Newport Railroad Update 12/30/2023

The stoves are coming along. I got the base, stoves, and some of their plumbing printed. Nothing is glued together because I'm still working out print speeds and orientations. I haven't mounted this to a piece of wood yet either. I'm quite pleased with how the details have come out even though they're technically a little oversized. I didn't know my printer was capable of printing that fine.

I still have more piping to add. There will also be catwalks. I wandered around the stoves at Carrie furnace but to be honest, that place is so dense and so big that it's honestly difficult to follow what's going on. So I ended up just doing a bunch more research online to get an idea of what the plumbing would look like.

I also started on the high line. Early US blast furnaces (at least in the Mahoning Valley) had a raised portion of track. The raw materials would be dumped into piles under the raised tracks and guys would cart the raw materials to an elevator from there. That's what I'm modelling instead of an ore yard. Ore yards were typical in the 20th century but the Anna Furnace in Struthers and the Mary Furnace in Lowellville did not use them at all. Anna was demolished in the 50s and Mary in the 60s (I believe). Here's what I've come up with so far:

I'm guessing the final height will be 5"-5.5". I followed the NMRA guidelines but I'll be fine tuning that height to more accurately match how tight things were in northeast Ohio/western Pennsylvania. A lot of mills were shoehorned into tight spots and I think that's what makes the photos and everything so interesting to me. I'm not sure what rail I'll be using on the grade and trestle sections but I'm looking for opinions. I do intend to actually unload coal from the bottoms of hoppers.

So that's the latest. I've started remodeling the basement bathroom. That's relevant because I'm planning to have people stop over to run trains in the future but I didn't include any photos because it's really a mess down there. I'm dealing with someone's decision not to put enough valves in so I spent most of the day yesterday soldering new valves in place so I can put a toilet, vanity, and shower in without turning the water off to the whole darn house. I didn't make the most beautiful plumbing solder joints but I have no leaks and professionals would notice which joint was my first and which one was my last because I got better as the day went on

They turned out great Bill! You are in the vanguard of this newly emerging addition to the hobby. Congratulations on another productive weekend.

Jay

Very impressive work, Bill!  Your research and plans really make for fine looking models!

Thanks @Tranquil Hollow RR and @Mark Boyce. It's nice to see the planning and research produce something finally haha But I do appreciate the feedback. It's so difficult to set aside the pride I feel for the model and gauge how well I've actually done.

Bill,

Things have been really moving steadily for you. It is very impressive seeing your steel mill transform into reality. Based on your photos you clearly have done a lot of research. I'm sure you probably have mentioned what type of 3D printer you have somewhere in the thread, so I will understand if you tell me to go find it. However, if you're feeling generous, can you share that information again?

Dave

Thanks @luvindemtrains I appreciate that.

Most definitely! I'm rockin' a Creality CR10S Pro. I don't know if a stock CR10S Pro will do the things you see here so I'll list my modifications/upgrades:

1. Microswiss All Metal Hot End with 0.4mm nozzle
2. Z-axis lead screw synchronizing belt kit
3. A glass mirror with adhesive backed build sheet

I use Solidworks, Slic3r, and Octopi. That's a bit more info than you asked for but I don't want you to buy a CR10S Pro (or a similarly priced machine) and be bummed if it won't do the same thing as mine. Shoot me an email if you have more questions. I would be happy to help!

Bill,

You're doing great work there!  It just occurred to me that you might make use of my set of plans for a blast furnace.

George

Thanks for the detailed information Bill.

Dave

Bill

Just so outstanding work here, very well done.  Looming forward to seeing more.

Beautiful work!

Peter

Thanks! @Rich883 @Putnam Division

I've been working most of the summer on a bathroom remodel and a general remodel in the basement. It'll serve operating sessions very well. It'll still be a basement typical of an older house but much more room to walk and a nicer bathroom. I can't see why anybody would need to shower after an operating session but I suppose it's better to have it and not need it than the other way around

I'm overdue for a nicer post with pictures. I didn't realize it had been 6 months! I've been purchasing track a little at a time and the benchwork is complete. I also relocated the work bench so there's more space in the layout area. I've started adding terminal strips under the table to prepare for wiring.

The model has probably made the most progress. I've been printing for weeks now to verify gcode works well enough. Once all the pieces are printed, I'll assemble and make any necessary adjustments to make sure this thing fits together within reason. I plan to sell them as kits to hopefully fund the layout. The kits is intended to be upgrade friendly but look acceptable to someone who maybe wants to model the steel industry but doesn't care to kitbash and paint. Currently, I've been able to assemble past revisions without glue up to what you see in the pics. Gravity doesn't hold it together very well though, obviously.

