Youngstown Steel Heritage Preservation

2010 Year in Review

2010-12-02T10:49:00.000-05:00

2010 proved to be the busiest year in our organization's history. We started off the new year with a new name, since the "Tod Engine Foundation" name no longer adequately described our increased focus on preservation of all aspects of the Youngstown District's steel industry heritage.

January

Severstal Wheeling donates this 26" x 54" x 48" cross compound Corliss steam engine, built in 1905 by Westinghouse Machine Co. in Pittsburgh, PA. The removal of this engine will proceed throughout the entire year.

March

Photographer Joseph Elliott photographed the Steubenville North plant for the Historic American Engineering Record. The documentation project was paid for through sponsorships.

April

Drain lines for the enginehouse gutters and flywheel pit were installed. The foundation wall for the east end of the building was also formed up and poured.

May

The YSHF purchased a set of William Tod Co. gauges at an estate sale. These gauges once adorned the triple expansion water pumping engine at Lake Rockwell in Kent, Ohio.

June

The Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwest Pennsylvania donates a Kling type hot metal car and a 175 ton teeming ladle. Both were built in Youngstown by the William B. Pollock Company. We spend the entire month cutting the ladle in half and building track at the Tod Engine Heritage Park for the car.

Morgan Engineering in Alliance, OH donates an 1890s vintage Olsen tensile testing machine and a ladle hook. The tensile machine was moved from Morgan's power house and reassembled inside the Tod Enginehouse.

July

Grim's Crane Service moves the Kling type hot metal car and the teeming ladle to the Heritage Park.

Ellwood Engineered Castings contributed this 63,000 lb. ingot mold, originally made for Lukens Steel in Coatesville, PA.

August

The first heavy lift was made in the dismantling of the Westinghouse Corliss engine as the top half of the generator stator was removed. This is remarkable when considering that to make the lift we had to install 30 feet of overhead crane runway in the building and upgrade the existing crane to 20 ton capacity.

September

Penn-Ohio Logistics in Austintown, OH donates this 1944 General Electric 80 ton diesel locomotive. The locomotive was last used in McDonald, OH and needs minor work to be made operational again.

October

YSHF volunteers spent a few days down in Rankin, PA assisting our friends at Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area in securing the Carrie blast furnace site. We installed a new set of drive gates and repaired several holes in the site's perimeter fence.

November

Our final "save" of the year was this rare 1930 Westinghouse diesel locomotive, one of the oldest and most historically significant diesels in existence. Built in Pittsburgh, it was used at the Armco Butler Works until the 1960s. We will be moving it to Youngstown from St. Paul, Minnesota in 2011.

The construction of the Tod Enginehouse was finished with the completion of the front wall in November. The steel siding used for the endwalls was donated by Severstal Wheeling.

During 2010 the YSHF's collection of historic steelmaking equipment increased by 360 tons, bringing the total amount of equipment under our care to about 750 tons. 2011 will prove to be just as exciting as 2010 as we complete the removal of the Westinghouse Corliss engine and move our two newest locomotives to new quarters. With the enginehouse building completed, we intend to host a few open houses during the summer months.

We were extremely fortunate this year to raise the funding needed to save all of this equipment. However, merely acquiring this equipment is only part of the battle. We now have to properly house and restore these priceless pieces of our industrial heritage. We are always looking for new volunteers to join in our efforts, as well as contributions to keep up the momentum. If interested in becoming actively involved in the YSHF please contact me and I'll get you started.

Thank you for your support of our efforts to preserve steel history.

Rick Rowlands

President

Youngstown Invention Comes Back Home

2010-06-27T07:51:00.000-04:00

This railroad car, designed to transport 70 tons of molten iron between the blast furnaces and steelmaking furnaces in an integrated steel mill, has been acquired by the Youngstown Steel Heritage Foundation and is to be moved to the Tod Engine Heritage Park very soon. This type of car was invented in 1923 by Fred Kling, chief engineer of the US Steel Youngstown District plants. Mr. Kling assigned the patent to William B. Pollock Co. in Youngstown, who built quite a few of these cars for the steel industry. at least three still exist, all in the Pittsburgh area.

With the significance of this car to our local history, we were excited to have the opportunity to bring it home and properly exhibit it at the Heritage Park. It will be blasted, painted and exhibited coupled to our 70 ton diesel locomotive from Ellwood Engineered Castings in Hubbard.

Westinghouse Corliss Steam Engine Removal

2010-01-31T21:25:00.000-05:00

Work has begun on the preservation and removal of this 26" x 54" x 48" cross compound Corliss generating engine donated by Severstal Wheeling. The engine is located in Steubenville, OH and over the next few months will be dismantled and moved to Youngstown for inclusion in the Tod Engine Heritage Park. The engine was built around 1902 by the Westinghouse Machine Co. for the Labelle Iron Works and installed to generate 250 volts DC for the plant. Last operated probably in the late 1960s, the engine has been relatively untouched ever since and is a rare find.

Big Changes in the Works!

2009-11-16T11:57:00.004-05:00

On November 22, 2009 the Tod Engine Foundation will become the Youngstown Steel Heritage Foundation. The new name better describes our mission of preserving the steel industry heritage of the Youngstown steelmaking district which includes both the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys. Our primary function will continue to be the construction and operation of the Tod Engine Heritage Park, however other projects are in the works including instituting memberships, publication of a quarterly journal featuring articles about Youngstown district steelmaking history and steel preservation around the world, and of course working to educate the public about the dynamic history of steelmaking in the Youngstown district.

For our new logo we are using the former "Youngstown Steel" ladle and arrow mark which was developed by the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. This mark once represented high quality steel products manufactured by YS&T, now it represents the preservation of all of our steelmaking heritage.

The officers of the Youngstown Steel Heritage Foundation include: Rick Rowlands President, Zara Rowlands Secretary and Rich Rees Treasurer. The board of directors include: Rick Rowlands, David Tod II, Dr. Thomas E. Leary, Ken Izzo and Chris Dawson.

New bylaws are being drafted and we expect to have a new website up and running and begin a membership drive by the end of the year.

Tod Enginehouse Progress

2009-11-05T15:42:00.004-05:00

Here are the latest images of the enginehouse now that the Morgan crane has been installed. I am planning to hang the rest of the steel siding on the north side of the building tomorrow, and then the major work will be done until we can raise some additional funding to erect the endwalls.

The Steelwork is Erected

2009-10-16T07:45:00.003-04:00

The steel framework of the Tod Enginehouse has been erected, and next week once the weather improves we will install the roofing and sidewalls. The crane will be installed probably within the next couple of weeks as well.

Crane Runway Prep Work

2009-09-11T00:14:00.002-04:00

The two overhead crane runway girders for the enginehouse were purchased secondhand for half the cost of new steel. They both need a few gussets welded in place and holes drilled for the runway rail clips. The photo shows one of the girders in my garage at home being drilled for rail clips using an ancient Black and Decker magnetic drill press. It poked twenty 7/8" dia. holes in the cap channel and top flange of the 22" wide flanged beam without any trouble at all. However the gear whine could be heard throughout the neighborhood!

Progress Report for Sept. 7

2009-09-07T21:14:00.003-04:00

While many Americans celebrated Labor Day today by taking the day off, your s truly was hard at work building more concrete forms for the Tod Enginehouse at the Tod Engine Heritage Park. I've set a goal of having enough of the building finished by next summer to hold a couple of public open houses at the site and try to build more interest in the project and our wonderful Youngstown landmark. 2010 will be the Tod Engine's "Coming Out Year".

Construction of the enginehouse is progressing at a good pace. There is a bit more concrete work to do before we can start erecting the building, but by the end of October I plan to have the basic building erected. We'll get there one way or another as I've never been more motivated than I am now to get this goal reached before winter.

By the way now is a rare opportunity to see the Tod Engine in the open before it is enclosed by the building. So come on out to the Park and see the engine before the building goes up, you'll be glad you did!

Engine House Construction August 1, 2009

2009-08-02T13:40:00.005-04:00

The Morgan crane received its first coat of Caterpillar yellow today. This color is a bit more pleasing than the bright canary yellow which the crane previously wore. Also, the temporary shelter which had covered the cylinders for the past three years was taken down, making this the first time that the assembled engine could be seen unobstructed.

