Steel Making on Teeside

[Gordon A]

Arthur,

 

A nice set of pictures.

Do you have any more of the articulated Sentinel?

 

Gordon

[Arthur]

Sadly not Gordon, not that I can post anyway. There is an article on the Dorman Long Sentinels in Industrial Railway Record 168 which contains some good photographs of both rigid and articulated versions. If you look at my Locomotive and Rolling Stock Manufacturers thread in this same sub-forum (sorry, cannot give a direct link at the moment) you'll find a photo and some info on the rigid version as supplied to GKN's East Moors works.

[sixteen 12by 10s]

I have to say a big thanks to all who have contributed to this discussion. I live in an ex steel making part of the country, and work in one of the last surviving iron foundry’s. I have always been fascinated by these plants, and the shear massiveness of them. On a good day our state of the art electric melters will knock out 8 ton an hour, compare that to the Redcar blast furnace....

 

Gary

 

 

[Pacific231G]

Something on Dorman Longs extensive railway system and an answer to Davids question above.

 

 

Thanks very much Arthur that's incredibly comprehensive. From what I saw from the road I'd had no idea the rail operations were quite so extensive but I do remember the electric locos looking very odd - far more so than those I saw at South Shields a few months later- and from these pictures I finally know over forty years later what I did see.

 

Apart from the slag dumping would there have been a process in DL's works that shot large gouts of flame into the night sky in a particularly dramatic way?. I vaguely remember seeing that from the ship. It's hard now to remember just what an enormous scale some of these rail served heavy industrial sites were on. It reminds me of the line in Night Mail about "the fields of apparatus set on the dark plain like giant chessmen" though that was the Clyde of course.

 

David

[Fat Controller]

Thanks very much Arthur that's incredibly comprehensive. From what I saw from the road I'd had no idea the rail operations were quite so extensive but I do remember the electric locos looking very odd - far more so than those I saw at South Shields a few months later- and from these pictures I finally know over forty years later what I did see.

 

Apart from the slag dumping would there have been a process in DL's works that shot large gouts of flame into the night sky in a particularly dramatic way?. I vaguely remember seeing that from the ship. It's hard now to remember just what an enormous scale some of these rail served heavy industrial sites were on. It reminds me of the line in Night Mail about "the fields of apparatus set on the dark plain like giant chessmen" though that was the Clyde of course.

 

David

I think that might have been either the tapping of the blast furnace, or the charging of the converter- most probably the latter. Both are/were memorable sights- I must have been about five when I was allowed to watch a furnace being tapped (from a safe distance, naturally) at the long-closed Pontardawe steel works. This would have been like a model next to the plants in Arthur's photos, but still pretty impressive.

[Arthur]

 

 

Apart from the slag dumping would there have been a process in DL's works that shot large gouts of flame into the night sky in a particularly dramatic way?. I vaguely remember seeing that from the ship. It's hard now to remember just what an enormous scale some of these rail served heavy industrial sites were on. It reminds me of the line in Night Mail about "the fields of apparatus set on the dark plain like giant chessmen" though that was the Clyde of course.

 

David

Yes, Auden's chessmen I always thought a very poetic description of blast furnaces. As far as the gouts of flame, Brian has, reasonably, suggested Bessemer convertors, like this at Ebbw Vale;

 

 

 

Not so much a flame, more a volcanic eruption lasting about 15 minutes. However, I think this unlikely. Bessemers were relatively rare in this country, Teeside was very much open hearth steelmaking country and DL definitely had no Bessemer convertors. Some of the smaller steel founders used them and smaller tropenas convertors, so it's just possible one of these was operating locally. If what you saw was actually a flame then I think the most likely explanation would be gas escaping from a coke oven when the door is removed and then igniting. That would be a brief flare but might occur every few minutes.

 

If, however, you saw an intense glow, perhaps reflecting off smoke or vapour, then that could be a blast furnace being tapped, hot coke being pushed, soaking pits being charged, activity at the pig caster, a whole range of possibilities in fact.

 

 

[Arthur]

I have to say a big thanks to all who have contributed to this discussion. I live in an ex steel making part of the country, and work in one of the last surviving iron foundry’s. I have always been fascinated by these plants, and the shear massiveness of them. On a good day our state of the art electric melters will knock out 8 ton an hour, compare that to the Redcar blast furnace....

 

Gary

 

Where do you live Gary? I might have some photos of local interest.

 

 

 

[sixteen 12by 10s]

Hi

 

I live in the land of the shopping centres, Brierly Hill in the black country. Local works would have been Round Oak, Thomas Baldwin’s, and Loyds. The foundry, is Brockmoor foundry, http://www.brockmoor.co.uk/ its about the last surviving icon in the area.

 

Gary

[Arthur]

Thanks to John Cowburn of the Industrial Railway Soc. for leading me to this, a really evocative image from the 1960's. One of DL's Sentinel 0-4-0DH's pushes internal hoppers of ore from the South Bank Wharf, over the main road, and into the works. Once the job of Dorman Longs steeple cab electrics, the catenary can be seen just above the right hand hopper wagon.

 

[Fat Controller]

Thanks to John Cowburn of the Industrial Railway Soc. for leading me to this, a really evocative image from the 1960's. One of DL's Sentinel 0-4-0DH's pushes internal hoppers of ore from the South Bank Wharf, over the main road, and into the works. Once the job of Dorman Longs steeple cab electrics, the catenary can be seen just above the right hand hopper wagon.

