Wish I could have made Todd’s open house. I actually work at Standard. I run the furnace and sometimes I am out in the scrap yard loading the buckets with scrap. The letters/numbers on the buckets are just bucket identification for in the loading system, so we know what is in each bucket. The little row of buckets (I believe there is 8) aren’t used anymore. They were for the old furnaces. Here is a shocker for ya if you didn’t know, the locomotives are actually radio controlled. The guy you seen throw the switches is actually the operator. He has a mobile box with him that controls the engine.
I am from the UK but am developing a real interest in US industrial switching / shortline railroads. I have even picked up a couple of second hand EMD SW9 locos and some wagons, with the intention of building a micro switching layout. These types of videos are invaluable to really see what is going on in these industries, so thanks (and I have subscribed)!
Back in the 90s I hauled several loads of steel rings from that mill and lately I’ve been wondering if Standard Steel was still in operation,and thanks to you I now know. The cars and locomotives aren’t the only old pieces of equipment there;they had an overhead crane that dated back to the late 19th century,and it was still in use when I was going in there. Thanks for these videos that show these older industries. History.
I appreciate how you focus on industry details, I grew up on the south coast with all the chemical plants and if railfans wanna see one of everything from every major railway, I tell them to drive through port of Houston left right and ahead of you at all times is just epic railroading. Go to Galveston and hundreds of stored former bnsf, Bn and Sf units sitting in every scheme and some models being some of the last remaining. It’s highly guarded so best chance you get on most days are drive bys. Most UA-cam rail channels seem to be you east coast guys, and I love the rail svenary up in that area, but Texas has things a lot of people don’t see or even realize are there with many steam restorations throughout the state planned for excursions in varying time progress
I do not have railroad people in my family. I know almost nothing about how a real railroad works. My father had an HO scale layout, my brother and I dared not touch it! Nevertheless, I am fascinated by them. I watch as many of your videos as I can find to learn about railroading. Thank you for all your time and effort!
DJ, a North Shore locomotive just like that one goes right by my mother's house twice a day, switching nearby industries in central PA. I really enjoyed watching it go by with a couple of freight cars. ...Roy
I can watch footage of that engine working all day and not get bored. Railroading is fun in the summertime when the weather is nice it's not quite so fun when you're trudging through the snow. Dealing with frozen switches air hoses that snap in cold weather. You got to be tough to be a Railroader even nowadays it's never been a cushy job.
Their switching locomotive came from the North Shore railroad based out of Northumberland PA. The North Shore has several units painted in Erie Lackawanna colors as well as Reading.
The "scrap area" used to have overhead cranes to transfer the scrap. A few years ago they removed it all and now use loaders to move/load the scrap. The Japanese bought standard steel maybe 8 years ago now.
i can confirm that the 6718 is in fact WM 105, you can even still see the plate over the radiator grille where the WM Speed Logo was applied. as for the other unit, that's not 6712, it's an ALCO S-2. 6712 is now owned by SMS Lines (SLRX 6712)
You are model railroading in 12” to the foot! Wood under frame freight cars may have been outlawed for interchange with other RRs before WW2. However, wood side cars were still used, but with steel under frames and steel bracing on the sides. Especially during WW2 when steel was needed for war material. That SW-8 may have been originally an Erie or Lackawanna loco that survived the merger. The small industry cars could be used for molten or hot metal slag?
The SW-8 isn't original Erie or Lackawanna equipment. It was built for the Lehigh Valley (in about 1950 or 1951, I believe, so that SW-8 isn't a *whole* lot newer than the derelict Baldwin and Alco units on the other side of the plant). The E-L paint scheme was applied by the North Shore Railroad, which paints its engines in that scheme. The giveaway that the unit is ex-LV is that the hood doesn't taper smoothly to the cab the way it does on nearly all SW-series engines. Instead, this SW-8 has a boxy housing that once contained dynamic braking equipment, an option that was nearly unique to the Lehigh Valley (SP also had some dynamic-brake-equipped SW-8's, but this one is ex-LV). Dynamic braking is really rare on switchers. At yard speeds, dynamic braking is seldom of much use. The Lehigh Valley, however, bought their SW-8's to use on mine runs (usually in multiples), collecting coal loads from hilly branch lines. For that service, the dynamics made more sense, so LV's SW-8's had them.
Fascinating to see the SW-8 switcher moving those strange little 4-wheel tipper cars - Very austere, 19th century looking things. Those wooden outside braced boxcars are a favorite of mine, I just love the different methods of building the sides and so on. Archbar trucks under them, too. Hopefully that Baldwin and Alco switcher go to museums and get some loving care - Even as a static exhibit. Personally, I enjoy switching, my current layout is essentially a big yard that's attached to a fairly small loop, for the most part, I just enjoy shuffling cars in no particular order ("station order" for some off-layout location, perhaps) though I have two industry spurs that get serviced by a secondary interurban line.