Engine House Construction July 20, 2009

2009-08-02T13:34:00.002-04:00

The four footers for the south piers of the enginehouse were poured on July 20. Each 6' x 6' x 12" pad was poured with 5,000 psi cocnrete and reinforced with rebar. The concrete piers will rest upon these pads.

Work Begins on the Tod Enginehouse

2009-06-16T20:26:00.003-04:00

Now that we spent another $1,500 for a civil engineer to design a stormwater retention system for the Heritage Park property, the Youngstown Engineering Department has given its approval of our building permit application. This only took about eight months to accomplish! Now its back to the building dept. to review and hopefully they will sign off and we can finally obtain our building permit.

I have started construction of the wooden concrete forms for the building's eight piers in my garage. The photo shows three of the four panels made up to form one pier. We will pour the south four piers first, three will be eight feet tall and the west pier will be ten feet tall, due to the fact that the property slopes from east to west. Under each pier will be a 6' x 6' x 12" thick reinforced concrete pad to spread out the building load to the soil. I'll be doing the excavation, formsetting and rebar installation just as soon as possible so that we can pour concrete without much delay.

When the south four piers are finished I'll move to the north side and repeat the process there. On the north side the process will be a bit different since there will be concrete infill walls between the piers. This will require pouring a continuous footer between each pad. I will make regular entries to this blog during every step of the way of the construction of the enginehouse.

"Sheet and Tube" Crawler Crane Joins Collection

2009-05-24T16:55:00.003-04:00

Recently the Tod Engine Foundation purchased this 1950s Insley model K12 crawler crane. The crane has a capacity of 12 tons at 10 foot radius and a 40' boom. We decided to purchase the crane since we need an easier way to handle heavy objects at the Heritage Park, and it will also save us a great deal of money later this year when we begin erecting the enginehouse building. We have spent a total of approximately $2,000 on the crane including purchase price, cost of shipment and replacement parts.

An added benefit of having the crane is that it "fits" perfectly into our industrial themed museum project. All steel mills employed cranes similar to this one for a myriad of uses, including handling finished products, plant maintenance and general lifting duties. We thought that the crane would look appropriate painted in the Youngstown Sheet and Tube colors and wearing the ladle and arrow logo, although it does not have a YS&T lineage.

Morgan Crane Removal Part 1

2009-02-28T09:16:00.004-05:00

On Friday, February 27 I hired AB Crane and Steel Service to bring their 30 ton Grove truck crane to Masury, OH to begin the major dismantling of our Morgan crane. My goal was to take the trolley and one crane girder down, and in a little over three hours we had finished the job.

Dale Desser and Jason Graves from Erie, PA came down to assist. Dale works for a crane service company and his knowlege and expertise was greatly appreciated. The trolley was way too heavy to lift in one piece, so we took down the hoist drum first, followed by the hoist idler shaft and finally the frame of the trolley. The total weight of the trolley is somewhere around 15,000 lbs. The last lift involved taking down one of the girders. Dale climbed out onto the girder and rigged up the slings, and then the crane lifted the girder out and down onto the floor.

More preparation work is needed before we can attempt to take down the other girder and the end trucks. Once everything is down the crane will be trucked to the Tod Engine Heritage Park and stored until it is put up in our soon to be built enginehouse building.

New Tod Engine Youtube Channel

2009-02-09T23:35:00.002-05:00

In our efforts to continue educating the people of the Mahoning Valley and the world about the industrial heritage of our fine area, the Tod Engine Foundation has created a Youtube channel where I have begun to upload various videos and films of interest. My favorite is a film (with an unforgettable soundtrack) about steelmaking at the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Campbell Works in the 1920s. Also online is the 1984 documentary "Shout Youngstown". I also shot much home video in the 1990s and am posting some of those videos as well. You can watch as I toured the Jeannette Blast Furnace and coke plant, had a chance encounter that put me in the right place at the right time when the Ohio Works ore bridges were felled, and another chance encounter that netted me a cab ride on the Lake Erie and Eastern Railroad a couple years before it too disappeared.

So go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/todengine and enjoy the videos!

Hot Strip Mill-Everything in Motion

2009-01-17T18:55:00.002-05:00

79" Hot Strip Mill Model Test Run

2009-01-17T17:04:00.003-05:00

EEC Locomotive Donation Update

2008-12-30T17:10:00.004-05:00

I have finally begun making preparations for moving one of the 70 ton locomotives from Ellwood Engineered Castings in Hubbard to the Tod Engine Heritage Park. The 6114B, painted red, will join our other equipment at the park in 2009.

The locomotive was retired after an incredible 65 years of service, and over 40 of those years were spent in the Valleys. Built in November, 1942 by General Electric in Erie, PA, the locomotive was sold to the New York Central where it was used for mainly switching passenger cars in passenger terminals. By the early 1960s it was sold to Cambria Slag and used in Sharpsville, PA. The locomotive then moved to Standard Slag in Youngstown where it served until the late 1970s or early 1980s when it and a sister locomotive was sold to Valley Mould & Iron in Hubbard. Valley Mould later became Valley Vulcan Mold before closing. The plant was reopened as Ellwood Engineered Castings and the locomotive again was placed back in service. During 1999-2000 yours truly worked at EEC and operated this locomotive on many occasions. The first photo shows the 6114B on a Saturday in the winter of 1999 on a day when I had my camera with me in the plant. Compare that to the second photo taken of the locomotive three days before Christmas, 2008.

We plan to do minimal restoration work on the locomotive which will include a thorough cleaning and a new paint job. We will not repair any of the battle damage that the locomotive has received over its career, instead choosing to show that damage as an example of the rough service which mill engines must endure. The locomotive is operational and will remain in operational condition as we intend to use its two diesel electric generators to provide 250 volts DC power to operate our Morgan Crane.

Tod Engine Being Painted

2008-09-06T11:20:00.005-04:00

We have begun repainting the Tod Engine into its proper shade of green. This color was obtained from an original can of paint that was used on the gas engines at Bethlehem. I later discovered that it is also the same shade of green that once graced our engine. We had Mahoning Paint Corporation match the color, and last week started recoating the entire engine in what is now called "Tod Engine Green".

Fred Tod Passes Away

2008-09-06T10:48:00.002-04:00

Fred and David Tod visiting the Tod Engine Heritage Park in 2005

YOUNGSTOWN – Fred Tod Jr., a descendent of one of the founding families of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, died at home on Sept. 3, at age 90.Mr. Tod was born at home, in Youngstown, Ohio, on May 2, 1918 to Fred Tod Sr. and Marguerite Hubbard Tod.He was a great-grandson of David Tod, the famous Civil War Governor of Ohio, and a grandson of William Tod, who helped develop the iron and steel industry in the Mahoning Valley.Mr. Tod graduated from Choate Preparatory School in Wallingford, Conn. and Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps where he served for three years, and was scheduled for assignment to the Pacific when WWII ended. He joined the George O. Bruce Insurance Agency in Youngstown, and along with the late Walter E. Meub Jr., bought the firm in 1952, from which he retired in 1978.Over the years, he served as president of the Tod Foundation, was a trustee of the Youngstown Foundation, was on the board of the Butler Institute of American Art, was a member of the Vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church, and was a vice president of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society. He also served as a trustee and president of the Tod Homestead Cemetery Association, was a director and vice president of the Stambaugh Thompson Company, and was a director of both the Mahoning National Bank and the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. He was a president and trustee of the Youngstown Hospital Association (nka) Forum Health. He was also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Girard Historical Society.He was a member of the Rolling Club, Ligonier, Pa. During the winters, he and his wife spent time in Florida on North Key Largo, where they were members of the Ocean Reef Club, the Card Sound Golf Club, and the Key Largo Anglers Club. He was an avid fisherman and golfer and was club champion at the Youngstown Country Club in 1947, where he maintained a near scratch handicap. He and his wife were active participants in the “People to People” Cultural Exchange Golf Program, playing golf in 17 countries and at six of the top ten rated golf courses in the world.He also enjoyed skeet shooting, skin diving, and was an expert wood worker. He traveled extensively throughout the world with his family and friends.Mr. Tod is survived by his wife of 67 years, Nancy Brockett Tod; his three surviving children, Dorothy Tod of Warren, Vt., Nancy (Thom) McFadden of Woodland Hills, Calif. and Sallie (Paul) Dutton of Youngstown, Ohio; nine grandchildren, Kacie Wick (Joel) Beck of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Benjamin Cheney of Montpelier, Vt., Jessica Koff of Boston, Mass., Andrew Koff of Burlington, Vt., James McFadden, Tyler McFadden and Will McFadden, all of Los Angeles, Calif., Erika Carlson (Jason) Turner of Atlanta, Ga. and Emily Carlson of Chicago, Ill.; and two great-granddaughters, Abigail Grace Beck and Lucy Elizabeth Beck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. He is also survived by his brother, David (Elizabeth) Tod of Youngstown, Ohio.Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Marguerite Koff; and three sisters, Marguerite Owsley, Sallie Ketcham and Katherine Johnstone.There will be a funeral service at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Youngstown, Ohio, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, preceded by calling hours at 10 a.m.Mr. Tod will be interred at the Tod Homestead Cemetery in Youngstown, Ohio.The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church, Youngstown, Ohio.Arrangements are being handled by the Shriver-Allison-Courtley-Weller-King Funeral Home.

