GERN Industries Gibson Works...

[doctorwayne]

GERN Industries Gibson Works, in Port Maitland, Ontario is the world headquarters of GERN Industries, well know for their famous GERN-Brand Flux and other fine Flux Products.

Here are some views of the plant (aerial photos courtesy of Secord Air Services)  -

Here's the plant as approached from the east - the low structure in the left foreground is from where bagged and boxed products are shipped, and company supplies are received.  Immediately beyond that is the main plant, with the railway storage silos centre-frame.  The flux ore is mined from under Lake Erie, with current operations extending almost two miles offshore.  That's an inlet of the lake at far lower-left:

   

Here's a closer view, which gives the viewer an idea of the plant layout, including the oddly truncated shapes of the component structures.  The smaller building, centre, with the world-famous "If It's GERN, It's Good" slogan, is the original plant:

   

A look at the original plant, which still loads both boxcars and hoppers when necessary.  Part of the floor area has been re-worked to accommodate some of the processing equipment for liquid products, with the storage tanks to the right of the photo:

   

   

And a few closer views of the tankcar loading area:

   

Underground drainage pipes ensure that any spills or leakage is carried away safely to nearby Lake Erie:

   

The most distant part of the complex, with the rooftop water tower and adjacent storage silos, obscures the view of the Lake Erie dock facilities.

   

Even though GERN is the Erie Northshore's largest customer (by tonnage), a full 80% of production travels by lake boats to far-flung customers.
Here, a leased CNR loco switches the silo track - with restricted overhead clearance, (no locos allowed) an idler flat is often needed to reach the cars:

   

   

Here we see Grand Valley Mogul 34 spotting some new milling equipment - the doorway to the mill can be seen in the first and second photos:

   

And finally, a couple of views from the west end of the complex:

   

   

Let's take a look at some GERN rolling stock.
Much of the plant's output is shipped in 100 lb. bags (which, because of technical advances from the GERN Laboratories, weigh only 75lbs), and can travel in ordinary boxcars, like this SOO Line car shown here:

   

Bulk shipments of GERN products are becoming more and more popular with many larger customers nowadays, pioneered by these cars, which are are product of the fertile minds at the GERN Research & Development Division, working in conjunction with the Carshops of the Elora Gorge & Eastern Railroad.  

   

Basically a boxcar, the doors have been fitted with GERN Flux-o-Seals (patents pending) to prevent both leakage of the cargo and moisture incursion.  Both powdered and granular flux is loaded via roof hatches and, at the Customer's receiving area, the cargo is quickly dumped from the four longitudinal underfloor hoppers.  In addition, the car can be easily converted to bagged flux service with the simple installation of GERN's patented Converto-Panels, which provide a smooth, flat floor atop those hopper bays.

Another innovation from GERN is the covered hopper, specifically designed for bulk lading only.  These GERN cars were built, under licence, by Pullman Standard:

   

Another GERN licensee, ACF, built these EG&E cars, used in both general service and flux service:

   

In addition to the large quantities of dry flux products, the Gibson Works also produces several liquid varieties of product, among them Liquiflux, used in pharmaceuticals  and many food-related applications:

   

Anhydrous Flux, once considered a waste by-product of the sludge-making process, has become an important additive in the paper-making process, and is finding an ever expanding market in a number of other fields:

   

Flux Sludge is an integral component in almost all manufactured food products, enhancing flavour, prolonging shelf-life, and making food look at least 3% better than it otherwise would.  It's also widely used in the hide tanning and brick-making industries:

   

Fluxene Peroxide is an enhanced by-product of the flux milling process, removed from the flux ore before final milling.  This material travels in shortened tankcars, like the one shown below, due to its extreme density, which is attributable to it being the "removed component" which leaves that 100lb. bag of flux "as light as a feather".  This is the proverbial "ten pounds of flux in a five-pound bag" and a little of it goes a long way in it's many applications, which include glass-making, forestry, agriculture, zeppelin production, and explosives:

   

This car, with three separate compartments, is used to deliver various types of GERN liquid flux products for industrial useage:

   

Here are a few recently added cars, and updated versions of some of those shown already...

A Tangent radial course tank car...



...and an insulated version of the same type...



Here's the former 5575, an MDC car upgraded with wire grabirons along with hatches and outlet gates from Bowser's ACF cars...



GERN also got a couple of similar cars from a nearby road, and simply "patched" them with GILX reporting marks...



Another Tangent car, this 6,000 gal. tanker was lettered using 168 individual pieces of decal...



Please feel free to post your own GERN photos and news here.   Questions about GERN and about joining the GERN family are always welcomed, too.

Wayne