This is "my backyard" I grew up there! The green metal boxcar were army cars, years ago you could see the lettering. There used to be 2 or 3 more old amtrak cars, 2 of them were used as a diner. Kovalchik owns all of these cars/engines.
Mostly continuous operations so far , but recently started some casual ops! 20 freight cars are randomly assigned starting spots and ending destinations to 8 local industries and a yard. A steamer grabs a caboose and switches them out. Pretty fun! Based on Jimmy @DIYDigitalRailroad
I like gritty, industrial, switching layouts with older steam to diesel transition equipment, that has a continuous loop to run way freights, or to break in new locomotives, and test rolling stock to make sure it doesn’t have any problems.
Thank you so much for switching video, how simple it is ,love to see more on this type ,roundly round get tiresome switching is fun, keep up the great work
Thank you for these videos, this stuff is golden! I just recently got into model railroading, particularly steel mills. I grew up about 30 miles west of Pittsburgh in Weirton WV where my dad was a steel worker in the mill there. Yes I call them still mills, lol. Most of the mill has been demoed over the last several years however I have found a lot of photos, viedos and of course the memories to help recreate what I'm trying to do. The overhead shots that you captured in videos are truly amazing and helpful, as are the rest of your videos. Thanks again and I look forward to the next installment.
I remember about 14 years ago we had a fire in one of those Amtrak cars, I can't remember which one, but I want to say the second one. I have many friends and family that work at the standard! Also can't wait to see Mr. Treasters layout. I've seen it a few times. Lewistown is rich with railroad history. Proud to live here!
I’m a g scale guy who likes continuous running but I’d like to get an N scale layout for indoors when the weather is too bad for the big ones outside. I’m torn between a continuous running layout in a small room or a shelf switching layout to play with or a continuous runner around the dining room ceiling for 0n30 or O scale.
My HO layout is 6x1 feet, so no continuous running for me. It was interesting to see how fast that SW-8 was moving, even around that fairly sharp curve, but then there didn't seem to be many close clearances to worry about.. Due to its small size, my switching layout has close clearances everywhere. 🙂 Thanks for this video DJ and cheers from Wisconsin!
I'd have to look at old photos of mine but I think the wood box cars say US Army on there. There were very similar to the US Army wood box cars that once stood at Mount Union PA in the former EBT yard. They did actually burn those wooden box cars that were in Mount Union a few years ago.
OK, the box cars are all ex US Army cars. The Baldwin is in fact a VO660 built for the WM, the Alco is an S2 ex B&O. The ex Amtrak cars were from various railroads. I grew up riding these locos. I remember when the SS bought them . The Alco came in B&O paint the VO660 came in WM paint. They were painted later like the B&O with SS painted on them. The passenger cars , the first one is an ex NYC , second one not sure the third one is an ex Seaboard Coast Line.
is that in-plant switcher remote control? think i saw rail between the 2 old abandoned switchers other side of the plant. think the tracks have been there so long they are covered with dirt, cars are too straight and all coupled in line.
I do continuous running and switching operations in my layout. One classification yard, an interchange yard, long passing track, and a small short line off of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
This is great, I drove by there on the way to Strasburg and saw all those passenger cars. I wanted to walk down there but I had to get going plus it looked like I would probably get some attention by the police doing so lol. That is really neat those locos are down there. Those two boxcars almost look like EX PRR/PC MOW equipment judging by the fading yellow.
Hey great to know more about that plant, as somebody from central PA I appreciate how you have been coming a bit further east to Clearfield and now near Lewistown. Going to all sorts of new areas is a great idea for your channel, I'm sure there's plenty of people from other spots as well who would love to see examples from closer to where they live.
West of Sterling , Illinois, back in the rush there were several steam locomotives with brush growing around and over them. They were retired from the tubing and steel wire manufacturers. Don’t know if they’re still there but it’s a shame some weren’t saved. I can still recall seeing them in use in the 70s and maybe into the early 1980s? When Pittsburgh still had their mills operating we’d see steam engines moving along the river banks in the steel yards. It’s a lot cleaner now but miss the romance of old steam locomotives.
One slight correction. The locomotive coupled to the front of the Baldwin is an ALCO, not a Baldwin. Otherwise, great footage of some VERY interesting equipment.
Thanks for the video DJ! I was there a few months ago for work and stumbled across all of those old cars and had to check them out. Of course I was stuck on the ground with no drone and wasn't able to make it far enough to see the old Baldwins. If you're ever back there again, there is a chrome and neon diner about a block away that you should check out. Good food, very fast and affordable!