Sign of Things to Come!

2008-08-21T18:14:00.002-04:00

I spotted this sign being put up on the side of the Burt building in downtown Youngstown this afternoon. The Mahoning Valley Historical Society recently purchased the Ross Radio/Burt Building and is planning to transform it into the Mahoning Valley History Center. This is a much needed facility as the MVHS museum and archives on Wick Avenue is bursting at the seams.

I wish them much luck in raising the needed money!

Enginehouse Components Delivered

2008-07-30T12:19:00.002-04:00

The photos shows a truckload of columns for the new Tod enginehouse building being delivered. Much of the building has been delivered, with a couple of truckloads remaining to be hauled from West Middlesex to the Heritage Park.

Our architect indicates that we may be able to apply for a partial building permit by the end of the week. The partial permit would cover the building footers and allow us to finally begin construction of the enginehouse.

Tod Engine Finally Reassembled!

2008-07-02T07:37:00.002-04:00

On July 1, 2008 the crankshaft and flywheel of our Tod Engine was reassembled. The engine had been disassembled since 1997, and now with it back together construction can start on our engine house building. Two cranes were needed to assemble the pieces. Over the next week we will attach many more of the smaller parts of the engine.

Engine House Building Fabrication Completed

2008-06-30T11:34:00.002-04:00

The fabrication of the engine house building components have been completed and within the next couple of weeks will be delivered to the Tod Engine Heritage Park. The photos show the eight building columns waiting to be delivered.

Our next major project is placing the crankshaft in its bearings and assembling the flywheel. When that is done we will be ready to start pouring foundations, assuming we obtain the building permits soon.

Big Cottonwood Tree at Heritage Park Comes Down

2008-06-24T20:59:00.003-04:00

The large Cottonwood tree that shaded the rear of the Tod Engine Heritage Park property was cut down this evening. We plan to start developing the rear of the property and it was decided to get rid of the tree now instead of wait until it falls on a building or equipment. About a dozen logs will be sawn into lumber at a local sawmill for use by one of our volunteers. The smaller branches are being cut into firewood.

While we will miss the shade, we just could not bear the risk of this quite overgrown tree falling in a big storm. We do plan to plant other trees in the rear of the property for landscaping and shade purposes.

Stambaugh Building

2008-06-10T12:55:00.004-04:00

With the current controversy regarding the future of the Stambaugh building, I thought I would post some of my own comments.

The eight story Stambaugh Building was built in 1906. Shortly thereafter firms such as Youngstown Sheet and Tub and Brier Hill Iron & Coal Co. established their corproate headquarters inside. In 1913 the growth of Youngstown Sheet and Tube required that four additional stories be added to the building, bringing the height to 12 stories. Over the years YS&T slowly occupied most of the space in the building, including Brier Hill's space after YS&T acquired Brier Hill Steel in 1923.

The building was designed by Albert Kahn, one of Detroit’s most important architects. It was designed in the Neo-Classical Revival style. In the early 1960s YS&T decided to construct a new corporate office and laboratory in Boardman, OH, and in 1964 moved their corporate HQ from the Stambaugh Building. Once YS&T vacated the building Standard Slag relocated their corporate offices to the structure. In 1982 the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

From the building's construction in 1906 until vacated by YS&T in 1964, this building bore witness to the growth of what was to become the Nation's third largest steelmaker. In 1906 YS&T was a small producer of wrought iron sheet and pipe. Their first blast furnaces and Bessemer converters were then under construction. Led by James A. Campbell, Sheet and Tube would expand by leaps and bounds until it had become a major producer of steel products.

Meanwhile, just a block away in a similar skyscraper off of Market Street bridge was the corporate office of Republic Steel Corporation, also one of the largest steel companies in the US. Republic moved to Cleveland in 1935, but in those years when both Republic and YS&T were both located in Youngstown, the decisions made in those two buildings shaped a good part of the development of America's steel industry.

Now a Cleveland developer named Lou Frangos has purchased the Stambaugh Building, and through a very shortsighted maneuver, has removed most of the windows on the west facade. He claims that the windows were unsafe, however a much more measured approach of inspecting the windows and removal of those in most danger of failing would have been a more appropriate response. Now several hundred openings exist in the building, and one heavy storm may cause untold amounts of water damage to the interior. At the very least a building permit was required, but was not obtained.

Fortunately the leadership of the City of Youngstown is not blind to this issue, and is aggressively pursuing Mr. Frangos to ascertain his intentions. The City's immediate goal is to make sure the building is secured, possibly through boarding up the openings with plywood. However they have stated that a longer term strategy for window replacement will be required of Mr. Frangos.

Nobody in Youngstown wants to see one of our landmark buildings fall into disrepair in the midst of our downtown's rennaissance. I am especially concerned that one of the last tangible pieces of our city's own homegrown steel company is being treated with such disrespect. Slowly the industrial landmarks that once defined this Valley, and brought worldwide attention to our community, are being removed forever. Let's not stand idly by while the Stambaugh Building languishes in its hour of greatest need.

Saving a Bit of the Weirton Engine

2008-06-08T12:39:00.002-04:00

For the past year I've been working with Arcelor Mittal Weirton, Inc. to save some parts from the United Tod blooming mill engine at Weirton, WV. Recenly our request was granted and so far I've spent three days at Weirton gathering up parts from the engine.

Sadly we cannot save the entire engine, so it was decided that a few representative pieces would make a good exhibit at the Tod Engine Heritage Park. Those pieces include one of the tail rod support castings, the Shutte & Koerting engine emergency stop apparatus, lubrication fittings and lines, and two new sets of main rod bearings.

Some of the parts will be incorporated into a blooming mill engine exhibit. Other parts, such as the lube fittings will be used in the restoration of our Tod Engine. One set of the main bearing liners will be used to supply us with new babbitt metal, quite useful when we go to reline our engine's babbitt lined connecting rods.

The eventual scrapping of the blooming mill engine means that only our Tod Engine and the 50" x 60" Mackintosh Hemphill engine owned by Steel Industry Heritage, Inc. will survive as examples of steel industry rolling mill engines.

Tod Engine Heritage Park Progress

2008-05-26T07:36:00.002-04:00

Now that spring has arrived we are busy every day working on the Tod Engine Heritage Park project. Our architect, Ronald Cornell Faniro, is drawing up the plans for the buildings and grounds, while I continue to prepare the site for the start of construction activities once building permits have been issued.

We expect to begin construction within the next month or so. The Park will be open on an irregular basis, essentially when I am there it is open! Visitors should call first to make sure I'll be there, 330-272-4089.

Morgan Crane In Operation

2008-03-07T14:03:00.003-05:00

We are starting to dismantle the Morgan Crane, but before we do here is a video of it in operation.

