Ralph's ersatz steel mill

[doctorwayne]

Very cool, I can almost hear the furnace.

Steve, I can smell the choke...er coke ovens.

I built this mill a few years ago using cheap materials such as shampoo bottles, cardboard boxes, and corrugated craft paper. Had I known a little (or a lot!) more about steel mill operations I'd have constructed it differently with more realistic operations in mind. As it is I have a small yard in the complex that I call the "holding yard" where anything steel related such as coal hoppers, gondolas loaded with scrap metal, and coil cars can be set out or picked up. I pretend that the real switching of bottle cars, slag cars, hoppers and ore cars for the furnace, etc is done "off layout".

Ralph, for someone with supposedly limited knowledge of the steel industry, I think that you've done a great job of representing it. You were probably wise to leave the iron and steelmaking end of the operation "off layout", though, as it would have eaten up real estate quickly. Your use and selection of materials is excellent, too: you've really captured, in my opinion, the look and feel of a major steelmaking operation.

Thanks for posting Ralph. It really does look like what I picture when I think steel mill.

I guess I will have to embark on some research for my proposed mill. Step 1 will be to pester Doctor Wayne.

cheers
Val

I've been pestered.

Wayne