The last engine in the the abandoned consist looks alot like an Alco S2. I recognize it from a model i have. Prominent stand outs to me are the exaust and the trucks.
My layout is N scale and I do switching and long distance running . Railroads have purpose to make money. Switching industries and taking to another town and its final destination. I based my railroad on that concept. I set it up for operations with plenty of aisle space. Simple tracks and I do have a scrap yard on my layout. Not real elaborate but one track to receive a gondola or two. Every industry is simple tracks. Lots of scenery but one thing I failed to provide was roads. So now I am trying to redesign some areas for towns and roads.
Hey DJ. My railroad is a folded dogbone to simulate a 2 track mainline, but I have 4 industry spurs and a small classification yard (inbound, outbound, 4 storage tracks, so I can do operations. I run live steam, so there is a lot of "just running" on the ~400ft of "mainline" but I have an R/C enabled switcher that is tons of fun to use making up trains. (video of layout in progress on my channel)
Hello DJ, as always a very inspiring video! Steel plants are a good scene for model railroads. You can do a lot of weathering and use rust paint! Lol! You filmed also other industries in the past such as chemical and smaller industries, but did you also food or grain transport? Maybe less active in your area? Many happy filming days and save driving! Greetings from Belgium!
Thank you again for this instructive video. I took note of the speeds used, from 4 to 10 mph. A loco switcher length for 5 sec let's say, on HO around 6 inch in 5 sec= 1,2 inch/s=0.068 mph (HO) X 87 = 5,9 mph (prototype). It will help me make it realistic, going on the slower side for better effect !
I have a question that you could answer through a video: What is the max curve allowed to couple/uncouple cars, to be prototype and to succeed on HO scale... !!
@@djstrains So 44 inches in HO, seem reasonnable as with a standard circle of 18 inch radius, you cannot couple or uncouple easily without holding the coupler. In real life also they try to avoid coupling in curves I think...
The cars that were built during the war with partially Wood Construction were called composite cars. Generally after the war the wooden pieces were removed at scheduled maintenance and replaced with steel. The New York Central had many meat packing plants with the doors spaced for 36 ft cars and after World War II they had to lease many of them to serve their customers. There's a hobby shop up in Connecticut or Massachusetts that consist of two wooden box cars on track connected together. One is the hobby shop with the layout and sales the other is for storage.
Wow! The last time I saw wooden box cars like those was late fall of ‘64 or early spring ‘65 in Knoxville, TN. They were in an abandoned yard between the UT campus and downtown. I spent an afternoon prowling through them. A few years later it was all ripped out to become the site of the Knoxville World’s Fair. And an SW-8 like that, but in L&N livery, was my grandfather’s “daily driver” toward the end of his 51 years of service. ❤
Looks like a great place to model on a switching layout. Do you know if the shred goes into the mill to get sheltered down? Great video DJ. Take care. Sean.
Great Video DJ! 😌💜 This reminds me of a 4x8 layout: 4 _acres_ x 8 _acres,_ that is! 😉 And I knew we were looking at old equipment when I spotted _friction bearings_ on those trucks! 😮
Outstanding Vid Me: Operation absolute minimal continual ops. Thanks for the Standard Steel lead and providing another customer for my scrappers on my Pittsburgh Terminal RR (not a fan of fictitious companies) You info is always valued and appreciated!
When I was in ho model railroading I didn't bother with the switching because that emulated work. I just like to fire up the trains and watch them run. Hell I have some trains that are as old as that locomotive. The old stuff you can get parts for. You can pull an old train out of an attic that is sat there for 80 years clean it clean to contacts put it on the track it runs like the day it came out of the factory. All the new electronic stuff has a very limited shelf life and is very delicate. That's why I like about HO train for nice and simple in the old days you just grease them and put brushes in them one to the Blue Moon and they run for 10 20 30 years. So glad to see that engine still putting out the t o n miles.
For me, operations is my primary reason for model railroading, but I like some continuous running now and then as well. My dream is to eventually use continuous running as part of operations where a scheduled commuter train periodically comes through under computer control while I doing ops, so that I have to be mindful of that too. Plus things like interchange trains and so forth. So a bit of everything but primarily ops.
Great video! Doing a Google Earth, you can see some rail emerge north of the area those cars are parked at. No doubt with decades of neglect the ties disintegrated and rails sunk into the earth from the weight of the cars. Really enjoyed the video, thank you for sharing.
There are a couple spots where I could see the rail under boxcar wheels; but the whole line is far too straight to NOT be on rails. Looks like assorted dirt and debris has built up alongside and under the cars from the actions of wind, water, weeds growing ...
