, and sheet to different finishingbuildings, until at last it goes to theshipping yard or the finished productwarehouse. The Alcos muscle around5- to 15-car cuts of flats to do this, withnary a hitch, though now and then aunit will cough or rattle a little whileon a long heavy string. They do smokea bit too, as Alcos are wont. The slagtrain are usually 15 "Pots" long andcreate quite a pyrotechnic display atthe dump area. On the road, a graycrust forms on the top, but at the dump,the cars are tipped over and out sloshesbright orange 2000-degree material, inessence melted rock. At night, the orange light casts a glow over the mountains of cold slag as the Pots aredumped. Workmen at the dump spraywater on the slag to cool it down forStandard Slag to haul away.

Walnut Street yard presents itsown problem, as the Alcos must bem.u.'ed to ascend the short but stiff

grade to the finish yard. Conrail delivers coal, coke, scrap, and limestone in

hoppers, gons, and covered hoppers, andthe Alcos work very hard to hoist them

into the plant.The most spectacular show that the

Alcos participate in is the tapping ofthe blast furnace. To most people, the

blast furnace, with its huge piping,handrails, and smoky atmosphere, isthe symbol of the steel mill. WeirtonSteel has four, buried deep in the valleyat the far end of the plant, and the Alcos must pull trains of slag and ironfrom them. The iron is conveyed in thebottle cars from the blast furnaces tothe Basic Oxygen Plant over a trackwhich must be replaced every 5 yearsowing to the weight of the iron, whichflattens the rail in that short time! The

tapping, or casting, of the blast furnaceis done by a crew of men in reflectiveprotective suits who set up the runners(troughs for the metal and slag to runin) which lead to the slag pots and bottle cars. A klaxon sounds above thegeneral scream of the turbo blowersand the whooshing hiss of gas in thehuge piping around the furnace, andthen out pours a stream of pale orangeiron to the waiting car. The Alco holdsback as a great orange-red cloud ofsmoke rises out of the bottle car whenthe 2000-degree metal roars in. Thenearly 400 tons of iron take about 10minutes to top off each of the cars; thenthe two-man locomotive crew starts theS2 into motion. As they take the irondown to the Basic Oxygen Plant atabout 10 mph, all motion stops on the

adjacent tracks out of respect by othercrews to this cargo. A quick back-upmove at the "BOP," and the Alco is finished for a time, but usually there areempty bottles to go right back. WeirtonSteel doesn't let its Alcos rest much.Later in the same day, once the BOPand continuous caster do their permutations to the iron, another Alco willhaul out a train of hot steel slabs to berolled down to sheet.

The Alcos' future? Good news andbad. In 1984, at least two shed theirdingy green paint for a new coat ofdark green and yellow, with WEIRTONSTEEL CORPORATION in large white letters on the cab. But since Alco 539 en

gine parts are tough to come by, andWeirton Steel depends too heavily onits railroad to have Alcos sitting aroundawaiting parts, Joe Hunter laid plansfor some EMD replacements. Weirtontested GP38's but found them too big towork the entire plant (some curves aretight even for an S2), so early in 1985Weirton leased Lake Erie, Franklin &Clarion SW1500's 23 and 24. Resultswere better, and Joe Hunter plans toshop around for some secondhand SW-1500's in early 1986. He plans to replace three or four Alcos a year with alike number of EMD's.

Hence, train-watchers who delightin seeing dirty, gutsy S2's at workaround a steel mill should not delay invisiting Weirton. When you do, pleaserespect Weirton Steel's policy of no trespassing on company property. Weirtonis very security-conscious, and both theslag dump and Walnut Street yard arecompany property. Two good photo locations on public property are the CoveRoad crossing (U.S. 22), which the unitscross to reach the slag dump and Walnut Street yard, and the Main Street(W. Va. Highway 2) bridge, which bisects the plant. Also, two Weir Avenuespots yield good morning high views.

So, as you drive west from Pittsburgh on U.S. 22 and drop down intoWeirton, where the four-lane quits andbecomes a two-lane blacktop descending into the "Steel Valley," don't be surprised if crossing gates drop in front ofyou and an Alco S2 goes rumblingacross. It's just another job for a unit inone of the last big bastions of Mcintosh& Seymour diesels ... the employee-owned Alcos which serve the home of"The Mighty Tin Can." 1

KEVIN N. TOMASIC, an estimator fora furnace company, and wife Susie arerenovating their old North Side Pittsburgh home. KEITH CLOUSE, draftsman for an engineering firm, lives inSharpsburg, Pa., with wife Norma andson Keith Jr. The men spend most Sundays train-watching; after three frontispieces, this is their first TRAINS feature.

