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| Chris Hettwer posted U.S. Steel in Granite City, IL. Blast furnace. Coke ovens in the middle, I currently work at the Coke Ovens. Picture probably shown before. Huge part of our town, and most of the better paying jobs in the area. Best steel around men and women. [There are several interesting comments about the coke ovens.] |
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| Bob Clementi posted, cropped Granite City, IL John Orlando: Great picture 💕 Are they still there running? Darren Battles: John Orlando only B furnace is running. At least until they sell to Sun Coke. Mark Sparky Eddleman: Darren Battles I'm a granite city native and as a union laborer I have done maintenance all over that plant. A furnace was banked a few years ago. It's my understanding that Suncoke is looking to buy A furnace and convert it to making pig iron pellets. It has been put off several times. B Furnace will continue to supply the BOF with iron for as long as USS decides to keep steel making there alive. I dread the day they stop even tho I will be retired by then. The plant has a future with its hot strip and triple G line even if steel making is shut down. They are interested in buying one blast furnace and making the iron pellets, thier figures must show a profit ro even bring up the idea. Fact is, if it wasn't for the rumors and the simple realization that USS could shut down steel making in GC at any time, they would.have already began construction and brought A furnace back to life. They have their coke supply right across the street which has to be half of the recipe to make iron and they own it. BUT, they would.hate to spend millions of dollars on A Furnace and then USS shut down B Furnace and practically give it to them. So their playing cat and mouse hoping the future will provide them with 2 furnaces for the price of 1 and getting B Furnace that is ready to run after a short maintenance outage. Big people playing high dollar chess and we the people are the pawns. They don't care about American pride. They don't care about men try to feed their families. They care about how much more money they can make that they will never spend before they die. |
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| Gary Gaines posted Not sure of the year. Somebody knows cars. This is in Granite City, IL. It was purchased by National Steel and they were bought by US Steel. The tall stacks are the 90" Hot Mill and the building in front of them with the sign on top is the plant steam generator. In 1967 GCS started up new BOP and 80" HSM. Under National they started the first continuous slab caster and the first integrated mill to go to 100% caster. That smoke is blowing straight into the downtown area. [Some comments indicate the cars imply the mid 1950s. The continuous caster started in 1980. Weirton had a caster before Granite City had one. [nytimes]] Pat McCon: Why the black smoke from the hot strip mill stacks? Were the reheat furnaces fired with coal? Gary Gaines: Pat McCon Fuel oil I believe. The Steam Gen. ran on coal or coke - before my time - I thing converted to NG and then another source from the Iron Making side of the plant. |
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Did this plant become US Steel, or were their two steel companies in Granite City?
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| Kevin Nelson posted Saw this online. NESCO Granite City Steel Works, 1903 National Enameling and Stamping Company's Steel Works and Rolling Mills in Granite City, Illinois. Image courtesy of Lee I. Niedringhaus. "The first open hearth heat was tapped by the steel works on August 30, 1895 inaugurating a plant that would ultimately become the Granite City Steel Company."--Source: National Enameling & Stamping Company : the early years 1899-1928 by Lee I. Niedringhaus. |
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| Patrick Loftus posted I grew up in Granite City, Il where my grandfather, father, brothers and I all worked at Granite City Steel...later bought by National Steel and then in 2003 by US Steel. I have many pictures both old and newer taken by myself. Put in 39 years most of which were in the 80" Mesta Hot Strip mill maintenance. |
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| Mark Sparky Addleman posted I have been a part of many furnace relines right here in my hometown of granite city. From day one I was a high man, a tunnel man, a dust catcher man, if there was a hole I was going thru it. Done demo on stoves, stacks, bustle pipes and made #2 scrap out of just about everything in the plant. I'm sure there are many people reading this that have done the same. It grows on you. There u Is one thing I done years ago that I'm not sure anyone else has done. I look back and see just how crazy i was on the job. We were 2 hours from topping out the shotcrete on the furnace using a swinging scaffold with german Jack's. I was not on the scaffold and I got a call that the shotcrete had stopped and I was to go inside furnace and investigate. The 90 going off the stove deck had come unclamped. The pipe had solidified and the next command was to jack down and rebuild pipe on way up. It would take hours and the unnecessary jacking would be brutal. We had a chugger set up on the Hoist deck so with a call up to the scaffold we made a plan. We would hook the cable to the Y pipe and lower it down. I was in the bottom on a ladder and I knocked off the clamps as they lowered it. Was all going smooth until a piece of # 9 wire, used to keep the pipe close to the guide cable that ran up the center, had got stuck about 90ft up. We were back to jacking the scaffold again until I had a OSHA nightmare idea. I radio my buddy on scaffold and told him to look down at me. When he did I hand signaled him to lower me a safety rope with a slider on it. I had a man hook it on my harness and told him to tell hole watch not to let anyone In and then I wanted him to start tossing small pebbles out the hole so nobody would even try to look in. Then I gave the Hoist up signal and away I went 90 feet up flying like a superhero to the snag and cut it free. We lowered the pipe and built the new one up and finished the job by morning just as planned. [Inland #7 and USS #14 are both supposed to be relined in Fall 2021.] |
