Thanks, Roo

jpv

Thanks Simon.

The plastic building sets are very old British made "Bayko" from the 50's I had packed away for years the wife suggested to bring it out and do something with it instead of just sitting around looking glum while the treatment hopefully sorts itself out. In fact she even dug it out from an old suitcase and placed it in front of me!

Here is the latest Track Plan for the Railroad incorporating the three new sidings at the Rolling Mill my friend Bruce Temperley drew it up to make me feel good ...it worked!.

Thanks. Roo.

Great modeling.  Reminds me of Baltimore MD in the 1970s.

That track plan if full of good shunting Nev. I could operate there all day long...and eat some of your fancy sandwiches too. All great stuff Mate.

Bob

Hi Everyone.

Not much happening last couple of weeks laid up with a back problem, did add a wall and roof to the furnace building today nothing is finished but I think I am achieving the dark gritty look of a mill much more to be added in the next couple of weeks. After two weeks I went into the room and got a shock when your focused on building something it seems to grow with you only when you walk away for a period of time in this case two weeks you come back to it and realise how big it is, I'll keep plodding away, it will get finished when I have no idea.

If you can make it on Friday we are having a run session let me know the day before and so I can provide lunch.

Take care. Roo.

I hope your recovering well.  Do not be daunted by the size of the project you have created.  Keep up the excellent work as your situation allows.  I hope your wife has mended as well.

something tells me you have been to one? Stunning work.

I have been inside one. It was described to me as similar to hell. Dark, ice cold (in the winter), Hot (as .... in the summer), smoky and fires burning!

I can understand why they don't allow people to walk in. I went in the wrong door at a rolling rod mill once. They screamed for me to leave. The guy was extra nice and explained outside that sometimes the molten rods don't follow the curved roller tracks. There have been people that were killed instantly as they were sliced in half. I was thankful that he was there.

Thank you for your replies.

I have never been in a mill. I have never seen one in reality. I have lots of books and spent a lot of time researching the industry.

The project is taking longer than I estimated I never took into consideration I could get sick and have to have time off. Also we have a running session most Fridays so the railroad has to work around the construction going on and there are smaller projects always happening at the same time.

COACH JOE: That was very kind of you to remember my wife's accident her hands have healed and she is fine, if you call me offline at this address below and if you don't mind giving me a postal address I will send something to you from West Australia in the mail I appreciate what you said. Roo

neville-1234@bigpond.com

Amazing work as always Roo.  

BH

BH.

Thanks mate.

Looking beautiful Roo! 

First time here in a while, excellent progress with this project

Colin

Nev, I just caught up on this post.  I'll contact you off line a bit later on.  Glad your wife has recovered and hope yor back is coming along.

Joe

ROO,

I noticed that your slag cars have scale couplers.  Are they body mounted or truck mounted?

Nice job!

Dave

very nice layout ROO, looks great !

here is a a neat video.....a lot of train movement.....

Nonstop Action at the ArcelorMittal Steel Mill

https://youtu.be/ysRjoFOzJLI

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

Dave the couplers are body mounted I have them sticking out further because of the sharp curves around the mill. I joined two Lionel cars together they are perfect size for a dual car I have done four so far. It wasn't easy cutting the first one up, one mistake would have cost me a lot of money! Grin.

Joe. I thought I must have upset you asking for your address, the offer is still on mate when your ready.  Don't expect a brass Big Boy! Ha Ha..

The next photos show how I have cleaned up the end of the new roof looks a lot better. I don't know if your aware of this but at the present time the complete furnace comes apart like a 3D jig saw nothing is glued together at the moment and won't be till it is finished to the level I want it to be. Even some of the stairways are not glued down. I must admit I am not looking forward to pulling it apart to finish it off and paint it!

Now for something different in the next photo is a new scrap yard around at Valley Forge. (more photos on this when it's finished) The idea is about increased operation.

In the past the Scrap trains to the Foundry/Mill originated from the Staging area was never happy with that I wanted most of the steel mill traffic to originate on the layout itself but still be realistic how did I find room for a scrap yard on an already crowded layout? Easy, I moved the passenger station at Valley Forge to the team tracks and used the station area for the scrap yard. now the scrap trains come from Valley Forge right around the layout to Yulan Valley Yard interchange they are then moved to the foundry when it's their turn on the program slowly most of the Steel Mill traffic is originating on the layout in a realistic way. The Coil trains and finished products still go to the Staging area not much I can do about that without building another room!

