Duquesne, PA: Dura-Bond/US Steel/National Tube Works

(Satellite)

I assume this mill was an expansion of the National Tube Works in McKeesport.

Street View, Nov 2024

Rust Belt Railroading posted two photos with the comment: "Pipe loading has been busy recently at the Dura Bond Pipe Facility in Duquesne Pa. Shipments by rail thru CSX and moved by URR to the facility have been busy. The 55 Tonner that switches the flatbeds and bulkheads at the site still wears its logo of what railroad originally owned it. If it is possible to see the logo on the 1st picture it shows heavily weathered TCKR lettering and the Turtle Creek Industrial Railroad Logo. The unit has always lived outside and continues to sporadically move around despite the rust."

Kevin Squire: FWIW ... "still wears it's logo of what railroad originally owned it" ... Is a relatively false statement. The Turtle Creek industrial railroad (TCKR) can be considered a "fallen flag": it ran from Trafford to Export PA, but was washed out due to a flood in 2009. The railroad was owned by DuraBond. This switcher never actually ran on the TCKR line, although it has moved between the different DuraBond facilities over the years serving as a "plant switcher". So the worn-out lettering and logo doesn't represent a past owner (since the owner hasn't changed over this time). ... Now who owned it before DuraBond is the real question 🙂 🙂 .

1

2

I wonder if this loader was being operated by a trainee. It seemed to take a while before he dropped the load. Or maybe the big pause during the beginning of the video was that some latches in the pipe holder were being released.

Jeffery Simpson, May 2024, 0:29 video

Photo, Jan 2014

The plant on the south side of town was US Steel.

1953/55 Braddock and Mc Keesport Quads @ 24,000

Steve Pierce posted
In 1954 the Blooming Mill at National Tube McKeesport was rebuilt providing a “new modern” steam driven two high reversing mill.  This photo shows the erection of one of the the mill stands.

Larry Wilkie: Worked on it as a pipefitter. It was something to see working. The mill was run by a steamboat engine. Several years before they closed the plant, USS replaced the steam engine with 2 electric motors. They were never as fast as the steam. Great place to work!

Steve Pierce: Larry Wilkie The blooming mill was down near the hot end of the mill behind the soaking pits. The steam engine was from a boat. It was a double expansion double acting engine running on 150 lb steam that was exhausted from the 850 lb blast furnace turbo blowers. And the beauty of the engine was how fast it could reverse as needed by a two high reversing blooming mill. With a good ear walking down the streets of McKeesport towards the hospital you could hear it chugging.