DJ thanks for going to all the different places to make your videos good information always. Have a nice thanksgiving and you and your crew always work safe
the buckets loaded with scrap are called charge buckets that get lifted by the hot metal crane. the furnace lid opens up the bucket gets picked up the cable is hooked to the auxiliary and is pulled the bottom opens the scrap is dumped in the electric furnace! fyi
Correction: The siding of derelict rail equipment that starts off your film has nothing to do with Standard Steel. It's owned by adjacent Kovalchick Salvage Co., the company made famous by its purchase and preservation of the East Broad Top RR in nearby Huntingdon County. Everything in that siding has sat derelict for decades, and in the case of the wooden USATC cars they're effectively being held together by termites holding hands. There are more "amazing" thinks to be found in the scrapyard, but they would involve cranes to find under the piles. The two diesels at the "far end" of that siding are, indeed, ex-Western Maryland Railway Baldwin VO660 105 and a former Baltimore & Ohio Alco S2 (not both Baldwins as presented). Both were later used by Standard Steel as plant switchers, and were later sold to Kovalchick rather than being shoved into the furnaces (copper, motors, engine oil, etc.). It appears the B&O Alco's basically original B&O switcher paint is the origin of the blue-with-yellow-ends paint scheme Standard Steel adopted for its locos.
Thanks DJ for an excellent insight into your life. I am learning quite a lot ! I have question about DP. You mention in '20 that you had a 13k ' train with a DPU about 58 cars back. You had 2 miles to go to a slow down for a crossing. You were trying to slow down while in notch 1, while your DPU was in notch 8. What was the solution to that engine pushing you into over speed ? With DCC is mimicking your situation, with appropriate speed corrections applied, doable or not recommended ?
The real world sometimes does not make for good model railroading. These computers sometimes think they are keeping the slack bunched is helpful, but in reality, it's just lucky it doesn't pop an empty car off on a curve. When I run Manual (mirror), I keep my DP mirroring the throttle of the head end.
Wish I could have made Todd’s open house. I actually work at Standard. I run the furnace and sometimes I am out in the scrap yard loading the buckets with scrap. The letters/numbers on the buckets are just bucket identification for in the loading system, so we know what is in each bucket. The little row of buckets (I believe there is 8) aren’t used anymore. They were for the old furnaces. Here is a shocker for ya if you didn’t know, the locomotives are actually radio controlled. The guy you seen throw the switches is actually the operator. He has a mobile box with him that controls the engine.
We use RCO on our yard jobs with CSX also. I did work the yard this morning since they were out of RCO conductors
I am from the UK but am developing a real interest in US industrial switching / shortline railroads. I have even picked up a couple of second hand EMD SW9 locos and some wagons, with the intention of building a micro switching layout. These types of videos are invaluable to really see what is going on in these industries, so thanks (and I have subscribed)!
Same here Justin
Back in the 90s I hauled several loads of steel rings from that mill and lately I’ve been wondering if Standard Steel was still in operation,and thanks to you I now know.
The cars and locomotives aren’t the only old pieces of equipment there;they had an overhead crane that dated back to the late 19th century,and it was still in use when I was going in there.
Thanks for these videos that show these older industries. History.
I appreciate how you focus on industry details, I grew up on the south coast with all the chemical plants and if railfans wanna see one of everything from every major railway, I tell them to drive through port of Houston left right and ahead of you at all times is just epic railroading. Go to Galveston and hundreds of stored former bnsf, Bn and Sf units sitting in every scheme and some models being some of the last remaining. It’s highly guarded so best chance you get on most days are drive bys. Most UA-cam rail channels seem to be you east coast guys, and I love the rail svenary up in that area, but Texas has things a lot of people don’t see or even realize are there with many steam restorations throughout the state planned for excursions in varying time progress
I do not have railroad people in my family. I know almost nothing about how a real railroad works. My father had an HO scale layout, my brother and I dared not touch it! Nevertheless, I am fascinated by them. I watch as many of your videos as I can find to learn about railroading. Thank you for all your time and effort!
Appreciated!!
Absolutely priceless footage. And some great music too.
Many thanks!
Those hot metal cars are actually huge. Amazing work and great finds, enjoyed it much!
Thanks, I’m enjoying the operations insights. I also enjoyed the visits to DJ’s layout. I appreciate the love that N Scale gets here. Thanks again!
DJ, a North Shore locomotive just like that one goes right by my mother's house twice a day, switching nearby industries in central PA. I really enjoyed watching it go by with a couple of freight cars. ...Roy
Very cool!
I can watch footage of that engine working all day and not get bored. Railroading is fun in the summertime when the weather is nice it's not quite so fun when you're trudging through the snow. Dealing with frozen switches air hoses that snap in cold weather. You got to be tough to be a Railroader even nowadays it's never been a cushy job.