The Scrap Yard is modelled as the loading section only the rest is off the layout where the operator is standing that is where the scrap metal is supposed to be processed. Take care. Roo.

That's looking really good, Roo. 

Insanely amazing!!!! Just in awe of your many talents. I'm learning a lot just reading your posts. Thanks!!

Thanks guys. I will have some more photos next week. Roo.

Your a busy bloke Nev...and your most recent project is well done indeed.

Bob

Hey Roo!

I stumbled across this one:

http://www.smmsig.org/

It is a Steel Mill Modeler's special interest group!

Cheers,

Simon

Thanks Simon.

Those blokes are fanatics and I mean that in an nice way they are also very good modellers I don't think my efforts would be approved there are lots of details I have left out.

The blast furnace ovens when I finally do the piping will be reasonably accurate and better than the Walthers HO kit but still lots of details missing.

All the same it's a good site to pick up ideas and I appreciate you for posting it here. Roo.

Simon Winter posted:

Hey Roo!

I stumbled across this one:

http://www.smmsig.org/

It is a Steel Mill Modeler's special interest group!

Cheers,

Simon

Yes, I am a member.  The annual meet was just held in Bethlehem, PA.  Next year's will be in Kent, Ohio.

Even though most of the modeling is in HO, I always learn a lot.

George

Hi All,  Holy Smoke!  This thing's Fantastic!  When I was a kid my boy scout troop went on a tour to the American Bridge Steel Mill in San Francisco.  I agree with Joe.  It gave me the willies. You always had to watch out for everything!  Gigantic pieces of metal swingin' overhead, hot stuff flyin' around, and "don't look at the welders !"  SHOOT!  I wanted out ASAP!  I knew what I wasn't gonna do when I grew up.  Man, you shouldn't even be breathing that stuff!  I think  hell sums it up well.  My apologies to any of you fellas who may work in one of those mills, but I'm a novice.

At any rate, nice stuff Roo!  Prayin' for good health for you and your wife.

OSD

Thanks OSD.

Long train of scratch built Ingot buggies leaving the Rolling Mill.

I'm staging the layout for tomorrow these were left over from the last session. I use a GP-9 to stage the layout gives me a chance to run it don't normally use these locos during an operating session. Roo

Hey Roo, I haven't seen any posts from you in a while.  How are things with you and the Mrs.?  I had sent you an e-mail with my address as requested and haven't heard from you so I was beginning to worry.  Then I sent an e-mail to Johan in Finland and never heard back and began to wonder if either e-mail ever went through.

Hi.

I have been away for the last month or two and at the same time have been having back problems so haven't been to active on the Computer.

The good news is I fixed or the doctors have fixed the back at the present time and hopefully will give me a few more years without problems who knows anyway I am back into the layout full time after a break of a couple of months we still run it every friday when I'm home.

Here is a road bridge I am building it's a simple structure made out of mainly pine and wood shapes. I have also converted a number of the old K-Line coil cars to two rail for the Rolling mill traffic.

Coach Joe in all this turmoil I have lost your address along with a number of others because the computer also crashed send it to me again and i will post something to you mate sorry about all this but the main thing is Margie and myself are both fit and healthy and most important happy  looking forward to Christmas with the family.

Best regards. Roo.

Wicked bridge Roo.

Hey Roo;   Glad you are both well; Missed seeing your posts. keep up the great work.

Franky-Ogee

Thanks fellas.

We had a good running session yesterday using a new type of operating plan.

Operation:

We tried to run with new train orders that make you stop, look and think ahead to plan your moves like the real thing it's not for everybody but we liked it and looks like becoming a permanent thing. The big problem we have here in Perth is there just isn't the layouts to visit that run an operation plan so we are forced to devise our own or rely on American books about operation for ideas.

The old plan we used which is about number 22 was to rigid with no room for flexibility this new system enables us to fit in extra cars during the session an example a wrecking crane or an extra tank car for the Republic Steel engine house so far it's working and we like it.