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| Michael Ray Watkins posted Granite city steel early 50's |
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| Glen Ahlers posted Morning view of A& B furnaces in Granite City [The left furnace is A and it came off hot idle a couple of months ago [written Nov 2021].] |
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| Gregory Molloy posted 6/14/1990. In order to reach the planned excursion route on the ex-Chicago & Eastern Illinois, the train crossed the MacArthur Bridge and went north on the Alton & Southern to Lenox Tower. It was believed to be the first passenger train EVER over the south end of the A&S. At Milepost 15, it passed the National Steel Co. Granite City Division. © Greg Molloy James Torgeson shared The National Steel Granite City Plant provides the backdrop for a Union Pacific steam excursion in 1990. |
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| Raymond Boothe posted Granite City Steel (Now USS) blast furnace 1961 (Koppers photo/Dr. Raymond Boothe collection). |
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| Bob Lalich posted I'd like comments from those who have worked in BOF shops. I take it that the orange smoke seen in this photo indicates that the vessel is being charged and the hood is not in place yet, correct? Was scrap put in the vessel first, then molten iron? Bill Flanagan: If you shop looks like this today you must immediately shut down and self report yourself to the epa. Fines will be much higher. Yes scrap first, metal second. The metal must be poured into the vessel slowly enough at in the correct place so none of the smoke can escape. BOFs have been water cooled hoods since the 50s when they were invented. Who ever said they didn’t have them didn’t know much about how this stuff works. And the secondary emissions systems are also continuously upgraded. The only thing you should see is literally steam. Harold Sanscrainte: Scrap always goes in first send a metal on top. What do I have in the building smoking could be from anything. Pollution system not working steel being put on the ground. Make smoke go through the building. I worked a BOF for 37 years did it all. Gregory W Dotson: Looks like they are blowing a heat. If the smoke stayed over a certain percentage for a specific amount of time, then you had to report it. I don’t recall the exact numbers, but the furnace operators are required to watch this. Donald Hall: Happens if the Hot Metal is charged too fast, overloading the hood’s capacity ! We had a rule governing a minimum of a 3 minute Hot Metal charge. Mark Bencie: If the heat has high silicon the furnace will sometimes slop and create that type of smoke. Bob Lalich: Thanks to everyone who provided answers! The photo was taken by a friend in 1986 at National Steel, Granite City, IL. |
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| Randy Smith posted US steel granite city. Blast furnace B. Start up 2018 Justin Cain Sule: I loved running the KT Grant machine. Did it for 8 years on the furnace. I'm a mechanic in the Hot Mill now. Running that machine is the only thing I miss about the Blast furnace! Rod Garlin: Keebler Thompson Co. What are they doing punching tap hole open? Randy Smith: Keeping it flowing till they plugged it up. It was nasty at times.. thats me running it. It got hot |
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| David Bussel commented on Randy's post |
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| Gary Gaines commented on a post about Mesta Granite City Works - USS. That's a nationally know labor/folk singer Eddie Starr in the blue shirt on the left of frame. He more or less died on the job about 10 years ago from a heart attack. |
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| Gary Gaines commented on Bob's post Our long gone Blooming Mill at the Granite City Works - USS. When we were owned by National Steel we went 100% continuous cast. Jeff Evans: We had problems with fuel [for the soaking pits] and National Steel purchased the shuttered General Steel Casting plant just for their gas allocation in 1974 or 75. |
Dennis Barker posted seven photos with the comment:
Granite City Steel…Pouring Steel Since 1878Granite City Steel United 90” Hot Strip Mill (circa 1936) Finishing Mill Stands being installed, For scale a new 1936 Chevrolet Coupe was placed inside the last Mill Standthe 1936 photo was recreated in 2011 by placing a Mechanical Bobcat in the R- 3 Roughing Mill Stand in the Mesta 80” Hot Strip Mill that was installed in 1967 replacing the 1936 90” United Hot Mill.
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| Gary Gaines posted For the ones looking for MESTA pix. In Granite City, IL - USS. Installed with a pickle line about 1948. Still ticking.