Great bluesy music selection too. Goes great with that old switcher and the scenery.
Thanks! Love your video but this was just so super cool. Love to see the small switching operations and old operations.
YOU ARE AWESOME!!! TOTALLY MADE MY DAY!! Thank you!!!
So awesome! I never get to see "real life" switching. Thanks for this!
One is a Baldwin and the other one is a Alco. 👽
I’m amazed how tight of a radius that SW can navigate! Good to know that tighter radius is realistic on industrial spurs. Thanks DJ!
Their switching locomotive came from the North Shore railroad based out of Northumberland PA. The North Shore has several units painted in Erie Lackawanna colors as well as Reading.
The "scrap area" used to have overhead cranes to transfer the scrap. A few years ago they removed it all and now use loaders to move/load the scrap. The Japanese bought standard steel maybe 8 years ago now.
Thanks!
SAM YOU THE MAN!! Thanks so much! Sincerely appreciated!
i can confirm that the 6718 is in fact WM 105, you can even still see the plate over the radiator grille where the WM Speed Logo was applied. as for the other unit, that's not 6712, it's an ALCO S-2. 6712 is now owned by SMS Lines (SLRX 6712)
You are model railroading in 12” to the foot!
Wood under frame freight cars may have been outlawed for interchange with other RRs before WW2. However, wood side cars were still used, but with steel under frames and steel bracing on the sides. Especially during WW2 when steel was needed for war material.
That SW-8 may have been originally an Erie or Lackawanna loco that survived the merger.
The small industry cars could be used for molten or hot metal slag?
The SW-8 isn't original Erie or Lackawanna equipment. It was built for the Lehigh Valley (in about 1950 or 1951, I believe, so that SW-8 isn't a *whole* lot newer than the derelict Baldwin and Alco units on the other side of the plant). The E-L paint scheme was applied by the North Shore Railroad, which paints its engines in that scheme.
The giveaway that the unit is ex-LV is that the hood doesn't taper smoothly to the cab the way it does on nearly all SW-series engines. Instead, this SW-8 has a boxy housing that once contained dynamic braking equipment, an option that was nearly unique to the Lehigh Valley (SP also had some dynamic-brake-equipped SW-8's, but this one is ex-LV). Dynamic braking is really rare on switchers. At yard speeds, dynamic braking is seldom of much use. The Lehigh Valley, however, bought their SW-8's to use on mine runs (usually in multiples), collecting coal loads from hilly branch lines. For that service, the dynamics made more sense, so LV's SW-8's had them.
Fascinating to see the SW-8 switcher moving those strange little 4-wheel tipper cars - Very austere, 19th century looking things. Those wooden outside braced boxcars are a favorite of mine, I just love the different methods of building the sides and so on. Archbar trucks under them, too. Hopefully that Baldwin and Alco switcher go to museums and get some loving care - Even as a static exhibit.
Personally, I enjoy switching, my current layout is essentially a big yard that's attached to a fairly small loop, for the most part, I just enjoy shuffling cars in no particular order ("station order" for some off-layout location, perhaps) though I have two industry spurs that get serviced by a secondary interurban line.
Another quality film!
Nice Video
This is "my backyard" I grew up there! The green metal boxcar were army cars, years ago you could see the lettering. There used to be 2 or 3 more old amtrak cars, 2 of them were used as a diner. Kovalchik owns all of these cars/engines.
army cars?!! Awesome!!
At 3:18 the first loco in line is an Alco S1 identified by the stack and trucks yes the one behind is a Bladwin some still run on SMS RR in NJ and PA
Mostly continuous operations so far , but recently started some casual ops! 20 freight cars are randomly assigned starting spots and ending destinations to 8 local industries and a yard. A steamer grabs a caboose and switches them out. Pretty fun! Based on Jimmy @DIYDigitalRailroad
He has a great channel and is a nice guy
I like gritty, industrial, switching layouts with older steam to diesel transition equipment, that has a continuous loop to run way freights, or to break in new locomotives, and test rolling stock to make sure it doesn’t have any problems.
I went from continuous running to a N scale switching layout. Your videos changed how I viewed model railroading.
That is awesome!
Thank you so much for switching video, how simple it is ,love to see more on this type ,roundly round get tiresome switching is fun, keep up the great work
More to come!
Very nice action and tour around the facility
Thanks DJ. Interesting to see some very tight curves in the scrap yard. Cheers Peter.
