(Peoria,Pekin) Bartonville, IL: Liberty/Keystone Steel and Wire

(Satellite)

The first photo below shows the roof of the Electric Arc Furnace swung to the side. The three glowing circles are the holes through which the electrodes are lowered into the furnace when running. The roof is swung to the side so that they can dump scrap iron in it for the next melt.

David Denis posted

This shows the EAF in operation. Look at all of the emissions they have to capture and remove.

David commented on his post
Eaf lmf is next to it
[EAF = Electric Arc Furnace, LMF = Ladle Manufacturing Facility. I presume that the LMF is the "big box" on the right because it appears the structure on the left holds the roof and electrodes of the EAF.]

I was going to add this photo to my ladle notes, but when I learned this was near Peoria, IL, I decided to do some research. Unfortunately, the web site for Liberty Steel & Wire is remarkably devoid of information. I noticed on Google Maps that Keystone Steel and Wire was in the vicinity. My 2005 SPV Map shows the industry east of the C&NW tracks in this topo map was Keystone Steel & Wire. 

1949 Peoria West Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

Fortunately, the Keystone web site still exists and it has a nice video. I hope this web site remains active because I don't know how to save a copy of the video.

Screenshot @ 0:13

Liberty Steel purchased Keystone Steel & Wire rather recently (Dec 2018) for $320m. "The acquisition adds a wire rod facility with an electric arc furnace (EAF), RedBrand agricultural fence products, industrial wire, a bar mill, three welded wire reinforcement mesh facilities and a PC strand facility to the Liberty Steel USA family." [RecyclingToday] The new owners plan to double the capacity of the plant by 2021. [pjstar] That has to be good news for the employees.

Keystone was based in Texas and has plants in six other states. But this plant, founded in 1889, will play a major role in the expansion. "“We’re only at 40 to 50 percent capacity now and we’re still making money,” said Taylor, who recalled talking with the late state Sen. George Shadid in 2002 when Shadid helped orchestrate a $10 million loan from the state to rescue the then-struggling plant from financial trouble." [pjstar] I wonder where this plant got its steel from when it started. EAFs were not developed until the second half of the 20th Century. Did Bartonville have a blast furnace?