TRAINS 53

Baldwins and FM's hang on, but EMD's are making inroads

JOHN M. PETKO

PHOTOS BENJAMIN F.MICHAELS

1 IN eastern Bucks County, Pa., 35miles northeast of Philadelphia, is

the town of Fairless Hills. Just outsideof town, secluded by foliage, borderedby a state park, and surrounded by water on three sides, is a steel mill, one ofthe newer fully integrated facilities ofU.S. Steel, now USX Corporation. Notonly is this mill located in perhaps anunlikely spot, it is one in which reposesas exotic an active collection of standard diesel locomotives as probably exists in the U.S. today. For, behind thefences of the Fairless Works you willhear daily the familiar chant of EMDswitchers mixed with the fast-disappearing burble of Baldwins and smoothhum of Fairbanks-Morses.

Fairless Works grew out of U.S.Steel's decision in the late 1940's to

place itself in the Eastern steel customer market and have access to worldmarkets. To best accomplish this, USSwanted to build an integrated mill onthe East Coast, where an ample laborsupply, land, fresh water, navigablewaterways, and major rail and highwaynetworks all were available. The Worksis named for the late Benjamin F. Fair

less, U.S. Steel's president at the time.Ground-breaking ceremonies for the3900-acre plant were held on March 1,1951, and the first steel was pouredthere in December 1952. By late 1953,all facets of the operation were on line.Among important products of FairlessWorks are coiled strip and sheet steeland continuous welded pipe.

As planning began, the layout ofthe plant railroad was being determined, and locomotive orders wereplaced. Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton, nearby in Philadelphia (Eddystone), got thefirst order, for eight 1200 h.p. S12switchers, to be numbered GE1-GE8(GE stands for General Equipment).The second order went to Fairbanks-Morse, in Beloit, Wis., for a like number of 1200 h.p. H12-44's, to be GE9-GE16. Although these "minority builders" would eventually exit the locomotive business, in the halcyon dieselizingdays of 1951 there was nothing unusualabout ordering from them BLH delivered almost 400 units that year andFM more than 160. Other orders followed to complete the Fairless Works'initial roster: two more S12's (GE17-GE18), a single small unit (No. 19)from BLH's Whitcomb division for therolling mills, and a 20-ton Plymouth(No. 20) from Fate-Root-Heath, of Ply

mouth, O. About this same time, National Tube, the planned pipe divisionof Fairless, ordered a 65-ton center-cabunit from Davenport in Iowa.

Construction of the mill complexand its railroad was just under waywhen its first locomotives were readyfor shipment, so several found temporary homes. Baldwin GE1 was loaned,and shipped direct, to the USS Homestead Works near Pittsburgh, where itworked for several years; it wound upworking at other USS installations before going to Fairless. The first twoFairless FM's, GE9-GE10, were likewise loaned out, shipped directly to theSanta Fe, which used them for about ayear before sending them home.

The remainder of Fairless's new locomotives were shipped straight to theWorks. Upon arrival, some were stored,while others were used by contractorsto help build the plant railroad or toshift inbound materials and equipment.As various stages of the mill came online, more locomotives were activateduntil everything was operational, inlate 1953.

AT the northern boundary of Fairless Works, the plant railroad has adouble-track connection to the outsideworld. When built in early 1951, the

46 JULY 1989 2011 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. www.TrainsMag.com

%AT the open hearth yard, FM 12 switches scrap metal, a Conrail SW1001 works, EMD/FM 18/24 push the open hearth ramp, and Baldwin 32 pulls freshlj poured ingot molds

connection was to both area Class l's.The Pennsylvania Railroad built a spuroff its Philadelphia & Trenton Branchat Morrisville, Pa., while the ReadingCompany built a branch off its NewYork line at Woodbourne, Pa. Theirlines met east of Pennsy's MorrisvilleYard, and, by means of a concrete viaduct, crossed above the nearby PRRmain line to access Fairless Works. Theconnection enters USX property undera highway bridge that carries the mainroad into the plant, and then passesthrough the rail security gate. At thispoint, the plant railroad begins.