Thank you for these videos, this stuff is golden! I just recently got into model railroading, particularly steel mills. I grew up about 30 miles west of Pittsburgh in Weirton WV where my dad was a steel worker in the mill there. Yes I call them still mills, lol. Most of the mill has been demoed over the last several years however I have found a lot of photos, viedos and of course the memories to help recreate what I'm trying to do. The overhead shots that you captured in videos are truly amazing and helpful, as are the rest of your videos. Thanks again and I look forward to the next installment.
I have a PLAYLIST: STEEL MILLS.. Look on my channel homepage, you will love it!!
I remember about 14 years ago we had a fire in one of those Amtrak cars, I can't remember which one, but I want to say the second one. I have many friends and family that work at the standard! Also can't wait to see Mr. Treasters layout. I've seen it a few times. Lewistown is rich with railroad history. Proud to live here!
December. Still editing.
I’m a g scale guy who likes continuous running but I’d like to get an N scale layout for indoors when the weather is too bad for the big ones outside. I’m torn between a continuous running layout in a small room or a shelf switching layout to play with or a continuous runner around the dining room ceiling for 0n30 or O scale.
One of the passenger cars shows "Seaboard" lettering showing through the Amtrak paint. Thats visible from right behind the Ollies Store.
interesting!!
My HO layout is 6x1 feet, so no continuous running for me. It was interesting to see how fast that SW-8 was moving, even around that fairly sharp curve, but then there didn't seem to be many close clearances to worry about.. Due to its small size, my switching layout has close clearances everywhere. 🙂 Thanks for this video DJ and cheers from Wisconsin!
Hello! Excellent maneuver work. Watched with great interest.👍
Thank you 👍
I love industrial switching and model such layouts..
I'd have to look at old photos of mine but I think the wood box cars say US Army on there. There were very similar to the US Army wood box cars that once stood at Mount Union PA in the former EBT yard. They did actually burn those wooden box cars that were in Mount Union a few years ago.
OK, the box cars are all ex US Army cars. The Baldwin is in fact a VO660 built for the WM, the Alco is an S2 ex B&O. The ex Amtrak cars were from various railroads. I grew up riding these locos. I remember when the SS bought them . The Alco came in B&O paint the VO660 came in WM paint. They were painted later like the B&O with SS painted on them. The passenger cars , the first one is an ex NYC , second one not sure the third one is an ex Seaboard Coast Line.
Thanks! I went off a website someone made an got wrong info.
is that in-plant switcher remote control? think i saw rail between the 2 old abandoned switchers other side of the plant. think the tracks have been there so long they are covered with dirt, cars are too straight and all coupled in line.
I agree
I do continuous running and switching operations in my layout. One classification yard, an interchange yard, long passing track, and a small short line off of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
here in brazil this "old steel cars" are pretty the exact ones in use right now
Welcome! Thanks for watching in Brazil!!
After seeing the antiquated rolling stock and the switching operations, all I can say is - WOW!!!
This is why I was so excited to share this!!
@@djstrains and I'm sure glad you did!
Outstanding video
Great, informative video as usual DJ. The crystal-clear clarity adds so much to your videos. Keep on droning on! Cheers, Bob
More to come!
Love it! Thank you DJ and Happy Thanksgiving!
I have a special video coming to the Patreon site soon. Thanks again for your awesome support!
That is a great video, DJ. I have both continuous runs and operations on my layout. Thanks for the video, David.
Thanks for watching!
Excellent video, I love seeing different possible model opportunities.
it seems like a steel plant could pose a very interesting layout for a small layout and could get a lot of detail and be nice as well.
It’s my personal favorite to model and I have so many videos in my STEEL MILL PLAYLIST
DJ...the music for this video was fabulous. Can I ask you the name of the track?
blue mood - Robert munzinger on UA-cam
This is great, I drove by there on the way to Strasburg and saw all those passenger cars. I wanted to walk down there but I had to get going plus it looked like I would probably get some attention by the police doing so lol. That is really neat those locos are down there. Those two boxcars almost look like EX PRR/PC MOW equipment judging by the fading yellow.
Hey great to know more about that plant, as somebody from central PA I appreciate how you have been coming a bit further east to Clearfield and now near Lewistown. Going to all sorts of new areas is a great idea for your channel, I'm sure there's plenty of people from other spots as well who would love to see examples from closer to where they live.
I'm trying to reach more. This year I did more in Ohio, Erie, Meadville, Cumberland, Clearfield, and now east of Altoona. More to come...
West of Sterling , Illinois, back in the rush there were several steam locomotives with brush growing around and over them. They were retired from the tubing and steel wire manufacturers. Don’t know if they’re still there but it’s a shame some weren’t saved. I can still recall seeing them in use in the 70s and maybe into the early 1980s? When Pittsburgh still had their mills operating we’d see steam engines moving along the river banks in the steel yards. It’s a lot cleaner now but miss the romance of old steam locomotives.