Open Top Hot Metal Car Displayed

2008-02-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

In January the Mahoning Valley Railroad Heritage Association moved their Pollock open top hot metal car from Brier Hill to their proposed Steel Valley Railroad Museum site on Poland Avenue in Youngstown. This car was built for either YS&T or Valley Mould & Iron, and was acquired from Ellwood Engineered Castings in 1993. At the time it had been sitting off track in front of EEC's melt shop.

The appearance of the car is a good sign that the MVRHA is making progress toward constructing their museum facility. They have a long road ahead as they own almost 20 pieces of equipment and have about 200 feet of track laid thus far!

Has Anyone Seen This Model?

2008-02-28T16:46:00.000-05:00

This is a working model of a three stand cold strip mill. It was one of the Youngstown Sheet & Tube models, of which the seamless, butt weld pipe and 79" hot strip mill models now reside at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor. However, this model is absent. This photo was taken at a trade show in the 1940s.

I have not seen any photos or mention of this model until I found this photo today. I did hear rumors that some museum out east (Smithsonian and Hagley come to mind as possibilities) had acquired a YS&T model. Could this be the one?

It sure would be great to someday find and return this model to Youngstown, if it still exists.

1892 Morgan Crane to be Preserved

2008-01-23T11:51:00.000-05:00

The Tod Engine Foundation has recently acquired an 1892 vintage overhead crane manufactured by Morgan Engineering in Alliance, Ohio. This crane is of particular historical interest and will become an important artifact for display and use at the Tod Engine Heritage Park. The crane was originally built for Otis Steel Co. in Cleveland, and used there until the plant closed after WWII. At that time it was sold and moved to Masury, OH and placed in a new building there. It is there to this day. Still fully operational, the crane continues to make lifts to its rated capacity. However due to its age and its need for a dedicated operator, it is to be replaced with a more modern AC crane.

We will be moving the Morgan crane to the Heritage Park this spring for inclusion in the engine house. however, this complicates matters since to include it in the building we have to redesign the structure for a narrower width and add crane columns and runways. This will increase the cost of the structure, however that will be mitigated by the sale of our current 5 ton Wallace gantry crane. In the end having an authentic steel mill crane in our building will certainly make for a much more authentic visitor experience.

Demolishing the Marshall Street Bridge

2008-01-04T12:53:00.000-05:00

Here are the trusses of the Marshall Street Bridge in downtown Youngstown being demolished in October, 2004.

Scranton Iron Furnaces

2008-01-04T12:22:00.000-05:00

In Scranton, PA just up the tracks from the Steamtown National Park are four stone blast furnaces. The site is now a park open year round, but a century ago was a bustling iron smelting, puddling and rolling operation. Largely unknown by the throngs that visit Steamtown, it is perhaps one of the most unique stone furnace sites in the nation.

Turntable Pit in Sharpsville

2008-01-04T11:52:00.000-05:00

I'm a bit unclear about who would have built this, but also located in Sharpsville about a half mile downstream of the Shenango reservoir dam is this turntable pit. Its located near the old alignment of the Erie mainline so there may have been a small engine facility at one time. The pit is easily accessible, located on park land near a gravel parking lot on the road which leads up to the dam. I think I paced it off to be 50' diameter.

Shenango Furnace Pump House

2008-01-04T11:45:00.000-05:00

I don't know if this building still stands, but two winters ago I found the former Shenango Furnace river pump house in Sharpsville, PA. To get to it one had to walk along the former Erie mainline from Sharpsville west about a mile. A friend remembers seeing pumps inside the building but all we found was an empty shell. This building would have housed the equipment to pump Shnango River water up to the blast furnaces operated by Shenango, Inc. This is the same plant that the Mesta blowing engine at Pittsburgh's Station Square came from.

Rivers of Steel in Homestead, PA

2008-01-04T11:15:00.000-05:00

Those of us interested in industrial heritage should make a point to visit the Bost Building at the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area in downtown Homestead, PA. The facility includes an archives library and a large exhibit area, pictured here. They are open Monday through Friday 10 am to 4 pm, Saturdays by appointment. Across the river can be seen Carrie blast furnaces 6 and 7, which have been spared and will become a future historical site.

US Steel Ohio Works

2008-01-04T10:55:00.000-05:00

The Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor has a wonderful collection of photographs depicting various rebuilds of the Ohio Works blast furnaces in the 1940s and 1950s. This particular photos from their collection shows all six blast furnaces with a section of the stockhouse trestle between 5 and 6 being rebuilt. I am sure this caused some operational headaches for the ironmaking department, although I don't think number 6 furnace was operating at that time.

Great News!

2007-12-24T16:40:00.001-05:00

Over the past week the Tod Engine Foundation has brought in $9,000 for the Tod Engine House construction project! The money represents a $2,000 gift from Daniel Becker of Struthers, OH, $2,000 from the sale of an asset and $5,000 gift from the William B. Pollock Co. Foundation. The Pollock check arrived in the mail today, and I was literally dancing around the engine with it in my hand! :-)

My 12 year old dream of saving the Tod Engine and restoring it is coming true, piece by piece. With these latest donations the purchase of the steel building will be fully funded. There is still one more contribution that we are expecting, and when that comes in the foundation work for the building will be fully paid for. There is still much more to do and I will be working on the second phase of our capital campaign, but for now its time to sit back and appreciate just how far we have come.

Just think, in 1995 when I discovered the Tod Engine, it was sitting deep in an active steel mill scheduled for demolition. I was 22 years old, never been in a steel mill before in my life, had no money and no idea what I was doing. The first miracle was getting North Star Steel to donate the engine, which had a high scrap value to them. The next miracle was getting 250 tons of parts taken apart, moved and stored and do it for under $10,000. The Tod family paid for half of that and I maxed out a credit card to pay the rest.

Four years went by before I found a piece of property that I could afford to buy for the engine. Some may not think it to be the ideal location but for what I could afford its better than nothing. So I forked over another 15k to buy the land (I'm still paying that line of credit off). Then it took another six years to move all the parts to the new site, and much more money. I don't keep track of how much of my personal money goes into the project but as you can tell from the ratty truck I drive I don't spend anything on me!

During 2007 we decided to go big time, set our sights high and put up a good quality steel building for the engine. With the leadership of the Tod family we have raised $18,500 from local foundations this year, bringing the total income of the Foundation to over $40k. 2008 we will continue to build upon this and raise additional money to finish off the building and grounds while I spend all of next summer actually erecting the structure.(I don't hire contractors, I'll do all this work myelf).

Come 2009 we hope that our building will be finished and the engine cosmetically restored enough to hold an official grand opening for the Tod Engine Heritage Park!

So its a very Merry Christmas here at the Tod Engine Foundation! I can't believe the incredibly good year 2007 has been to us. Thanks everyone for your continued support of our project. God bless!

Tod Engine Foundation Starts Steelheritage.org

2007-12-09T19:55:00.000-05:00

On December 8 the Tod Engine Foundation started steelheritage.org, a website that will eventually become a clearinghouse of information about all aspects of the study of the steel industry. The site initially hosts only a series of discussion boards covering topics such as steel history and preservation, contemporary steelmaking and steel modeling. However it will expand to include many more resources geared toward prople who have an interest in the steel industry beyond the business aspects.

Please take a look and join in the discussions!
http://www.steelheritage.org

Become a Friend of the Tod Engine

2007-12-06T11:45:00.001-05:00

You can show your support for our project and take part in one of the most important steel industry preservation projects in America by become a Friend of the Tod Engine. I know the Tod already has many friends by the number of visits to our websites, now you can make it official! You can become a Friend with a minimum $20.00 contribution to the Tod Engine Foundation. As a benefit of membership you will receive a discount on our expanding array of merchandise as well as the personal satisfaction that comes from helping a worthy cause.

All income that we receive goes straight to our main goal of preserving the Tod Engine and building the Tod Engine Heritage Park. You can pay your dues online here:
https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/MakeDonation.aspx?ORGID2=311728637
In the Designation field please put "Friend of Tod Engine" so that I know to add you to the membership roster.

You can also mail the dues to Tod Engine Foundation, 2261 Hubbard Road, Youngstown, OH 44505.

Thanks so much!

