Operations on the South Ridge Line
Dean FreytagDescription
In part three of the 8-part South Ridge Line series, Allen Keller examines the operations of the model railroad engineered by Dean Freytag. He begins the segment by providing a historical background on the American steel industry to offer a better understanding of the operations.
The South Ridge Line and the American Steel Industry
The South Ridge Line represents the time when the steel industry was booming in America, long before foreign steel imports and lack of modernization began to hurt the American industry. It’s a time when thousands of men worked around the clock for the steel industry and a time when the mill and the railroad had trouble meeting the demand for American made steel. The railroad worked nonstop to feed the mills with raw materials.
Allen Keller follows gas electric #7890 at the Iron City Union Terminal as she takes the steel workers to their jobs. We follow along its journey to gain insight into the operations. At Iron City, the workers detrain at the basic oxygen furnace. With a change of shift, the train brings workers back through Iron City toward the classification yard at Pine Ridge. Take a look at the busy steel industry as its constantly in full swing to meet its goals.
The South Ridge thrives in a time before foreign steel imports and lack of modernization began to hurt the American steel industry. It's a time when 5,000 men work around the clock at the Davies Corporation's Norma Blast Furnace. The company's basic oxygen furnace for turning scrap into steel employs another 1,000. Both the mill and the railroad have trouble meeting the demand for American-made steel. The railroad works around the clock to feed the mills with raw materials, and to haul away the cast steel ingots. To experience this, we only have to hop aboard gas electric number 7890 at the Iron City Union Terminal as she takes the steel workers to their jobs. After a stop at the Sultana Works, number 7890 passes the DNF Stone Company, then heads under the town of Bridgeville At Iron City, the workers detrain at the basic oxygen furnace. With the change of shift workers, we head back through Iron City toward the classification yard at Pine Ridge.
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