Once through the gate, the double-track main has several crossovers, thenquickly branches into a classificationarea, designated North Yard. With acapacity of 500 cars, this is the largestof several yards in the mill; it handlesmost of the interchange traffic. At thesouth end of the yard, tracks convergeto pass under a bridge carrying theplant's main road system. From herethe railroad fans out to the east, south.and west to serve all parts of the mill.To the east, between the pipe mill andthe rolling mills, is the 300-car-capacityEast Yard; to the west is another 300-car yard, used for inbound coal and other materials, known simply as the CoalYard. There are several other smallyards to support various mill divisions.

Being of relatively modern design.the mill's lavout was engineered with

efficient material flow in mind; its several divisions are located in the order ofthe steelmaking process. With ampleland, the various segments of the complex are not crammed together as is thecase at many older mills. Well definedhighways and rail lines link each division. A "main line," both single anddouble track, encircles the entire plant.The plant railroad has 125 miles oftrack, all laid with 115- to 130-lb. rail.

Strategically located in the centerof this vast complex, and situated alongwhat is said to be the longest piece ofstraight track in the mill, is the four-track railroad shop. Standing 2Va stories tall and measuring about 500 feetlong, it houses repair facilities in twosections. In one, over two dozen locomotives and self-propelled rail cranes areserviced; in the other, more than 600cars are cared for. ranging from gondolas and hopper cars to special-duty flatcars and brick-lined hot-metal cars. Theshop workers have done everything fromminor car journal work to complete locomotive overhauls and rebuilding.

SINCE us beginning, the FairlessWorks has employed more than 60 locomotives [roster on page 45], Ofthe initial orders, Baldwins GE6-GE8 weredelivered with custom "cut-back" cabsfor use in the mill's open-hearth operation The right side of the cab was virtually flush with the hood owing to

close side clearances. The engineer'scontrols were moved to the left side,with a large window and mirrors installed on the cut side for added visibility. The Fairless shop similarly modifiedthe left side of the GE5's cab in the early 1970's.

Fairbanks GE9-GE16 sported thecarbody designed by Raymond Loewy,with sloping hood linos and the distinctive roof overhang at the back ot' thecab. Under the tall hood, of course, wasthe unique six-cylinder opposed-pistonengine capable of 1200 h.p. No. 19. the35-ton Whitcomb rigid-frame locomotive, was for exclusive use at the rollingnulls, and Plymouth No. 20. a customlow -profile 20-ton JDT model, was designed for use in the charge-materialsloading" building*, where overhead clearances are not much more than 7 feet.

All units were delivered in a darkgreen, nearly black, paint scheme withyellow safety stripes. Locomotive numbers appeared in several places. It soonbecame apparent, however, that thedark color was a hinderance to visibility, especially on the plant's many gradecrossings after dark, so the shop devised a distinct scheme of bright yellowwith red reflectonzed tape. It was soonapplied to the entire fleet. Upon seeingthe new look, interchanging Pennsyand Reading train crews dubbed theunits "yellow jackets." The nicknamecaught on. and later was adopted by the

TRAINS 47

Courtesy B. F. Michaels

IN rare mid-1950s plant shop view, FM GE10 displays fresh yellow paint and reflectorizedtape, as dark green Baldwin awaits repainting. "GE" prefix appeared only in number boards.

BALDWIN S12 No. 3 ("GE3"), posed in September 1988, had been completely rebuilt, sportinga 606A engine, some EMD amenities, dual couplers, and remote control. It now has a 606SC.

Courtesy Michaels.

ALCO representation at Fairless was short-lived. In May 1965, HH1000 21 is newly repaintedand ready for service . . . still with former Oliver Iron Mining number board reading "902."

Fairless shop's bowling team. One variation of the scheme was the trial application of a heat-resistant silver paint toseveral Baldwins used primarily in theopen hearth area.

Throughout the 1950's, the Fairlessdiesel roster did not change. In the early 1960's, work became increasinglymore demanding for National Tube No.1, the 65-ton Davenport center-cab, soone of the standard-size units was as

signed to the pipe mill as a substituteand the Davenport was transferred tothe USS Edgar Thompson Works inPittsburgh. At about the same time,S12 No. GE1 finally arrived at Fairlessafter touring several USS divisions foralmost 10 years.

