Blast Furnace Recent Photo

Hello, Just an iPhone pic........I threw a bridge crane in the cast house and added the bustle pipe to the stoves.

Very Nice.. Great work thanks for sharing...I can only wish to do the same..

Looks awesome Dave, where'd you get that crane? 

Dave..you do nice work !

Dave,

Although I know nothing about the steel industry I love your mill because it dwarfs the train and it is rusty.

Great scene!

Malcolm

Dave more very nice work. I see you have a couple of ore trains in the yard. My GTW Ore train is close to the Ohio Pa line tonight and we are going to stage it near your area until youtell us the yard is clear for us.

Dave....this project is coming along nicely.  I grew up in Portage, Indiana not far from the U.S. Steel Gary Works and I remember structures just like you have built.  Beautiful work my friend!

Alan

Exactly! 

I've been working on catwalks, ladders, railings and the cast house floor.  Everything is scratch.

Dave

Outstanding work, my friend!  That is going to be one heck of a fine steel mill when it's completed.  For that matter, it's one heck of a fine mill already!

Weather permitting, I may make the drive over to Mercer on Saturday, so I hope to see you then.

Looking great Dave!

Dave....this project just keeps getting better and better!!  WOW!

Alan

simply no words!

AG.

Dave excellent work!!!! Thanks for sharing with us.

That looks like something from a Sci Fi film!!! Is there a tour going on??? Never seen this stuff up close.....would love to!

Dave,

Just fantastic craftsmanship.

Alan Graziano

Thanks guys!

AMC Dave,  here is the site for the Carrie Furnace tour:  http://www.riversofsteel.com/things-to-do/tours/

Dave

Nothing else to say but Awesome, now, the question is are you going to mass produce them someday?, cause I'm sure there are several of us that would jump at the chance to put a model of that quality on our layouts.  There are HO kits of Blast Furnaces, but nothing in O, I'd think you have the market cornered, regardless, keep up the outstanding work!

Dang, that is looking good. 

Thanks Dave for sharing.

I put more catwalks and railings on the stoves and the furnace today.  I don't know how detailed to do the top of the furnace.  There is a lot happening on the real ones.

Dave

You have inspired me to get moving on mine---grand work!

Most impressive,,your da man !!!! john

dave, nice work.  since you have been doing this, i'm saving up cardboard mail tubes to build some kind of factory. 

now, you have plastic steel girders and such.  where did you get all of this stuff? 

Chris

I really like this as a background activity that utilizes railcars. However, it is not the main activity, the trains are the main activity. This is a very convincing diorama, like a farming scene or oil and gas piping scene or electrical substation scene, or a series of highrises etc.

My point is that this is one of several layout focal points. I agree that it is unique. I have not seen or attempted to create a blast furnace anywhere near as nice or as detailed as this one. It is museum quality IMO.

However, at some point there is a vanishing return on the detail that becomes under appreciated. It is up to you to decide when that point occurs.

Mike,

I will eventually connect all of the pipes and install skip carts/lift.  I have to be able to move it around at this point and maybe even do a little more wall painting.

Dave

Very nice  Thanks for posting.

 Mike CT  

You are welcome to use my NWSL Sensi-press and Riveter for your embossing.

Mike,

I cheated and used a ponce wheel.  I'm not that crazy!  Thanks

Dave

That kind of implies, allllllll those rivets on my scratch TT indicated a degree of crazy.        

Watch out for Mike the rivet counter.

Nice work Dave - keep up the postings when you have time.

Dave

Can you provide dimensions of your furnace and stoves?    I have the HO version from Walthers (too small I know), but may incorporate some into a portion of a larger setup--

"I have the HO version from Walthers (too small I know)"  

Actually all you have to do is use a little tweaking and change out the hand rails and walk ways and you have a nice little mill.  Raise the structure up a little so trains can clear and place it against a back wall with the trains in the foreground and the HO one is still very convincing.  I've done a couple for customers this way, mainly because I don't have Dave's scratch building talent!   I just build railroads.  Russ

That is INSANE! I don't know how you do it, but it is amazing.

Once it's done it would be great to see a video of it in action! OGR Webmaster, fire up the film crew truck!! It's getting near time to visit Dave's layout.

Dave, Your work is astounding!!! What a tedious piece of modeling!!  Here's some pics that may be helpful:

I started working on the uptake details.  There is so much going on here on a real furnace.  It is also hard to find good detailed drawings.  I think I am in the ballpark.

Dave

Dave.....as usual...LOOKING GOOD !

WOW  Dave, what can i say......

you are really going  to town on that project... ALOT of different aspecs of modeling  to be appreciated  there.... Nice job! Real Nice!

Dave,

The uptake details look great. That is my favorite part of the furnace to construct.

Your work on this project is fantastic from the construction to the painting.

Alan Graziano

Awesome! Very well done. Looks like a very imposing building!

Dave, Keep up the good work.