Awesome video/s man!
Glad I could help!
Nice Work! You're spoiling us with the Drone Shots :>). One question, what is the background music?
blue mood - Robert munzinger on UA-cam
One slight correction. The locomotive coupled to the front of the Baldwin is an ALCO, not a Baldwin.
Otherwise, great footage of some VERY interesting equipment.
I had gotten it from a website, maybe I read it wrong. my mistake.
Great video DJ
Appreciate it
Thanks for the video DJ! I was there a few months ago for work and stumbled across all of those old cars and had to check them out. Of course I was stuck on the ground with no drone and wasn't able to make it far enough to see the old Baldwins. If you're ever back there again, there is a chrome and neon diner about a block away that you should check out. Good food, very fast and affordable!
Very cool!
Great video, please put more switching videos. I have an N scale layout using T-trak and model a town in the 1920s in steam, almost all switching.
The last engine in the the abandoned consist looks alot like an Alco S2. I recognize it from a model i have. Prominent stand outs to me are the exaust and the trucks.
I had received wrong info, you are correct.
Nice Work
My layout is N scale and I do switching and long distance running . Railroads have purpose to make money. Switching industries and taking to another town and its final destination. I based my railroad on that concept. I set it up for operations with plenty of aisle space. Simple tracks and I do have a scrap yard on my layout. Not real elaborate but one track to receive a gondola or two. Every industry is simple tracks. Lots of scenery but one thing I failed to provide was roads. So now I am trying to redesign some areas for towns and roads.
Nice work DJ👍
Thanks ✌️
Hey DJ. My railroad is a folded dogbone to simulate a 2 track mainline, but I have 4 industry spurs and a small classification yard (inbound, outbound, 4 storage tracks, so I can do operations. I run live steam, so there is a lot of "just running" on the ~400ft of "mainline" but I have an R/C enabled switcher that is tons of fun to use making up trains. (video of layout in progress on my channel)
Thanks for the great footage and have a happy thanksgiving
Thank you too
Hello DJ, as always a very inspiring video! Steel plants are a good scene for model railroads. You can do a lot of weathering and use rust paint! Lol!
You filmed also other industries in the past such as chemical and smaller industries, but did you also food or grain transport? Maybe less active in your area?
Many happy filming days and save driving! Greetings from Belgium!
DJ, this video was awesome. I really like those old box cars. Great footage, keep up the great videos. I enjoy them all. 👍
Thanks! Will do!
3:44 is that a white 5070 paystar I see?
Another great video, DJ!!! Thanks for the time and effort! Quick Q: what’s being hauled in the cylindrical containers? Is that scrap?
I believe so
lots of cool old stuff
Excellent drone footage ... Thx for sharing ...
Glad you enjoyed it
Awesome video and enjoyed watching. Have a great rest of your evening.(Steve)
Thanks, you too!
@@djstrains Your welcome and thank you also.
As always great information...I can do both but mainly just let them run
Thank you again for this instructive video. I took note of the speeds used, from 4 to 10 mph.
A loco switcher length for 5 sec let's say, on HO around 6 inch in 5 sec= 1,2 inch/s=0.068 mph (HO) X 87 = 5,9 mph (prototype). It will help me make it realistic, going on the slower side for better effect !
Good thinking
I have a question that you could answer through a video:
What is the max curve allowed to couple/uncouple cars, to be prototype and to succeed on HO scale... !!
@@luke_atthat Im an N scale guy, lol. 22" might be doable I think.
@@djstrains So 44 inches in HO, seem reasonnable as with a standard circle of 18 inch radius, you cannot couple or uncouple easily without holding the coupler.
In real life also they try to avoid coupling in curves I think...
The cars that were built during the war with partially Wood Construction were called composite cars. Generally after the war the wooden pieces were removed at scheduled maintenance and replaced with steel. The New York Central had many meat packing plants with the doors spaced for 36 ft cars and after World War II they had to lease many of them to serve their customers. There's a hobby shop up in Connecticut or Massachusetts that consist of two wooden box cars on track connected together. One is the hobby shop with the layout and sales the other is for storage.
Wow! The last time I saw wooden box cars like those was late fall of ‘64 or early spring ‘65 in Knoxville, TN. They were in an abandoned yard between the UT campus and downtown. I spent an afternoon prowling through them. A few years later it was all ripped out to become the site of the Knoxville World’s Fair. And an SW-8 like that, but in L&N livery, was my grandfather’s “daily driver” toward the end of his 51 years of service. ❤
Always great video
I appreciate that
Looks like a great place to model on a switching layout. Do you know if the shred goes into the mill to get sheltered down? Great video DJ. Take care. Sean.