By the mid- 1960's, Fairless Worksneeded more power, and the first additional units added a builder to the roster Alco, in the form of two 1000 h.p.high-hood units transferred from USS'sOliver Iron Mining operation (later theMinnesota Taconite Division, or Minntac) in northern Minnesota. These agedunits took the next open Fairless numbers, 21 and 22. But the Fairless mechanics were unfamiliar with the Alcos,and even minor problems quickly madethese units orphans, so their service lifeat Fairless was short. Both were cut upat the mill, 22 in 1968 and 21 threeyears later. Also in the late 1960's, remote-control apparatus which wouldbecome common in steel-mill rail operations was installed in GE1 and GE2.

In late 1970, Fairless acquired itsfirst EMD product, ex-Elgin Joliet &Eastern SWl No. 243, on long-termlease for exclusive service at the Rolling Mills Division. It kept its originalnumber. Shortly thereafter, two moreEMD's came in the form of ex-Apalach-icola Northern SW9's, which were numbered in the vacated Alco HH slots.

The EMD's performed well in yardswitching, but were a bit light for thestrenuous lugging around the mill's"hot side" operations and the heavygrade entering the open hearth's secondlevel. It was here that the weight andpower distribution of the heavily builtBaldwins and FM's had more thanproved their rugged abilities.

With these characteristics in mind,Fairless during 1970-1972 added fivemore Fairbanks-Morse H12-44's, fourfrom Penn Central (Nos. 23-26) and onefrom the U.S. Army (27). Nos. 25-26,both of New York Central heritage,sported the old body styling, includingthe cab-roof overhang, while the otherthree had the flat body design found inintermediate production H12's.

In early 1973, General Electric became the seventh builder representedat Fairless Works when it delivered acustom-design industrial model B40/40unit. Filling in the number 28, thisunit was essentially a companion for

48 JULY 1989

Road

No.

Builder

No. Date Builder Model H.P.

N.T.1GE1

334175281

8-517-3-51

DavenportBLH

65-ton 300S12 1200

1 (3rd)GE22 (2nd)

189637528274188

11-537-6-516-29-49

EMDBLHBaldwin

SSB1200 1200S12 1200DS-4-4-1000 1000

2 (3rd) 647 1-38 EMC SW1200M 1200

GE3 75283 8-22-51 BLH S12 1000

GE4 75284 9-12-51 BLH S12 1000

GE5 75285 9-17-51 BLH S12 1200

5A 12360 6-50 EMD SSB-1200 1200

5B 12361 6-50 EMD SSB-1200B 1200GE6 75286 3-7-52 BLH S12 1200

GE7

GE8

75287 3-7-52 BLH

75288 3-7-52 BLH

S12

S12

1200

1000

storedstored

FairlessWorks: Baldwins, FM's, EMD's, and moreHistory and current statusUsed at National Tube, Morrisville, Pa., for 7 years, transferred to USS Edgar Thompson Works. Pittsburgh Pa renumbered