Tod Engine DVD Available

2007-12-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

Back in 1996-97 when we dismantled the Tod Engine I brought along a camcorder on many of the work sessions. This DVD is created from that raw video and is a documentation of the process of taking apart and moving the engine to the plate mill in Girard for storage. At the end of the video is footage of the big Tod twin tandem compound engines in operation at Bethlehem Steel and a visit to the now demolished Tod water pumping engine at Lake Rockwell in Kent, Ohio. Jeff Borne at Prairie Works has done an excellent job creating this DVD, and $15.00 from each sale comes back to us for use in preserving the Tod Engine. Go to Jeff's website http://www.prairie-works.com/iron.html and order this DVD. You will enjoy it!

Tod Engine Heritage Park Progress Report

2007-11-25T12:14:00.000-05:00

Things have settled down at the Heritage Park due to the onset of colder weather. We still plan to set the crankshaft in place in the main bearings and put the flywheel together this winter. All preparations have been made for that to happen and we are now waiting for Grim's Crane Service to fit us into their schedule.

The hot metal car is also just about ready to be moved. The display track is finished, and only a little bit of work remains to ready the car for its trip to Youngstown. IT would probably be better if the ground were frozen when we move the car so as to keep the crane from sinking into our front yard at the Heritage Park.

Fundraising continues for the new building. I am still confident that we will raise the amount neccessary to begin construction come spring. So far there is over $12,000 in the bank, another $5,000 pledged and proposals are out for more. The goal is $30,000 and the deadline for that is summer of next year.

Over the winter Ken Izzo and I will be moving the YS&T Brier Hill drawing collection to a new home. The drawings are currently stored in Sharon, PA in a rented room, however I own a vacant house about a mile from the Heritage Park and recently decided that the house would be a better repository for the collection. There is more room at this location and it is closer to our main facility. The eventual permanent home for the collection will be at the Heritage Park in a proposed library.

We have recently decided to begin offering "Friend of the Tod Engine" memberships. The membership dues are $20 per year although sending in any amount over that would be appreciated! I think a great number of our supporters would want to have a membership structure for the organization, as do I. Its been a "one man show" for much too long and I want to encourage volunteer participation in this project. To join send your dues to the Tod Engine Foundation at 2261 Hubbard Road, Youngstown, OH 44505. We will publish a quarterly newsletter and also give discounts on Tod Engine merchandise, of which we may have several new offerings soon.

2008 will be a big year for us, and if everything goes as planned it will be the year that the Tod Engine is fully enclosed in a permanent building and restoration work can begin in earnest.

Annual Youngstown Whistle Blow

2007-11-25T10:54:00.000-05:00

The annual Youngstown whistle blow was held yesterday in the parking lot of the B&O Station Restaurant in downtown Youngstown. Dozens of whistles were brought in by collectors for the event. 150 PSI steam was provided by Youngstown Thermal through their underground system of steam lines running under downtown streets.

The whistles could be plainy heard three miles away at the Tod Engine Heritage Park.

Brier Hill Plate Mill

2007-11-22T08:45:00.000-05:00

This advertisement showed up in Iron Trade Review in 1918 and 1919, just after the plate mill at Brier Hill opened. The building still looks like the photo with the exception of the smoke stacks. The photographer is standing about where Interstate 80 crosses the valley, pretty close to "Point X", the new crossing of the PY&A and LE&E over the Erie and B&O tracks. Brier Hill Steel built the overpass at Point X in exchange for the PY&A right of way which passed through the middle of the Brier Hill plant.

American Steel & Wire Locomotive at CAMA

2007-11-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

This 3 foot gauge Vulcan 0-4-0T engine was used at the Worcester, MA, plant of the American Steel and WireCompany. It is now on display at the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association in Kent, CT. It has since been repainted into a historically correct scheme, with the company name on the saddle tank. Photos courtesy Mike Piersa

Burden Iron Works, Troy, NY

2007-11-17T09:51:00.000-05:00

(Text Taken from http://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/index.cfm?section_id=6&page_id=83 Photos courtesy Mike Piersa)

An exhibit on Greater Troy's industrial history is housed in the former office of the Burden Iron Works. Constructed 1881-2, the distinguished brick Romanesque Revival building contains examples of objects manufactured in the city throughout the 19th century, when its factories produced parts of the U.S.S. Monitor, the replacement for the Liberty Bell, and some of the world's most innovative products, including stoves, mass-produced horseshoes and railroad spikes, detachable shirt collars, fire hydrants, and surveying equipment. Like California's Silicon Valley, Troy relied on cutting-edge technology - much of it developed at the city's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - to maintain a competitive advantage throughout the Industrial Revolution.The museum is operated by the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway, which also maintains downtown Troy-s RiverSpark Visitor Center (where there are additional exhibits about the city's history) and sponsors a regular series of tours, the most popular of which focuses on Troy's large concentration of Tiffany windows. Self-guided walking tours of the city's large collection of 19th-century buildings are also available there.The Burden Iron Works Museum, located at One East Industrial Parkway in Troy, is open by appointment only. Guided tours. Admission fee. 518-274-5267.

Lukens Steel Train Display in Coatesville, PA

2007-11-17T09:45:00.000-05:00

Nearby the Lukens Steel plant in Coatesville, PA is a display of four narrow gauge flatcars. The first car caries three open hearth charging boxes, the second car is empty, the third has an ingot and the fourth a steel slab. There is also a Porter 0-4-0T locomotive, freshly repainted in the Lukens Steel scheme and wearing number 10. However that locomotive is not of Lukens origin having come from Florida.

MVRHA's Steel Industry Collection

2007-11-16T10:52:00.001-05:00

The Mahoning Valley Railroad Heritage Association in Youngstown, OH has amassed quite a sizeable collection of steel industry railroad equipment. Included in their collection are:

YS&T 17 Pollock slag ladle car

YS&T 21 Treadwell 125 ton hot metal car (rebuilt by Pollock 1973)

YS&T 23 Treadwell 125 ton hot metal car

Sharon Steel 9 Atlas blast furnace transfer car

Pollock open top hot metal car

Sharon Steel ingot mold car

PRR ore jenny

YS&T 4 wheeled diesel electric locomotive

I'll add photos of those other cars when I can get them. The MVRHA is currently working on establishing a rail museum on Poland Avenue in Youngstown.

Mclouth BOF Vessel on Display

2007-11-13T14:06:00.000-05:00

In Trenton, Michigan the first commercially successful basic oxygen furnace vessel is on display outside the plant of McLouth Steel. Photos courtesy of John Hainbecher.

YS&T 301 at Canfield Fairgrounds

2007-11-12T08:37:00.000-05:00

This Baldwin 0-6-0 switcher, built in December, 1915 for Youngstown Sheet and Tube, is cosmetically restored and on display at the Mahoning County Fairgrounds in Canfield, Ohio. This locomotive was for many years assigned to the Hubbard Works although it could be found at the Campbell Works as well. When the locomotive was retired it was donated to Penn-Ohio Railfans, who have since given it to the Western Reserve Village at the fairgrounds for display. In 2006 a roof was constructed to shelter the locomotive and former Youngstown & Southern caboose from the weather.

Bessemer Converter at Station Square

2007-11-12T00:46:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most famous steel industry artifacts in preservation. This Bessemer converter was built by Pennsylvania Engineering in New Castle, PA for A.M. Byers in Ambridge, PA. It was used in the production of wrought iron by the Aston process until the bessemer plant was retired. This vessel was then donated and moved to Station Square for display.

Mesta Blowing Engine at Station Square

2007-11-12T00:42:00.000-05:00

The next artifact in our review of preserved steel industry equipment is a Mesta long crosshead vertical blowing engine at Station Square in Pittsburgh, PA. Originally built for the Shenango Furnace Co. in Sharpsville, PA, it shared an enginehouse with three others providing the air blast for the Sharpsville furnaces.

Teeming Ladle at the Baltimore Museum of Industry

2007-11-12T00:38:00.000-05:00

This teeming ladle is on display outside the Baltimore Museum of Industry in Baltimore, MD. Obviously from the Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point plant it sits outside with no interpretive information telling visitors what it is. There is very little other steel industry artifacts in the museum.