The future:

I have decided to give away all my other interests for the next couple of months, maybe even the whole year, and devote all my spare time to the layout. There's no secret about making progress you just have to get a move on, have an aim in view have a deadline, and don't stand around talking I have told the other two operators that in the new year I expect them to turn up twice a week, one day for train running one day for working it's as much their railroad as mine and they should contribute more which they agree. I turn 75 years next year I can't do it on my own anymore.

So it's off the computer and out to the workbench or layout today as I intend to add another track to Waterside yard this weekend and have it working by Monday night.

Best regards. Roo.

Roo it's great to see you post again.  Glad you and Margie are both in fine health.  Glad you will be getting some help on the mill from your running mates.  I wasn't sure if you had gotten my e-mail.  I had also e-mailed another forum member from Finland and he never received the e-mail so I wasn't sure if I had a problem with international e-mails.  I'll try e-mailing you again.   

I rebuilt an MTH flatcar for internal service around the Steel mill needs a number and a good dose of weathering and it's finished.

New deck, ends, paint, trucks, couplings modelling time I enjoyed it I have ideas for lots of cars for mill use only, do them when I feel like a break from the Steel mill structures. It's fun.

Roo.

While I'm here the Blower/compressor house is nearing completion needs some lights on it I do have plans to light up the whole Mill if I live long enough! The building itself is just out of the builders mind, it's totally scratch built except for the window frames. The plain side is what you see first there was no room for stairs on that side as you can see.

I admit compared to the Furnace this is a day one week one structure, lot easier to build. 

We do run the layout every Friday so that takes up some of my time.. it's getting there. Roo.

Roo posted:

I rebuilt an MTH flatcar for internal service around the Steel mill needs a number and a good dose of weathering and it's finished.

New deck, ends, paint, trucks, couplings modelling time I enjoyed it I have ideas for lots of cars for mill use only, do them when I feel like a break from the Steel mill structures. It's fun.

Roo.

 

Roo, are you planning to haul slabs with it?

George

Roo,

Looks marvelous!

Happy New Year!

Simon

   I've been in and around a few big ones, Detroit to Youngstown Ohio.  This one seems smaller and very clean in comparison, but still looks like a mill to me.

  Especially before pollution was a big concern, you'd wake up and need to clean the soot from the car before driving it. Sometimes it was ⅛" or more thick. The buildings look like a heavy black paint wash was dumped over them in no time after fresh paint. The fallout continues, but nothing like it was. Then again production is a fraction of that today too. 

   Gramps came home covered head to toe with a pals blood at least once that I saw with my own eyes. He didn't like talking about mill accidents, but that one was a coil of sheet metal comming unbanded. Cut in half is not an exaggeration. Visitor rules at a mill are no joke for a reason.... No tresspassing signs, gaurds and fencing; they were everywhere.

  I'm not sure how to model it, maybe floral foam? But slag chunks end up all over near the tracks paths. It looks like moon rocks, lava, black coral, or coal with bubbles in it mostly. Other times like a water drop, frozen mid splash.

  Some rotten egg or acid scented smoke fluid at night would compliment it

  Sorry to hear about the back trouble Roo. I've been told it's just a matter of time before I'll be there with worn discs, a complication of torn diaphragm. So leave some room for company eh?

Mike CT posted:

The blue flat could also be used for ingot molds. Roo has an excellent pig iron furnace, where iron ore is reduced  to iron.  A BOF, basic oxygen vessel would be used to change the iron to steel.  The steel from the BOF vessel would then be cast  into  ingots.  Cold steel from the ingots would be reheated and run through roll mills to form slabs or blooms. 

I suppose so, but I think it's a bit big for that.  Typically you see the short flat cars for ingot molds because of their extreme weight.  Like these.

George

Thank you everyone.

Yes, Steel Mills were not a walk in the park to work in.

The flatcar will be used for any job that's required but slabs go to the top of the list.

I already have made ingot buggies there is nothing wrong with moving some empty ingots or even the moulds from one place to another in fact I like this car so much I am going to do another one.

The load on the car is made for a 40 foot gondola which is why it has a sturdy base and you don't see it in a Gon. My back is holding up for now.

George your photo came just before my message thanks for that.

Here are my Ingot buggies I like the weathering on top of the moulds looks good.

And Simon Happy New Year to you! Roo.