' 10Used at USS Homestead (Pa.) Works and other divisions, removed from service 4-19-82 icab electrical fire) remote control retired, used for partsEx-ATSF 1238, rebuilt 8-78 from SW9 2438: acquired 11-84. cut-cab leftside, placed in service 6-12-85 remote control, in serviceShipped directly to Fairless; removed from service 1-79 (internally eroded engine block), remote control, retired, used for partsEx-Oliver Iron Mining 928. arrived Fairless 7-80; placed in service 9-18-80. removed from sea-ice 1-3-85. engine removed 1-3-85 n-stalled in GE 8; retired, used for partsEx-Burlington Northern 106. rebuilt 2-55 from Great Northern NW 100, arrived Fairless 10-8-87. on lease from dealer Wilson Railway Supply, in serviceShipped directly to Fairless Works; rebuilt 6-26-82 with EMD control stand, electrical switchgear. and trucks rebuilt 606A enginefrom dealer Republic Locomotive Works replaced original 606A. then 1000 h p 606SC from Indiana & Ohio 91 installed 2-89 remote control; in serviceShipped directly to Fairless Works, hood and cab wrecked, replaced with same from ex-Auto Train 621 received 1 000 h p 606SCengine from ex-Oliver DS-4-4-1000 930, 11-17-81: remote control, in serviceShipped directly to Fairless Works, cut cab. left side, removed from service 2-16-82 (cab electrical fire), retired, used for partsEx-Santa Fe 1242, rebuilt 4-79 from TR4A 2418; acquired 11-84. cut cab left side, in service 6-12-85. remote control, in serviceEx-Santa Fe 1243. rebuilt from TR4B 2418A, acquired 11-84; placed in service 6-12-85; calf unit, stored serviceableShipped directly to Fairless Works, cut cab, right side, received 606A engine from GE 5 on 5-1-82, then 606A from GE 17 on 4-19-84, then rebuilt 606A on 3-30-86, remote control, in serviceShipped directly to Fairless Works, cut cab. right side, received 1000 h p 606SC engine from Oliver 929 on 8-7-81, then 606SCfrom Oliver 931 on 3-11-83, then 1200 h.p 606A from a Morehead & Morgan Fork RS12 in 4-89; remote control, in serviceShipped directly to Fairless Works, cut cab right side: received 1000 h p 606SC engine from USS Fairless 2 (2nd) on 1 1 -4-85, remote control; in serviceLoaned to Santa Fe for 1 year: removed from service (internally eroded engine block) 10-13-80; retired, used for partsEx-Conrail 9079, ex-Penn Central 9079, nee Pennsylvania 9379. acquired 6-81 (previously Midwest Steel & Alloy), placed in service3-82. removed from service 1987Loaned to Santa Fe for 1 year; removed from service 1987. retired, used for partsRemoved from service (internally eroded engine block) 12-1-81 , retired, used for partsEx-Conrail 9178, ex-PC 8772, nee New York Central 8772. acquired 6-81 (previously Midwest Steel & Alloy); placed in service 4-82stored, out of serviceManual operation; in serviceRemoved from service 3-78; retired, used for partsEx-Oliver 1205A. acquired 7-80, placed in service 10-16-81, out of service 2-13-82; used with S8A 13B (ex-Oliver 1203B)Ex-Oliver 1203B, acquired 7-80. placed in service 10-16-81, out of service 2-13-82: used with S8A 13A (ex-Oliver 1205A).Removed from service 2-1 1-80 (internally eroded engine block), storedEx-Santa Fe 1234, rebuilt 9-78 from SW9 2434, acquired 11-84, placed in service 5-9-85. remote control, in serviceRemoved from service 12-30-81 (internally eroded engine block); retired, used for partsEx-Santa Fe 1236, rebuilt 1-78 from SW9 2436; acquired 11-84; placed in service 5-9-85; remote control, in serviceManual operation; in serviceRemoved from service 4-19-84; engine removed, placed in GE 6 on 4-19-84; retired, used for partsEx-Elgin, Joliet & Eastern 437, to McHugh Bros for rebuilding 1-81. placed in service 4-6-84, remote control in serviceRemoved from service 11-26-80 (threw a piston rod through engine block); retired, used for partsEx-EJ&E 458 (2nd); modified to 1200 h.p., 3-77, other history unknown; to McHugh Bros for rebuilding 1-81. placed in service 3-21-84: remote control; in service

Re-engined in 1964 with Allis-Chalmers model 16.000 AC diesel; removed from service 10-24-83 (cracked engine block); storedRe-engined in 1964 with Al I is-Ch aimers model 1 1,000 AC diesel, low headroom design, used in open-hearth operation switchingcharging buggies; in serviceEx-Oliver 902; scrapped 1 971Ex-Apalachicola Northern 705; acquired 4-20-71 ; out of serviceEx-Oliver 906; scrapped 1968Ex-Apalachicola Northern 706; out of serviceEx-Penn Central 8337, ex-PRR 8337, nee PRR 8721, retired by PC 6-28-68. started complete rebuilding 3-85 hailed used tor partsEx-Oliver 1204A, acquired 7-80; used sporadically 12-5-80 to 7-82 with 23B (ex-Oliver 1205B), storedEx-Oliver 1205B. acquired 7-80; used sporadically 12-5-80 to 7-82 with 23A (ex-Oliver 1204A). storedEx-Missouri Pacific 1101, via Wilson; placed in service 1987, carries 1 100-prefix for Wilson organization remote control in seiviceEx-Penn Central 8330, ex-PRR 8330, nee PRR 8714. retired by PC 6-28-68, remote control, in serviceEx-Penn Central 8309, ex-NYC 8309, nee NYC 9120, retired by PC 9-24-69, remote control, in serviceEx-Penn Central 8310, ex-NYC 8310, nee NYC 9121 , retired by PC 9-24-69, removed from service 8-80 retired used tor partsEx-Oliver 1201A, acquired 7-80, placed in service 1-5-81, removed from service 1-13-82. used with 26B (evOliver 1206B1 storedEx-Oliver 1206B, acquired 7-80. placed in service 1-5-81 . removed from service 1-13-82, used with 26 A (ex-Oliver 1201 A), storedEx-US Army 1845. Radford (Va ) Ordnance Center, rebuilt 3-1 1-83 with EMD switchgear and trucks remote control, in sen.' ice