 

I wonder how much those hoppers were carrying? I've never seen an ore hopper (at least one loaded with ore) where the load has been visible, let alone piled high like that.

[Arthur]

Interesting point Brian, they were rated at 45 tons so a good deal higher than any BR ore hopper. Even so, they do look a bit 'heaped'!!!

[Mark Saunders]

Interesting point Brian, they were rated at 45 tons so a good deal higher than any BR ore hopper. Even so, they do look a bit 'heaped'!!!

 

It was practice at many works to load wagons till they looked full!

[Fat Controller]

 

It was practice at many works to load wagons till they looked full!

This was certainly the case with scrap- I had to go through a load of weigh-bills for scrap inwards at BSC Landore, and noted the average load for 16-tonners was 20+ tons and 21-tonners loaded 30+. No wonder the springs broke.. I should add that most had only come a mile or two, from one or other of the Morriston scrapyards.

[Mark Saunders]

Thanks to John Cowburn of the Industrial Railway Soc. for leading me to this, a really evocative image from the 1960's. One of DL's Sentinel 0-4-0DH's pushes internal hoppers of ore from the South Bank Wharf, over the main road, and into the works. Once the job of Dorman Longs steeple cab electrics, the catenary can be seen just above the right hand hopper wagon.

 

 

Does anyone know of the existance of any drawings of these hoppers as they would make nice models?

 

Mark Saunders

[12CSVT]

Thanks to John Cowburn of the Industrial Railway Soc. for leading me to this, a really evocative image from the 1960's. One of DL's Sentinel 0-4-0DH's pushes internal hoppers of ore from the South Bank Wharf, over the main road, and into the works. Once the job of Dorman Longs steeple cab electrics, the catenary can be seen just above the right hand hopper wagon.

 

 

Cracking photo Arthur, is there anymore that you could share with us all, its so good to see a picture in colour from that area.

Many thanks 12CSVT

Edited December 12, 2011 by 12CSVT

[Arthur]

Wish I could 12CSVT, sadly, I'm not aware of any more.

[mikguess]

One of the Redcar ones apparently derailed and overturned whilst loaded- it couldn't be righted and so was cut up in situ.

I was struck by how quickly they used to move them around the site- rather more quickly than the ones that BR used to send to Consett, which had a 25 mph maximum speed, IIRC.

I found this forum folowing some links and thought I would join to share some info I have. Here is the picture of the derailment. It was actually recovered and put back onto new bogies insitu using a couple of very big cranes !! I was on shift this day .

 

I also have the full layout of the Teesside ( two ss in Teesside ) works, including all the rail and road routes

[Fat Controller]

I found this forum folowing some links and thought I would join to share some info I have. Here is the picture of the derailment. It was actually recovered and put back onto new bogies insitu using a couple of very big cranes !! I was on shift this day .

 

I also have the full layout of the Teesside ( two ss in Teesside ) works, including all the rail and road routes

Respect to the people who put that one back on its wheels. The one I was referring to would have been about twenty or more years ago, though. It looks as though that photo's dated 2008, unless that was when you scanned a much older shot.

[Arthur]

Great photos, any more or anything else of interest?

 

I believe that one of them is still full of cold iron. The traditional way of getting it out is to tap as much hot metal as is possible into the ladle, remelt the cold surface and quickly tip it out. Repeat the proceedure until empty. Of course, if you get it wrong, it just gets worse....

[mikguess]

This is from 2008 and I believe is still full of iron.

 

I have a lot of pictures some are on flickr , here -

 

 

 

when I re-read my post , I should have said, I have the full layout of Teesside Works in a proper drawing !! I don't have the skill or space for an actual "full layout" as a model, my bad english !

It has every rail, road and building on it.

[Arthur]

Thanks for the links, fascinating photographs.

[Lambton58]

 

In Michael Portillo's programme earlier this evening Mr P was at Port Talbot works watching the torpedos. Seeing the molten iron going into these things set me wondering - what's the life expectancy of those wagons?

 

Ralph

Lambton 58

[Fat Controller]

In Michael Portillo's programme earlier this evening Mr P was at Port Talbot works watching the torpedos. Seeing the molten iron going into these things set me wondering - what's the life expectancy of those wagons?

 

Ralph

Lambton 58

They're lined with furnace brick, which is replaced fairly frequently. The steel superstructure and running gear shouldn't have any contact with the molten iron, and will have a design life of about 40 years.

Relining things like torpedo and slag ladles is a contender for 'worst job in the world'. When I was at BSC Landore, the ladles would stop being used on a Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, the brickies would chisel out damaged linings with a pneumatic drill- at this point, the things would take your skin off if you touched them. By Sunday, they'd have cooled off enough for the new bricks to be inserted, and cemented into place. On Monday morning, they'd be back in service.

[Arthur]

Years, those at Port Talbot have seen at least twenty years service and those at Redcar a little over thirty years. Not only are they massively constructed they have a hundred tonnes or so of refractory brick lining which is replaced every few months.

[Fat Controller]

Years, those at Port Talbot have seen at least twenty years service and those at Redcar a little over thirty years. Not only are they massively constructed they have a hundred tonnes or so of refractory brick lining which is replaced every few months.

Who makes them these days, Arthur? It used to be a British Steel subsiduary called Distington Engineering, who were at Workington, but I'm pretty certain they'll have gone by now.