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| Dennis Barker commented on Gary's post Same photo recreated in 2012 Cold Mill still running strong..... |
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| Gary Gaines posted The computerized 80" hot strip mill at Granite City Steel (now USS) went on line in 1967 along with a two vessel BOF shop. Another MESTA photo. It was the most modern in the USA at the time. They have continued to upgrade often. David Klein: Spent 46yrs in there thru,GC Steel, National Steel, National Steel-Japan joint venture, back to National Steel, then US Steel all the while still pumping steel due to the dedicated workers! Scott Gracie: I worked at Weirton Steel, when it was owned by National Steel......National also owned Granite City and Great Lakes. |
Dennis Barker posted three photos with the comment: "Granite City Steel 4 Stand Cold Mill installed in 1947....2nd Photo circa 1960...3rd Photo recreated the 1960 Photo in 2012...."
Ed McMurray: Those Mesta mill housings are like pillars of granite. Morg oil back-ups. Kind of cool to see covers on the back-up warblers. 2nd photo has panels in between the mill stands, someone put an exhaust system in then.
Jerry Lacy: I have worked on the bearing chocks for the back up rolls from this very mill. One of them has the imprint of a 3/8 allen wrench on one of the outside flat spots. We could even read the 3/8 in the imprint.
Earl Dean Evans Jr.: Jerry Lacy I've seen some crazy things on that mill. Mill crew dropped a 12" adjustable out of the guide box and it turned into a flat 24". LOL. We had to change the backups.
Chuck Pilant: Some of my worst steel mill experiences were on #4 Tandem mill at FFWorks! Lol! Got away from cold reduction department as quick as I could.
Glen Ahlers: And still rolling strong
Stan Gawlinski: Just pumped a pot out and changed inductors in December
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| Doug May commented on Dennis' post As Ed McMurray mentioned, 'Those MESTA mill housings are like pillars of granite." Photo of Granite City Steel Cold Mill install. |
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| Tristan Hall posted Currently [Dec 15, 2023] idled Granite City |
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| Kevin Bronnbauer commented on Tristan's post |
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| Katie Jacobs Peppers commented on Tristan's post Not the blast furnaces, but a beautiful sunset at our mill. |
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| safe_image for Corporate plan would permanently end steelmaking jobs at Granite City mill, union says [Has 0:55 video of firing up the second blast furnace in 2020.] |
Feb 2024:
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| video John Groves: Many have asked the ages of Nos.1 & 2 slab casters at Granite City. The following data is quoted from a recent AIST Directory: The new No.1 was originally installed in 1986 by Bethlehem Steel at Sparrows Point. It was designed by Voest-Alpine. It was sold second hand to US Steel and reinstalled at Granite City in 2015. No.2 was installed in 1990, designed by SMS/Concast. The rated annual capacities are 2.000 million net tons per annum for the new No.1 and 1.440 million for No.2. But I do not understand why the first caster to be installed is called No.2 and the other caster installed 25 years later is No.1. (Ahhh, I have just answered my own question: the Sparrows Point slab caster moved to Granite City in 2015 replaced an earlier No.1 slab caster. The original Nos.1 slab caster was installed in 1981. It was SMS/Concast design, single strand, 1.38 M tpa capacity.) John Groves: Jimmie Patton What was the benefit of replacing the original 1980-vintage No.1 slab caster by the relocated 1986-vintage Sparrows Point caster? Jimmie Patton: John Groves soft reduction to avoid slab cracking on surface. Providing for high silicon grade steels used in new Electric autos,lightweight super strong. Soft reduction is where the segment drive rolls change downward pressure depending on where the solidification point was in the strand. Jimmie Patton: John Groves sounds about right on March of 81. We were still pouring into molds for ingots at that time as well. Yes new #1 was designed to run twin or single strand casting,by changing the mold. |
A 35:51 minute 1938 video, uses open hearth furnaces that need 8 hours and a lot of testing to "cook" a batch. Hearth furnaces have been replaced with Basic Oxygen Furnaces. And the 12,000 pound steel ignots, soaking pit, and slab furnace have been replaced with continuous casting and long multiple stand roller mills.
A short 2007 video of a 4-car bottle train taking molten iron from a blast furnace on the east side of their complex to a BOF in the mill on the west side. Since this train stays on their property and doesn't cross any bridges, flatcars as spacers between the bottle cars are not needed to spread the weight. Note that the cars have 8 axles, so you know they are modern (heavy) cars.
Paul Krause: Pretty crazy how so much has changed but still making the same thing...
Look at ALL the unsafe things going on in there...
A short 2007 video of a 4-car bottle train taking molten iron from a blast furnace on the east side of their complex to a BOF in the mill on the west side. Since this train stays on their property and doesn't cross any bridges, flatcars as spacers between the bottle cars are not needed to spread the weight. Note that the cars have 8 axles, so you know they are modern (heavy) cars.
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