175/155 Acquired new; low-headroom design, used in open-hearth operation with charging buggies rebuilt 19S9 b\ MRME. in serviceEx-Reading 103, acquired 2-78 via dealer Mernlees, found unsatisfactory (leaks, possible cracked engine block), to IREX. donatedto Reading Co Technical & Historical Society, moved 2-89 to Leesport, Pa to be restored to original liveryEx-Reading 100, replacement for 29 (1st) 2-78 from dealer Mernlees, out of serviceEx-Union Pacific 1058, acquired 7-78 from dealer Chrome, removed from service 5-1 1-84. retired, used for partsEx-MP 1 189. acquired 1987 from dealer Wilson, carries 1 100 prefix for Wilson Supply Organization remote control, in serviceEx-Soo Line 301 . acquired 3-79 from dealer Precision National . out of serviceEx-Oliver 932. acquired 7-80, in service 7-12-81. received 606A (1200 h.p.) engine from dealer Wilson, installed 2-88, remote-control; in service

Ex-Algers, Winslow & Western 6, converted by Precision in 1970 from PC S4 9683 (nee NYC 8611) to slug, acquired via dealerNaporano, in need of new trucks, storedEx-USS Duluth Works 9, removed from service 1-61 (in need of new clutch!, stored

Ex-Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line 106, via Farmrail, on lease arrived Fairless 12-8Ex-Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line 108. via Farmrail, on lease arrived Fairless 12-8

Ex-Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line 112, via Farmrail on lease arrived Fairless 12-8Ex-Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line 113, via Farmrail, on lease, arrived Fairless 12-8

Ex-Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line 115, via Farmrail. on lease arrived Fairless 12-8

Ex-Burlington Northern 155. nee Great Northern 155. acquired 10-87 from dealer Wilson on lease, in serviceEx-EJ&E 243, acquired 6-70 on lease, later purchased, used exclusively by Billet & Bar Mill Division, in serviceEx-McHugh Bros 309. nee Erie 609. leased, placed in service 5-~4 removed from service 9-80. purchased 1981 , retired, used asparts supply, donated to Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, StrasburgEx-McHugh Bros. 313, nee Erie 613. leased in service 5-~4 out ot service 9-80. purchased 1981 retired, used as parts supplyEx-EJ&E 433. purchased 7-83 as a parts supp \Ex-Auto-Train 621. nee Erie 621. purchased as a parts supply (had seized-up engine), hood and cab installed on GE 4 trucks generator, and compressor salvaged, remainder scrappedEx-Oliver 929. acquired 7-80 as 8 parts suppi\ 606SC engine placed in GE 7. 8-7-81Ex-Oliver 930. acquired '-80 as a parts supply B06SC engine placed in GE 4. 1 1-17-81Ex-Oliver 931. acquired "-50 as a parts supp I) B06SC engine placed in GE 7 3-11-83Ex-Oliver 1200B, acquired 7-80 as a parts suppi\Ex-Oliver 1202A ace. red 7-80 as a parts supp )Ex-Oliver 1202B ace. red 7-80 as a parts supp ,Ex-Oliver 1204B acqi red 7-80 as a parts st pp \Ex-Oliver 120?A acqu 'ea 7-80 as a cats supp j scrapped

Key to builders; BLH Baldwm-Lima-Hamilton EMC. Electro-Motive Corporation EMD Electro-Motive Division General Motors. FM Fairbanks-Morse, GE. General ElectricRoster effective April 15, 1989, compiled by John M Petko with data Irom L SS Fa i ess Works Mti I ona references

American Shortline Railway Guides, by Edward A Lewis, BN MotivePower Annuals, by F. Hoi Wagner; EMD Product Reference Data Extra 2

' '

