Weirton's Blooming Mill Engine

Twin Tandem Compound Reversing Blooming Mill Engine at Arcelor Mittal Weirton.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• steam
• engine
• Tod
• Engine
• Weirton
• Steel

[LHG1952]

From what I was told when I worked at WSX,there were 2 engines made.The other one is sitting on the ocean floor after being torpedoed while enroute to England.I don't know if it's true.Has anyone else heard this story?

[todengine]

None of my records show another engine having been built at the same time. If it were true I would have seen it in the publications and documents that I have studied. I have actually heard that rumor before.

[todengine]

I was able to save the wooden chair that was up in the engine room's crane cab, and I plan to use it in our Morgan crane at the museum. I tried to save what I could carry out in the few days that I had access to the place.

[todengine]

I was able to save the governor apparatus at the end of the crankshaft and part of the Shutte valve trip mechanism. I'm going to use the governor on a steam driven demonstration rolling mill that we are building for the museum.

[douro20]

So this is the largest steam engine in the world. Up until three years ago the Mesta engine at Republic Steel in Cleveland was the largest.

[todengine]

The Mesta engine at Republic Steel was a 44" and 76" x 60" and the Weirton engine 42" and 66" x 60". The Republic engine was actually a standard size and were installed at many plants in cluding US Steel Ohio Works, Republic Youngstown, YS&T Brier Hill and Bethlehem Steel.

[starb10]

It is sad to read posts like this as I too had parents, grandparents who worked there and to see you guys have so much special knowledge of these aparatuses - it all now gone to waste

[shadowchaser38]

When I ran that crane on repair turns, we would check, shim or change the connecting rod bearings. I used a 25 ton hoist to torque the nuts on the bearing caps. I usually stalled the hoist on the second point of acceleration to gain the required torque. I was deep in that engine on many repair turns, and I have much info to share. I was one of the few 4th generation steel workers in the mill. My Great Grandfather was hired by E.T. Weir as an engineer to build the steel works.

[shadowchaser38]

Just for reference.......The crankshaft alone was estimated at 150-160 tons.......that's right tons!!!

[shadowchaser38]

I worked as a craneman in the Blooming Mill from 1989 until 91. I ran crane in the engine room and this engine was massive

[BigUnitBeef]

Thank you for taking the time to document this. As a former employee it's nice to see things as they were before the "europeans" took it out from under us and turned it into a finishing mill.

[D342DIESEL]

What person would be that heartless to scrap this piece of history.

[AGIII49]

as of 12-5-08, the engine is sitting in the open