Pollock Kling Type Car at Homestead

2007-11-12T00:34:00.000-05:00

The retail development at the former USS Homestead Works has a few hidden gems worth finding. This car, a Pollock Kling hot metal car, has been stuffed and mounted next to a couple of restaurants. Nearby is a narrow gauge diesel locomotive. This car is missing the top portion of the ladle which was an important part of the Kling design.

Hot Metal Cars at the Former Duquesne Works

2007-11-12T00:28:00.000-05:00

Three hot metal cars, two Treadwell bottle cars and a Pollock Kling type car reside at the former USS Duquesne Works in Duquesne, PA. The cars are owned by the RIDC which now operates an industrial park on the site. Through an agreement with US Steel the RIDC must preserve the steel heritage equipment on site, hence the reason the cars have not been scrapped. There are also two slag cars, a locomotive and a cut of ingot cars with ingots on display.

Steel Industry Rail Equipment at B&O Museum

2007-11-12T00:20:00.000-05:00

The steel industry is represented at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, MD by two railcars. Both are from the Bethlehem Steel Sparrow Point plant.

The first car is a Treadwell 125 ton bottle car. Although heavily abused during its years in service and missing several key components, the car was the first bottle car to be preserved in a US rail museum. This car is of the same design as the two cars in the care of the Mahoning Valley Railroad Heritage Association, however it retains its original Pilcher trucks.

The second car is a Treadwell double pot slag car. This is he only one of its type known to be preserved and it sits behind the museum in a string of unrestored equipment. Hopefully room can be found for this car next to the botle car someday.

Pollock Hot Metal Car at Steelyard Commons

2007-11-12T00:09:00.000-05:00

This Pollock 150 ton hot metal car is on display at Cleveland's Steelyard Commons shopping center development. It is available for public viewing anytime.

Bethlehem 48" Mill Rebuild Photos

2007-11-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

I just bought a series of 68 photos on ebay of what was advertised as a 48" mill rebuild at Bethlehem Steel. The pictures came today, and as I started looking through them (they are in chronological order), they start with the removal of the roller tables, removal of mill stand, then go into the dismantling of a Tod twin tandem compound reversing engine. The next few photos show digging out of the engine foundation, then placing concrete forms, rebar, then pouring concrete. Now I'm thinking to myself that the next photos will be of a big electric drive motor being installed. After all that was all the rage in the 1950s.

But instead of that I start seeing the engine being reassembled on the new foundation! Huh? What the... What would posess them to rip out the engine and put in a new foundation for it? Now this is 1958, right when everyone else in their right mind is pulling out blooming mill engines and putting in electric drives. Why would Bethlehem decide to replace the engine foundation? Not that I am complaining, a Tod engine is a mighty fine piece of engineering!

Anyways, the photos are safely here with me now, and will someday be published in some manner in booklet form. BTW I noticed that I was the only bidder for these photos. It would have been no use bidding anyways. I knew there were rolling mill engine pictures in this set, and Tod engines at that, so there wasn't any chance these pictures would have ended up anywhere else than in the files at the Tod Engine Foundation!

Tod Enginehouse Design Selected

2007-11-04T18:01:00.000-05:00

The design of the new Tod Enginehouse will follow the design of the soaking pit furnaces building at the YS&T Brier Hill Works. Drawing 101885, which we have in our collection is the inspiration for the design. The enginehouse will be a scaled down version of the pit furnaces building, and will retain the unique features such as the roof monitor and sidebay. The enginehouse will be sided with galvanized corrugated steel, the same material that covered every mill building in the Mahoning Valley. Transluscent corrugated sidinf will be placed along the sides of the roof monitor and along the top 4 feet of the side walls, giving the interior plenty of natural lighting during the day.

We will attempt to follow classic YS&T building designs for this entire project. Actual salvaged doors will be used where possible in this building, including a set of wooden double doors saved from Moltrup Steel. Original porcelain enamel light fixtures will be used for artificial illumination. Most of these having been salvaged from the YS&T Brier Hill and Struthers Works.

It is our intent to make this building as authentic as possible given our monetary constraints.

Another Contribution to the Tod Enginehouse Project

2007-11-04T17:11:00.001-05:00

On Friday, November 2 the Tod Engine Foundation recieved a $1,000 contribution from the Jane F. Lamb Charitable Trust in Youngstown. This came completely as a surprise to me, but a welcome one to be sure. This brings our total of grants and pledges to over $17,000!

West Middlesex Iron Furnaces

2007-10-25T13:58:00.000-04:00

West Middlesex, Pennsylvania is a small town a few miles east of Youngstown, OH. Located on the Shenango River, the town once was home to a couple of pig iron blast furnace operations. I was not aware of that fact until I was in the office of T. Bruce Campbell, Inc. a few months ago and saw photos of the now demolished furnaces.

The painting pictured above is located in the waiting room at Shenango Steel Buildings, Inc. located next door to Campbell's plant. It shows two of the West Middlesex furnaces and a steam locomotive rolling by with a cut of cars. One of the best iron and steel artworks I have seen.

Youngstown & Northern Railroad Office Still Exists

2007-10-11T08:52:00.000-04:00

This art deco style office building, sitting at the corner of Bessemer and Waverly Avenues facing the former US Steel Ohio Works, once served as the main office for the Youngstown & Northern Railroad. The structure was built in 1935 and has been vacant since the mid 1980s when the Y&N was abandoned. It is currently owned by an individual from Canfield, OH, who purchased it in 1995 and apparently has not done anything with the building. It did appear to be secured from entry, however the interior had been ransacked and nothing of any value remains inside.

PRR N1s and the Brier Hill Plate Mill

2007-10-08T08:30:00.000-04:00

I recently saw this photo on an ebay listing for a brass locomotive and noticed the building in the background. The caption says the picture was taken in 1919, which would have been one year after the Brier Hill plate mill in Girard, OH was completed. In this photo, the locomotive is probably sitting upon the old PY&A main line, which was relocated to its current right of way behind the building when the plate mill was constructed.

The stacks are for the heating furnaces for the 84" and 132" plate mills. The windows are of the continuous sash type and are all wood and glass. It must have taken carpenters months just to make them! Although this building still exists this view is partially obscured by the electric weld tube mill which was added to this building in the 1930s. Of course the Tod Engine Foundation has hundreds of engineering drawings of the plate mill and electric welded tube buildings.

From 1997 until 2006 the Tod Engine was stored in the plate mill building before being moved to the Tod Engine Heritage Park.

Lining Up the Main Bearings

2007-10-08T08:19:00.000-04:00

Lining up the main bearings of the Tod Engine in preparation for setting the crankshaft and flywheel has begun. We are using the piano wire method, and have learned about a shortcut that the original engine erectors made to simplify the process.

On each end of the main bearings two punch marks have been made. Each one at the centerline elevation of the crankshaft and located 22" ahead and behind the centerline. By stringing piano wire between those two punch marks in the four locations then running another line perpendicular through the centers of the bearings a relatively accurate means of centering the bearings can be accomplished. I can hold the piano wire in place with magnets and two wire holders that have been specially made for this purpose.

The LP bearing is in its final position, and the LP bearing will be moved until it lines up. It has about 2" vertical and 3" horizontal travel to go before it lines up. Once the bearings are in line we will start work on getting the lower flywheel half in position.

Tod Enginehouse Fundraiser Reaches 40%!

2007-10-01T08:10:00.000-04:00

Our goal to raise $25,000 for the construction of the new Tod Enginehouse has reached the 40% mark with a contribution of $10,000 from the Tod Foundation. This contribution will allow us to place the order for the structural steelwork, and will also be beneficial in our quest to raise the remaining $15,000 from other local foundations.

Temporary Winter Shelter Completed

2007-10-01T08:04:00.000-04:00

The temporary shelter for the Tod Engine's cylinders has been completed. This shelter will keep rain, snow and ice away from the vulnerable engine cylinders and valve chests until the new enginehouse building is built in 2008.

Once the new building is completed the shelter will be dismantled and lumber reused for other projects.