GE9 12L571 11-51 FM H 12-44 1200

9 (2nd) 10398 3-50 EMD SW7 1200

GE10 12L572 12-51 FM H12-44 1200

GE11 12L573 2-52 FM H 12-44 120011 (2nd) 6217 1-49 EMD NW2M 1200

GE12 12L574 2-52 FM H12-44 1200GE13 12L575 2-52 FM H12-44 120013A 75489 11 -29-51 BLH S8A 80013B 75250 8-27-51 BLH S8B 800GE14 12L576 2-52 FM H 12-44 120014 (2nd) 18959 11-53 EMD SSB1200 1200GE15 12L577 2-52 FM H 12-44 120015 (2nd) 18961 11-53 EMD SSB1200 1200GE16 12L578 2-52 FM H12-44 1200GE17 75542 2-13-52 BLH S12 120017 (2nd) 8521 5-49 EMD NW2 1000GE18 75543 2-13-52 BLH S12 120018 (2nd) EMD NW2M 1200

19 61274 5-53 Whitcomb 35-ton 22520 5573 6-13-52 Plymouth JDT 20-ton

21 69319 6-40 Alco High hood 100021 (2nd) 16640 3-52 EMD SW9 120022 69323 6-40 Alco High hood 100022 (2nd) 16641 3-52 EMD SW9 120023 12L647 11-52 FM H12-44 120023A 75488 10-31 -51 BLH S8A 80023B 75492 11-29-51BLH S8B 80023 (3rd) 27869 1-63 EMD SW1200 120024 12L640 11-52 FM H 12-44 120025 12L837 1-51 FM H 12-44 120026 12L613 5-52 FM H12-44 120026A 75244 7-31-51 BLH S8A 80026B 75493 11-29-51BLH S8B 80027 12L669 1-53 FM H 12-44 120028 38936 5-73 GE B 40/40 175/129 4943 7-28-47 EMD NW2 1000

29 (2nd) 4940 7-24-47 EMD NW2 100030 4704 3-47 EMD NW2 100030 (2nd) 28765 3-64 EMD SW1200 120031 888 9-29-39 EMC NW2 100032 74192 7-12-49 Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 1200

79564 3-52 Alco Slug

BF9 6257 3-24-61 Plymouth MDD35-tor i106 21056 3-56 EMD SW1200 1200108 21058 3-56 EMD SW1200 1200112 21062 5-56 EMD SW1200 1200113 21063 5-56 EMD SW1200 1200115 21065 6-56 EMD SW1200 1200155 13303 5-51 EMD SW1200 1200243 1401 10-41 EMD SW1 600309 74203 6-49 Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 1000

313 74618 7-49 Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 1000433 7496 1-49 EMD NW2 1000621 75674 5-52 BLH S12 1200

929 74189 6-6-49 Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 1000930 74190 6-6-49 Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 1000931 74191 7-8-49 Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 10001200B 75247 7-29-51 BLH S8B 8001202A 75245 8-27-51 BLH S8A 8001202B 75249 8-27-51 BLH S8B 8001204B 75491 10-31-51 BLH S8B 8001207A 75??? ?-?-51 BLH S8A 800

in service

in service

in service

in service

in service

.-. r"

TRAINS 49

FORMER Santa Fe TR4A has cut cab, rooftop remote-control lights. CUSTOM Plymouth clears 7-foot charge-materials loading building.

No. 20, the low-clearance Plymouth.The following year, Fairless satis

fied a need for additional Baldwins. McHugh Bros., renters of heavy industrialequipment and operators of the nearbyNew Hope & Ivyland Railroad, suppliedthe Works with four overhauled DS-44-1000's on long-term lease. Two were ex-Erie Lackawanna, and two came fromthe abandoned Copper Range Railroadin Upper Michigan. All arrived at themill in McHugh's eye-catching green,red, and white scheme. Fairless soon returned 100 and 101, the ex-CopperRanges, to McHugh for use on theNH&I, but the others, ex-EL 309 and313, stayed and were eventually purchased by USS.

The late 1970's saw more changes.Fairless Works' two outside connectionsbecame one Conrail. EMD's began topermeate the roster more, as threeNW2's were purchased, through different dealers. Remote control was addedto several more units. Fairless also acquired its first slug former No. 6 ofthe Indiana coal-hauler Algers, Wins-low & Western, via dealer NaporanoIron & Metal. Designated "A," thisslug, which had been converted from anAlco S4, was matched with BaldwinGE5; they operated as a set until 1982,when the Baldwin suffered an electricalfire and both were retired.

Time was finally beginning to runout for some of Fairless Works' first locomotives after over 25 years of continuous service. In need of major rebuilding. FM GE13 and Baldwin GE2 wereretired, but they were kept around asparts sources. An additional source wasacquired with the purchase of ex-Auto-Train S12 621, from which usable partswere removed, leaving only the frameand some parts to be scrapped on site.