I'm finishing a huge upgrade to the downcomer system. It's much more prototypical, prints faster, and looks better. Currently I have printed 64 parts out of about 183 total between the blast furnace, cast house, stoves, and dust collectors

So what's next on the blast furnace model?

• skip hoist (furnace top)
• skip house
• dust collectors
• maybe more stove details

I'm unsure about the stoves. Stoves are odd in terms of construction and most photos don't cover the details at the base. I may need a third trip to the Carrie Furnaces in Pittsburgh to sketch out the details at the base of those stoves.

So that's pretty much the news. Model railroading season is upon us! I have to can about 75 quarts of applesauce and finish the bathroom and then I plan to take a break and work much more on the model railroad.

I will post photos once the new downcomer is printed and the test pieces are installed.

As promised, here's some photos and whatnot.

Here's a full look at the benchwork:

Here's a closer look at the new bench work. It's funny how flat surfaces tend to instantly become shelves:

Here's some views of the blast furnaces:

This is a docksider spotting a covered hopper under the dust collector:

That's not final placement for dust collectors or anything. They'll be scooted to better fit to the furnaces from the down comer (the piece with the rubber band on it). To the right of the blast furnaces in the last pic, the blowing house will sit. The curve in the foreground of the pic serves a few purposes. It provides a way of reversing a train for the blast furnaces if needed. It also provides access to the blowing house for fuel, supplies/parts, and ash removal. It's not exactly realistic but it will definitely enhance operations.

Here's the next location of the last furnace:

The highline in the foreground will make a turn just to the left out of the picture where an incline will allow access from the yard, to the highline. Coal/coke, iron ore, and limestone will be delivered there and **hopefully** the hoppers will actually drain from the bottom, through the track, into bins that conceal a pipe into a bucket under the table. I've attempted to design that mechanism once and it did not go well. It's going to take some thinking to get that figured out.

Here's a video link:

https://youtu.be/HehKa54rQAA?si=DfToP6fs12Sdq3NS

A little feedback would be helpful if that video has crappy audio or anything. I know the hot metal train is too long. But I'm new to this video stuff and just need a place for longer videos than the forum can handle. Youtube uploads sure are different from back when I uploaded videos (about a decade ago apparently ). I'm going to have to actually sit down and figure out how to make a decent channel so I can host the longer videos there.

So there's a big old update with lots to look at. I've been down on myself for not doing a lot but putting this together made me realize I have done a lot!

Edit: I just watched the Youtube video again and I think I need a better camera. Any suggestions? I might pickup a used iphone off ebay or something.

Wow! You have been holding out on us!  That’s a lot you have accomplished!  Sorry I can’t help much with videos and camera suggestions.

@BillYo414 posted:

As promised, here's some photos and whatnot.

Here's a full look at the benchwork:

Amazing work; and, I loved the video, too!

Peter

Thanks!! @Mark Boyce @Putnam Division

@Putnam Division posted:

Amazing work; and, I loved the video, too!

Peter

Hi Peter, did I miss something?  What video??

Ron

I put it in a link in the post @PRRronbh. Here is the link again:

https://youtu.be/HehKa54rQAA?si=DfToP6fs12Sdq3NS

That is a spectacular looking layout Bill. So much intricate detail in the structures too. Your skills are very impressive. Nicely done video and I can envision this as a front page feature in a future edition of OGR. Way to go!

Jay

Amazing progress! Thanks for sharing.

Much appreciated @Tranquil Hollow RR and @LT1Poncho I'll continue to post as pieces come off the printer.

Now I saw the video too!  Very smooth action.  The hot metal cars reminded me of the Hot Metal Bridge across the Monongahela River.  I wonder if anyone has modeled that operation.

@BillYo414 posted:

I put it in a link in the post @PRRronbh. Here is the link again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x51tvZsch0Q

Thanks Bill.  But how the heck did I miss it after reading Peter's commit. went back looking for a link!!  Especially with a ACY hopper car in it!

Ron

@Mark Boyce posted:

Now I saw the video too!  Very smooth action.  The hot metal cars reminded me of the Hot Metal Bridge across the Monongahela River.  I wonder if anyone has modeled that operation.

Thanks!!

That would be something to see right there! The remaining tracks at the Carrie Furnace are tightly tangled with the structures. It would be very exciting to operate!

No problem @PRRronbh. I should have actually posted the video. I need to formally make a channel at some point. I don't think ACY was typical in the mills but I like it! And it helps set the location of the layout a bit.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Now I saw the video too!  Very smooth action.  The hot metal cars reminded me of the Hot Metal Bridge across the Monongahela River.  I wonder if anyone has modeled that operation.

