tiny industrial lines

[JonathanS]

Far too many years ago I worked at the American Cyanamid Plant in Bound Brook NJ.  In one of the buildings we used 18" gauge track for our dryer carts.  The building made pigment for paint, ink, etc.  The wet pigment was placed on metal trays that looked like oversized cafeteria trays.  These trays were placed on racks inside the dryer carts and the carts were pushed into the dryers.  There were no switches.  All changes from one track to another was done using transfer tables.  Pushing those carts was hot, dirty, and low pay.  Alas it is all gone, having been torn down.

[steamfanatic]

There is the Monessen SouthWestern in southwest PA.  It still exists today.  It currently hauls coke to the W&LE in Belle Vernon.  It used to haul hot slag to be dumped, in addtion to internal mill operations for Pittsburgh Steel, then Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel.

[kevikens]

I am interested in ANYTHING that runs on rail and as my father was a metallurgist I have a special interest in these plant mini railroads. There are two in my area I like to watch and photograph, the Citi Steel works in Claymont Delaware which employs several old SW's and the Lukens Steel works in Coatesville Pa which not only uses SW's but has some kind of weird center cab diesel, maybe a 65 tonner, that moves what look like solid steel cars. I love to watch these rail operations and I recommend that railfans document and photograph their activities before they close and get replaced by something else. By the way if you do, get a very good telephoto long lens as fencing may make it difficult to get close to the actual operations.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Most large steel mills used to have fairly extensive narrow-gauge railroads within their confines which were used for moving hot ingots and in other parts of the steelmaking process.

[FJ and G]

thanks for feedback; not sure how they move the cars; the bay doors were open and I took the photo from street; plan to go back and ask permission to photo and ask questions. It would be interesting to know how many industrial buildings are left that have self-contained tracks like these.

In the US, there used to be a lot more. In Europe and elsewhere, there's quite a bit

[joseph2]

"The Shortline" is a magazine about shortline and industrial railroads,I wonder If any hobbyshops carry it ? I used to subscribe to it. Some of my old copies have stories about narrow gage industrial lines and modern operations. My employer owns and leases 2 miles of track from CSX,we have our own motive power.Nice photo of the brick factory,how do they move the cars ?   Joe

[wjstix]

There are some magazines that specialize in industrial railroads. Check out the local hobby shop, if nothing else, pick up a copy of "Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette". Besides being a great mag, it has ads from some of these other specialized mags.

I can think of a few examples around here (MN). There used to be a tie creosoting plant that used I think 18" gauge track and a couple of small engines. I think someone did an article on that in MR or RMC or NG&SLG a few years back. Up into the eighties, "fireless cooker" steam engines were used to switch a grain elevator complex owned by I think Pillsbury.

[FJ and G]

i have a big interest in tiny industrial lines; many more existed but a few holdouts remain like this brick railway near my house in Manassas VA; these railways are not common carriers and are not longer than a few hundred yards; i've never read about these in books or magazines and was wondering if I'm the only one interested