Also in the late 1970's, severalFairless locomotives emerged from thepaint booth in a new light blue schemewith red. white, and blue stripes (unre

lated to the nation's Bicentennial).In early 1980, more Baldwins came

from Minntac as its fleet, displaced bynewer EMD's, was transferred to otherplants experienced with Baldwins. Fairless got 5 DS-44-1000's and 11 units ofthe unique S8A-B cow-calf sets. Half ofthem would see Fairless service, whilethe others would be parts sources.

Unlike large common-carrier railroads, which cast aside old Baldwins orFM's without a second thought, Fairless Works looked carefully at each unitas it came due for major work. In themid-1980's, Baldwin GE3 and FM 27were completely rebuilt. Although theBaldwin received an overhauled 606Aprime mover, it was otherwise "EMD-ized," receiving the more commonplaceEMD trucks, electrical switchgear, andcab control stand. Similarly, the FM received the EMD treatment but kept its6-cylinder OP engine. Both units wererepainted in an attractive dark bluescheme with red, white, and blue stripe.

Other Baldwins and FM's were not

worth rebuilding, so several more secondhand EMD's also were purchased.Two each came from Conrail and USS's

Elgin, Joliet & Eastern for service (theEJ&E units went to NH&I for rebuild

ing prior to shipment to Fairless), andEJ&E NW2 433 was purchased as aparts source.

Five former Santa Fe rebuilt 1200

h.p. EMD's followed; two subsequentlywere modified with cut cabs for openhearth service. One of the five was acabless booster, from an original cow-calf set. The four cab units arrivedequipped for remote control, and all fivewere fitted with dual couplers.

The slowdown in the steel industryin the mid- 1980's took its toll on several more Fairless Baldwins and FM's,but in early 1987 the steel industry began to rebound. Fairless Works metthis by bringing production back up,which included taking several locomotives out of storage. Demand for steelincreased further, and once again theneed for more units became apparent.

BALDWIN 6, pulling freshly poured ingot molds from open hearth to stripper building, is onits third 606A engine, sports cut cab and remote control. Paint job is "keep it in service."

50 JULY 1989

*uu*.. i c:

FAIRBANKS 25, built as New York Central 9120, running "hot metal" duty in October 1988,pulls two hot-metal cars full of molten iron from the blast furnaces to the open hearth.

units in service at one time. Locomotivecrews have been reduced from threepeople to two (for manual units) or one(for remote-control units). For versatility, most locomotives can be used anywhere in the plant, although some havetheir preferred or specialized areas. Thegeneral areas are raw materials handling, scrap processing, iron and steelmaking (the "hot side"), rolling and finishing, and finished products.

The in-plant rail transportation ofmost materials coming into the mill begins at North Yard. A dedicated Conrail local freight interchanges almostdaily here, although unit-train extras ofcoal or blocks of other materials mayproceed directly to the Coal Yard or another point in the mill before being setout. One crew generally is used inNorth Yard for shifting cars bound forspecific parts of the mill. Another crewusually works the Coal Yard, where inbound coal loads and outbound emptiesare switched, and the nearby AmericanBridge Yard, where scrap is processedand loaded. This crew also may do other general switching around the mill.

Inbound ore and other materialsalso arrive in seagoing vessels at thedock facilities, located at the south endof the Works. The docks can keep fromone to as many as three crews busyduring unloading, and distribution andstorage. Coke, for example, often is offloaded here into hopper cars and thenshipped to other nearby USS plants.

On the hot side of Fairless Works,materials such as iron ore, coke, limestone, and dolomite converge in thethree 23-story blast furnaces, in whichiron is produced. When the molten ironis drawn off, it is fed into hot-metalcars below. Usually two of these heavy-duty "bottle" cars, capable of holding250 tons of molten iron, are filled andthen moved to the open hearth build

ing, where the iron is transformed into

steel. Once at the bottom level of theseemingly endless open hearth building, the cars are rotated to pour intohuge ladles, which are raised by massive cranes and their contents pouredinto any of nine waiting open hearths.Two to three railroad crews, each withseveral ladle cars, may be used to runthe "hot metal."

In another building, alongside theopen hearth, steel scrap and other materials are sorted and placed in charging buggies. These are small, two-axleflat cars each carrying several chargingbuckets. Here, one crew will use a low-profile locomotive to switch because oflow ov