The video of hot metal cars reminds of when the Erie push hot metal loads through Youngstown dumped a load at or around Walnut St. back in the 50's as I recall.  I think a certain forum member that worked the Erie talked about this at one time>

Ron

@BillYo414 posted:

Thanks!!

That would be something to see right there! The remaining tracks at the Carrie Furnace are tightly tangled with the structures. It would be very exciting to operate!

No problem @PRRronbh. I should have actually posted the video. I need to formally make a channel at some point. I don't think ACY was typical in the mills but I like it! And it helps set the location of the layout a bit.

The ACY handled car loads of limestone and Dolomite from National Lime and Stone Carey Ohio.  The ACY was originally chartered  in 1907 to connect Akron to Youngstown to supply the mills.  That was until F.A. Seiberling got his claws into the ACY!

Ron

@PRRronbh posted:

The ACY handled car loads of limestone and Dolomite from National Lime and Stone Carey Ohio.  The ACY was originally chartered  in 1907 to connect Akron to Youngstown to supply the mills.  That was until F.A. Seiberling got his claws into the ACY!

Ron

No way! I thought I read it never made it to Canton or Youngstown but never got into the reasons for it. It was the Seiberling character that stopped it?

@BillYo414 posted:

No way! I thought I read it never made it to Canton or Youngstown but never got into the reasons for it. It was the Seiberling character that stopped it?

Yes, Seiberling was Goodyear Tire and Rubber.  Seiberling wanted to circumvent the PRR,B&0 and Erie to get his products to Detroit.  So under him the ACY push west to Columbus Grove and Ford's RR the DT&I.  Then a little more to Delphos and the NKP.  Interchanging with both roads to Detroit.  National Lime and stone's limestone, dolomite and soft coal was taken by the ACY and interchanged with the C&O to be taken to the Youngstown area Mills  in a much longer convoluted route toward Cleveland then south east to Youngstown Mills.  The ACY rr became a LARGE switching RR.

Bill by the way if you have Morning Sun's "Trackside around Youngstown" 1962-1982 on page 97 you will see a string of 5 ACY hoppers pulled byB&O along side Republic Haselton blast furnaces.

Ron

I skimmed his bio on Wikipedia @PRRronbh. Pretty interesting stuff. Makes total sense he would push west instead of East. I had always assumed the railroad out of Bessemer, PA and Hillsville supplied all the limestone and wise guys needed for the mills.

I'm glad I can run the ACY cars though. That's convenient haha thank you for sharing this info! I had no idea. The Wikipedia article on the ACY ought to be changed.

I think I have that book. I'll have to check for the picture if I do.

Wow Bill! The furnace has come a long way! All 3D printed? Really like the raised piers for the elevated line aswell! May have to email ya on some questions sometime so I can try and print some.

@Lancer yessir! 100% 3D printed. Go ahead and shoot me an email whenever you'd like!

It was fun having Bill over to run trains with his controller / overlay.  I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.

By the way, Bill does excellent 3D printing.  He did the teeming ladle and bailer (crane hooks) for my open hearth.

George

wow.. .Most impressive blast furnaces... and the space in general!

Hot Metal Bridge? Hmmm. Trying to remember if I have ever seen an O Scale MCRR locomotive. 

Thanks @Greg Nagy!

Somebody should model the hot metal bridge. It would be fun to operate that train!

The skip hoist and downcomer ring are fitted:

I need some adjustment on the downcomer because the alignment is off but at least I know the idea works. The extra wide section of steps would connect the skip house to the catwalk. But I haven't printed the updated skip house floor and I forgot to put the catwalk on. I hope to animate some skip cars going up and down in the long run but I'm pleased with the look so far.

Very nice!  Those steps look mighty steep.  What material do the skip cars carry?

They would be @Mark Boyce. The skip cars would carry iron ore, limestone, and coke.

So this is where all three get dumped in.

Yes @Mark Boyce. The contents make their way into the skip cars in a number of different ways. Then the cars go up the skip hoist and dump into the top of the furnace.

Before the skip hoist was implemented, materials were carted into an elevator and dumped in by hand. That would have been a brutal job.

It's just wild to see this thing really come together. It's taken me months to figure out how to print and assemble the down comer and stacks with the skip hoist and upper deck. It's a relief that the concept worked.

That’s just totally impressive Bill. It’s one thing to build a layout but then you did such extensive research. That’s going to be such a unique operation. Congratulations!

Jay

Thank you so much @Tranquil Hollow RR I can't wait to get a complete loop of track haha