Some of the workers have watched this video, maybe they will comment, but I think scrap is melted down inside
Really good video, would really help modelers get it right. I like how the dirt is different colors. Take care - Bill
FUN TO WATCH. Thanks DJ
Great Video DJ! 😌💜 This reminds me of a 4x8 layout: 4 _acres_ x 8 _acres,_ that is! 😉 And I knew we were looking at old equipment when I spotted _friction bearings_ on those trucks! 😮
Outstanding Vid Me: Operation absolute minimal continual ops. Thanks for the Standard Steel lead and providing another customer for my scrappers on my Pittsburgh Terminal RR (not a fan of fictitious companies) You info is always valued and appreciated!
Thanks again!
When I was in ho model railroading I didn't bother with the switching because that emulated work. I just like to fire up the trains and watch them run. Hell I have some trains that are as old as that locomotive. The old stuff you can get parts for. You can pull an old train out of an attic that is sat there for 80 years clean it clean to contacts put it on the track it runs like the day it came out of the factory. All the new electronic stuff has a very limited shelf life and is very delicate. That's why I like about HO train for nice and simple in the old days you just grease them and put brushes in them one to the Blue Moon and they run for 10 20 30 years. So glad to see that engine still putting out the t o n miles.
For me, operations is my primary reason for model railroading, but I like some continuous running now and then as well. My dream is to eventually use continuous running as part of operations where a scheduled commuter train periodically comes through under computer control while I doing ops, so that I have to be mindful of that too. Plus things like interchange trains and so forth. So a bit of everything but primarily ops.
Fantastic video dj 👍 I wish I could add a steel mill on my layout, but I have no room 😢maybe I can rip something out in the future 😅
Start with a photo backdrop instead. Add some interesting foreground details.
Great video! Doing a Google Earth, you can see some rail emerge north of the area those cars are parked at. No doubt with decades of neglect the ties disintegrated and rails sunk into the earth from the weight of the cars.
Really enjoyed the video, thank you for sharing.
There are a couple spots where I could see the rail under boxcar wheels; but the whole line is far too straight to NOT be on rails. Looks like assorted dirt and debris has built up alongside and under the cars from the actions of wind, water, weeds growing ...
DJ thanks for going to all the different places to make your videos good information always. Have a nice thanksgiving and you and your crew always work safe
Thanks, you too!
beautiful video
Thank you
the buckets loaded with scrap are called charge buckets that get lifted by the hot metal crane. the furnace lid opens up the bucket gets picked up the cable is hooked to the auxiliary and is pulled the bottom opens the scrap is dumped in the electric furnace! fyi
Thanks Jeff!!!
My layout is 100% switching in N scale. Thanks for the great information, DJ. Happy Thanksgiving!
Good one, DJ. Thanks.
Correction: The siding of derelict rail equipment that starts off your film has nothing to do with Standard Steel. It's owned by adjacent Kovalchick Salvage Co., the company made famous by its purchase and preservation of the East Broad Top RR in nearby Huntingdon County. Everything in that siding has sat derelict for decades, and in the case of the wooden USATC cars they're effectively being held together by termites holding hands. There are more "amazing" thinks to be found in the scrapyard, but they would involve cranes to find under the piles.
The two diesels at the "far end" of that siding are, indeed, ex-Western Maryland Railway Baldwin VO660 105 and a former Baltimore & Ohio Alco S2 (not both Baldwins as presented). Both were later used by Standard Steel as plant switchers, and were later sold to Kovalchick rather than being shoved into the furnaces (copper, motors, engine oil, etc.). It appears the B&O Alco's basically original B&O switcher paint is the origin of the blue-with-yellow-ends paint scheme Standard Steel adopted for its locos.
Gotta love the north shore locomotives in the eire Lackawanna colors in central Pennsylvania
Luv the video , thinking about getting a drone to capture shots like this. What drone to you use and how are companies when you video them?
amzn.to/3Ugf37M
Outstanding content as always……love me some switcher action👍
The second switcher in the vid is actually an ALCO S-2.
well done
Thanks DJ for an excellent insight into your life. I am learning quite a lot ! I have question about DP. You mention in '20 that you had a 13k ' train with a DPU about 58 cars back. You had 2 miles to go to a slow down for a crossing. You were trying to slow down while in notch 1, while your DPU was in notch 8. What was the solution to that engine pushing you into over speed ? With DCC is mimicking your situation, with appropriate speed corrections applied, doable or not recommended ?
The real world sometimes does not make for good model railroading. These computers sometimes think they are keeping the slack bunched is helpful, but in reality, it's just lucky it doesn't pop an empty car off on a curve. When I run Manual (mirror), I keep my DP mirroring the throttle of the head end.
Happy Thanksgiving