Steel Works - Handling Slabs

[Sails]

There is plenty of good info on here about steel works but what I cant find anywhere is how steel slabs were loaded/unloaded. Not much on the interweb either. I am assuming some sort of gantry crane would be  a sensible option, anyone got any photos of slab handling area around BAA's?

 

In my web searches, I came across this interesting Tata Steel document

 

Mark

[Fat Controller]

Handling might be by overhead crane, using either electro-magnets or large 'pinchers' , or by very large forklifts; Kibri do some of the latter.

[TravisM]

There is plenty of good info on here about steel works but what I cant find anywhere is how steel slabs were loaded/unloaded. Not much on the interweb either. I am assuming some sort of gantry crane would be  a sensible option, anyone got any photos of slab handling area around BAA's?

 

In my web searches, I came across this interesting Tata Steel document

 

Mark

As part of the research regarding my portable layout depicting a portion of a steel works, I spoke to some people at Corby and steel slabs are hot rolled from the furnace and then lifted by overhead crane onto or off a suitable wagon. As the steel is still incredibly hot whilst in transit, all lifting was done with people as far away from the slabs as possible. I remember standing at Cardiff station and a steel slab train from Port Talbot to Llanwern rolled through in the pouring rain and the steam coming off the slabs was incredible.

[Mark Saunders]

As part of the research regarding my portable layout depicting a portion of a steel works, I spoke to some people at Corby and steel slabs are hot rolled from the furnace and then lifted by overhead crane onto or off a suitable wagon. As the steel is still incredibly hot whilst in transit, all lifting was done with people as far away from the slabs as possible. I remember standing at Cardiff station and a steel slab train from Port Talbot to Llanwern rolled through in the pouring rain and the steam coming off the slabs was incredible.

The BAA and BBA were designed to be loaded with hot product, hence the design of the flor for cooling?

 

Mark Saunders

[Fat Controller]

The BAA and BBA were designed to be loaded with hot product, hence the design of the flor for cooling?

 

Mark Saunders

Prior to that, there had been vac-fitted wagons with floors made of a steel and asbestos sandwich, used between Port Talbot and Llanwern. There is someone who posts on the South Wales Railways Facebook site who has posted photos of slab and coil handling at Port Talbot; I'll contact him to see if I can use some of his photos.

[Mark Saunders]

Prior to that, there had been vac-fitted wagons with floors made of a steel and asbestos sandwich, used between Port Talbot and Llanwern. There is someone who posts on the South Wales Railways Facebook site who has posted photos of slab and coil handling at Port Talbot; I'll contact him to see if I can use some of his photos.

I think they were the Hot Coil rather than for slab!

 

Does anyone have photographs of the Slab/Coil wagons loaded ?

 

Mark Saunders

[Sails]

One of the guys in my office, his father still works at Scunthorpe and I've asked the question. Hopefully get some photos in the near future.

[Cokebreeze]

I searched for "Slab Handling Llanwern"  "Slab Handling Ravenscraig"  and "Slab Handling Scunthorpe" and it threw up several useful images.  This is Scunthorpe.

 

Phil

[The Stationmaster]

I think they were the Hot Coil rather than for slab!

 

Does anyone have photographs of the Slab/Coil wagons loaded ?

 

Mark Saunders

 

Hot rolled coil from Port Talbot to Trostre and Velindre was loaded to wagons which had ordinary ballast on the metal floors and the coils were loaded eye-to-sky.  Generally the centre of the coil was cherry red, sometimes hotter, when loaded at Port Talbot but the outside had already cooled to grey.  It could be nice and cosy in winter riding in the brakevan at the rear of the hot coil trains as warm air was blown back from the coil as the train moved along

[simon47603]

At Tata's Port Talbot's Abbey Steel Works. Steel Slab's are loaded directly onto Wagons in the Slab Yard, by very large Forklift Trucks. Newly made slabs are transported around the Works by Giant Slab Carriers. In Fact I have managed to find the very machines and the company that operates them:

http://www.runtech.ltd.uk/kress-carriers/

 

Best Wishes

Simon

Edited December 4, 2018 by simon47603

[david.hill64]

Handling would not be by electromagnets. Steel is not ‘magnetic’ above about 700 degrees.

[brian daniels]

Take it this a slab carrier we saw in Scunthorpe on a brakevan tour.

 

[37501]

I have an old Tele Rail / Rail Magazine video cassette which shows slabs being loaded onto BBA wagons in a shed at Lackenby. Sometime in the late 1980s as the train left behind a pair of 37s. The slabs were handled by electro magnet on an overhead traveling crane. They didn't appear to be hot during loading, no heat haze.

 

John

[Jml]

On 04/12/2018 at 13:46, Cokebreeze said:

I searched for "Slab Handling Llanwern"  "Slab Handling Ravenscraig"  and "Slab Handling Scunthorpe" and it threw up several useful images.  This is Scunthorpe.

 

Phil

Definitely not Scunthorpe that one mate..  

 

In Scunthorpe slab is loaded out using a 52t fork lift truck with a magnet attachment. Handled while hot by cranes with dogs (tongs) and the kress slab carrier.