11 Years Ago Today

2007-09-20T14:04:00.000-04:00

Eleven years ago today I formally announced that the Jeannette Blast Furnace Preservation Association was giving up on our efforts to preserve Brier Hill's Jeannette Blast Furnace. Also on this date I began dismantling the Tod Engine at North Star Steel Ohio. We have come a long way in 11 years!

Winter Enclosure for Tod Engine

2007-09-20T13:58:00.000-04:00

Although we are planning the construction of a 55' x 60' prefab steel building in 2008, the engine still needs protected from the ravages of the upcoming Ohio winter. To solve this problem we are constructing a temporary enclosure as shown in the picture. It is being built completely with lumber that we have on hand, and will be roofed with used corrugated steel roofing that was acquired several years ago. The sides will be covered with tarpaulins, and when finished the engine will be completely sealed off from mother nature.

After the new steel building is completed next year this temporary enclosure will be dismantled and materials saved for reuse in a proposed permenent shelter to be built to house the two pledged EEC locomotives.

YSU Preservation Class Visits Tod Engine

2007-09-19T15:38:00.000-04:00

For the third year in a row Professor Tom Leary's Introduction to Historic Preservation class at Youngstown State University has visited the Tod Engine Heritage Park. We hosted 13 class members for this visit and talked for almost two hours about how the Tod Engine was saved, why it was done and what it means now that it is preserved.

We are eagerly looking forward to next year's visit!

Focus on Our Collections: First Rail

2007-09-17T09:19:00.001-04:00

From time to time I will feature a particular item from our collection of steel industry artifacts. Today's piece is a 3/4" thick section of 85 pound rail, a souvenier of the first rail rolled at the Republic Iron & Steel Co. Haselton Works on April 22, 1905.

The Youngstown District was never well known for the production of railroad rails. The only two mills known to have rolled rails locally were Republic's and a short lived rail mill at the Ohio Steel Company, which became the US Steel Ohio Works. Neither could compete with the rail mills at the Edgar Thomson Works or Steelton, PA.

Although rails were not successful in Youngstown, the production of track spikes were. Both Republic and the YS&T Struthers Works sported spike mills, and YS&T also manufactured tie plates.

Gantry Crane Put to Work

2007-09-03T19:26:00.000-04:00

It didn't take me long to put the 5 ton gantry crane to work. While most Americans took Labor Day off, I labored most of the day moving around large pieces of iron. The first task this morning was to put the William Tod name plate back on the HP cylinder head. To do this required removing the tail rod support casting then sliding the name plate over the piston rod. The tail rod support casting was then put back in place and bolted down.

The next task was to assemble the HP main bearing. It may look simple but each main bearing is actually composed of twelve pieces, all of which are quite heavy. The main bearing cap is the heaviest and will be put in place soon, however we ran out of time and energy today to get it in place today.

The bearing needs to be assembled to assist with the lining up of the engine. When it comes time to install the crankshaft the bearing will be disassembled, crank put in place then the bearing will be reassembled.

Its been 11 years since we took these bearings apart and amazingly I remembered where all the parts go. Fortunately William Tod Co. put match numbers on just about everything so reassembly is made easier.

Jeannette Blast Furnace Salamander

2007-09-02T21:17:00.001-04:00

This is the salamander for the Jeannette Blast Furnace as it appeared on September 1, 2007. The salamander is the solidified iron that remains in the bottom of a blast furnace after it is blown out.

Grace Blast Furnace Remains

2007-09-02T21:01:00.000-04:00

On Saturday Chris Hockett, Ken Izzo and myself visited the site of the YS&T Brier Hill blast furnace plant and discovered the mortal remains of the Grace blast furnace. Here is the hearth cooling jacket, iron columns and bedplate for the blast furnace. City Concrete, which now operates a ready mixed concrete facility at the site, excavated the furnace remains recently.

According to YS&T drawing 105367 dated November 15, 1917 there are twelve sections of the hearth jacketing. Each piece is 8' 10" tall and 5" thick of cast iron and weighing 10,800 lbs. Drawing 100769 dated Sept. 19, 1907 (almost 100 years ago exactly) shows the base plate ring upon which the six columns rested.

Finding the remains of Grace furnace is extraordinary and hopefully some way can be found to preserve all or part of these historic pieces.

Wallace Gantry Crane Erected

2007-08-27T13:11:00.000-04:00

The 5 ton Wallace gantry crane that we purchased at the Cold Metal Products auction in January was erected today at the Tod Engine Heritage Park. With 19 feet under the girder and a span of 34 feet, this gantry crane should serve our needs well during the restoration of the engine.

The crane has been painted safety orange, all wheel bearings have been refurbished or replaced and new bolts installed where neccessary. A 5 ton chain hoist will be hung from the girder after it has been checked over and any worn parts replaced. The bridge is motorized, however the motors will not be attached until 3 phase power is available at the site later this fall. Until then the crane can be moved by two people pushing on the legs. A 3 ton electric hoist is also scheduled to be added to the gantry at a later date.

Progress on Hot Metal Car Display

2007-06-30T22:44:00.000-04:00

Slag is in place and we are ready for the ties and rail.

Ames Uniflow Engine

2007-06-30T22:32:00.000-04:00

I recently took a trip to Camillus, NY to pick up parts for a 17" x 20" single cylinder uniflow stationary steam engine. Last year I brought a few of the parts back, this trip was to retrieve the bedplate, cylinder and half of the flywheel. That leave the other flywheel half and crankshaft still up there to bring back. Here is a picture of the parts arriving at the Tod Engine Heritage Park. What took us almost 8 hours to load using a chain fall and portable gantry took me 10 minutes to unload with the front end loader.

Hot Metal Car Display Track

2007-06-17T06:54:00.000-04:00

We had originally planned to display the 80 ton Treadwell hot metal car at the rear of the Park property, however it was decided to move it to the front of the property for display. At the new location it will be much more visible from the road and hopefully gain the attention of motorists driving by.

On Saturday June 16 Ken Izzo and I laid out railroad ties in a rectangle to form a curb around the new display track. Since the property slopes in this area much fill dirt was brought up and placed around the ties. The area between the ties will be filled in with stones and slag then the display track will be placed on top.

The Tod Engine is Turning Green!

2007-06-03T07:53:00.000-04:00

We have undertaken a major project to completely paint the engine for this summer to improve its appearance and protect it from the elements while it awaits construction of our new display building. The color chosen is Rustoleum Hunter Green which closely matches paint chips found on the engine. Earl in its life the engine was painted a dark green, then wore a lighter green before carrying various shades of grey and silver. Hunter Green is also a widely available color and is easy to obtain from our local hardware stores.

I have painted both cylinders and part of the HP bedplate so far and over the next few weeks will continue working at it until both bedplates are painted. Also during the summer we will reinstall many of the engine's smaller parts and try to eliminate the "field of parts" in the front yard of the Park.

I am asking that supporters consider making a $25 contribution to help pay for the paint. A gallon of Rustoleum primer and topcoat costs $25 each, and if all of our supporters just donated $25 each I can buy enough paint to finish this project without digging into the building fund. Please send a check to the Tod Engine Foundation, 2261 Hubbard Road, Youngstown, OH 44505 or you can do it via Paypal to rick@todengine.org

Railroad Industry SIG Meet in Cleveland

2007-04-28T07:33:00.000-04:00

On Friday night, April 27, 2007 I gave a presentation to the participants of the NMRA Railroad Industries Special Interest Group in Cleveland. I gave two talks, the first a general overview of the steel industry and railroads of the Mahoning Valley, the second a detailed look at the operations of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Brier Hill Works and our efforts to create the Youngstown Steel Heritage Park.

Many thanks to Aaron Dupont who organized a great meet. Also thanks to Ken Izzo who sold many of our drawing CDs and was largely responsible for the over $500 which we raised at the meet. I was also able to meet face to face many of our supporters who until now I've only known from the Internet.

In the picture above I am talking to Ted Schultz, a former YS&T employee and wealth of knowlege about Sheet and Tube operations in the late 1970s. In the background is a large map of the Brier Hill Works.

Does the Hot Metal Car have a Youngstown Connection?

2007-04-01T07:16:00.000-04:00

The discovery of the Youngstown & Northern Railroad identification on the air hoses on the hot metal car got my head spinning with new theories about where this car was in service at. Both hoses on ther car are Y&N and date stamped first quarter 1980. They were part of a run around hose that was applied to the car probably when it made its last trip on a mainline railroad. But my question is, how could the Y&N hoses have made it onto a Homestead car?

A possible answer is that the car may have spent a period of time at the Ohio Works in Youngstown. I have no doubt that the car was built for the Homestead Works originally. However in the 1950s Pollock built several 250 ton bottle cars for Homestead displacing the tiny 80 ton Treadwells. Some were sold off but perhaps number 36 was shipped off to the Ohio Works to be used there. The Ohio Works' older furnaces couldn't use large HM cars, they mainly used Kling type cars due to tight clearances. The 80 ton Treadwells would however fit. So car 36 remained at Youngstown until the plant closed in 1981. At that time I believe that any useful cars at the now closed plant were shipped to the Pittsburgh district mills for reuse. At that time the Y&N Railroad car dept. would have placed the runaround hose and new brake hoses on the 36 to prepare it for its trip.

At about the same time I assume that Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, Looking for a hot metal car to display, contacted US Ssteel and this car was donated and moved to the old P&LE Terminal complex.

If the above is indeed true then by the wildest stroke of luck we have stumbled upon a Youngstown significant artifact without even knowing it!

Hot Metal Car Rolls Again!

2007-04-01T07:05:00.000-04:00

On March 30 Ken Izzo, myself, Frank Stingone and others were at Station Square to move the hot metal car out from under the bridge to the other end of the track. It took several hours of cranking on a chain hoist but we were successful. We did break the handle on one chain hoist, fortunately I brought an extra "just in case".

The rail that the car was previously sitting on will next be pulled up, transported to Youngstown and relaid. That will leave the car sitting on a very short 30 foot piece of track until the car is moved, at which time those last two rails will also be moved to Youngstown. My thanks to everyone who helped. It is appreciated.

Rail Exhibits Display Track Takes Shape!

2007-03-30T13:55:00.000-04:00

At the rear of the YSHP I am putting in about 90 feet of track which will become the new home of our new rail exhibits. The 80 ton Treadwell hot metal car and one of the EEC GE 70 ton locomotives will be displayed here. The above photos show the topsoil scraped off and the other photo taken this morning shortly after a load of slag was delivered. I was about to smooth out the slag however just as I was about to do so a hydraulic line on our Allis Chalmers front end loader blew out. Fortunately the hydraulic oil shot away from machine or I would have become one well lubricated machine operator!

Moltrup Steel Products Salvage Project

2007-03-23T09:37:00.000-04:00

During the week of March 12 I spent five days at the former Moltrup Steel Products Co. in Beaver Falls, PA removing equipment and items of historical interest both for the Youngstown Steel Heritage Park and for my employer. The plant is slated for demolition and this was a last ditch effort to save some interesting pieces of industrial history.

Here is a list of items acquired for the YSHP:

three large wood and cast iron carts
set of wooden double doors (these will become the front doors ofthe Tod Engine building)
3" steel round bar for Tod Engine foundation bolts
1" thick steel plate for the Tod Engine foundation project
3 ton spreader beam
4 ton beam trolley (for use on our Wallace gantry crane)
misc. smaller items, gauges, motors, etc.

Removal of the items was hampered by the fact that the "good stuff" was located on the second floor of a building whose elevator is not operational. That equipment was removed via an extended reach forklift through a hole in the wall.

Youngstown Steel Mill Engineering Drawing CDs Available

2007-03-04T10:54:00.000-05:00

The Tod Engine Foundation has a series of CD ROMs available which contain digitized engineering drawings of Youngstown district steel mills. The drawings are scanned in PDF format and are incredibly detailed. These are the actual plans used when these mills were built.

YS&T Campbell Works Blast Furnace Plant. Engineering drawings and photos of the Campbell Works blast furnace plant specifically in the 1905 through 1930 era.
YS&T Brier Hill Works Rolling Mills CD. Engineering Drawings of the Brier Hill rolling mills including the blooming mill, 24" merchant mill, 24" continuous mill and 35" intermediate blooming mill spanning 1913 to 1979.
Steel Industry Rolling Stock CD. Engineering Drawings of hot metal cars, slag cars, blast furnace transfer and scale cars, coke quench car, ingot mold cars and locomotives from various steel plants.

The CDs sell for $20.00 each with $1.50 per order for shipping. All money generated from the sales go toward our continuing efforts to preserve steel industry artifacts at the Tod Engine Heritage Park. You can order by mail by sending a check to the Tod Engine Foundation, 2261 Hubbard Road, Youngstown, OH 44505 or by sending the money via paypal to rick@todengine.org

Historic GE 70 Tonners at Ellwood Engineered Castings

2007-03-04T07:58:00.000-05:00

Idling between assignments, a very rare 1942 General Electric 70 ton center cab switcher peeks out of the melt shop door at Ellwood Engineered Castings in Hubbard, Ohio. This locomotive, number 6114B is living out her last days in active service. Sister locomotive 6114A suffered a mechanical failure a couple of years ago and is now permanently out of service. The two locomotives are due to be replaced by rebuilt GE 44 tonners, one of which has already been delivered and put in service. However there is a bright future in store for these two historic units, as they have been pledged to the Tod Engine Foundation for preservation. Once the second 44 tonner is delivered the two 70 tonners will be retired, donated and moved to our Heritage Park for perpetual display. One of the locomotives will be maintained in operable condition and provide DC power to drive some of our operating displays such as the 80 ton hot metal car and the electric drive on the Tod Engine. The two locomotive were built in 1942 for the New York Central and wore numbers 512 and 513. Later they were sold to Standard Slag in Youngstown and became number 40 and 41. Standard Slag later sold the units to Valley Mould & Iron and became 6114A and 6114B. Since these two locomotives have spent their entire lives together it is only fitting that they both be preserved and displayed together in retirement.

5 Ton Gantry Crane

2007-03-04T07:34:00.000-05:00

On January 31, 2007 the former Cold Metal Products plant in Youngstown was auctioned. I had my eye on only one lot, number 313. This was a 5 ton Wallace gantry crane with motorized drive. The crane has a 35 foot span and 16 feet under the beam and is exactly the right size to span the Tod Engine. Since the engine is quite large most of the parts, including some of the bolts and nuts need a crane to move them around. Having a crane is a must for the Tod's restoration however installing an overhead crane isn't cheap. Finding the Wallace gantry crane was a wonderful stroke of luck and with a bid of $2500 we are now the proud owners of this extremely useful piece of equipment. The crane has been moved to the Heritage Park and is in storage until spring when it wil lbe erected over the engine.

80 Ton Treadwell Hot Metal Car Project

2007-03-04T07:15:00.000-05:00

On March 4, 2007 several volunteers met at Station Square in Pittsburgh to begin preparing the 80 ton Treadwell hot metal car for movement to the Tod Engine Heritage Park.

I drove down with Ken Izzo and met up with Bill Neal, a former P&LE car inspector. Derrick Brashear then showed up with his girlfriend coming down a bit later. Toward the end of the day Frank Stingone and Larry Kline from the P&LE Historical Society arrived to lend a hand.We managed to get the equipment housing torched loose and ready to lift off. The brake pipe between the two ends was removed and the brake rigging was cut to release the brakes which have been applied for probably decades. I also started removing the trunnion bearing cap bolts and cut off some other appliances.The handwheel I brought down was too big to fit the shaft end on the car so we were not able to turn the bottle any. The mechanism is actually in very good shape and I could turn the mechanism a bit by turning on the motor brake wheel. So with a new approach to the problem I think we can still get the bottle over to one side. Even without turning the bottle Derrick was able to make a pretty good dent in the removal of the firebrick.

After we stopped work for the day we met at the Longhorn Steakhouse in Homestead for lunch. Then Ken and I did a little bit of exploring in Homestead and over at the Duquesne Works. I took a bunch of photos of the three hot metal cars at Duquesne.I'm planning another work session soon, possibly next Saturday. My pickup was acting up a bit today so if I can get it fixed this week I'll be back down there next Saturday with some more tools and get some more work done.