Exploring A Massive Airplane Engine Factory in Melrose Park Illinois Navistar International

[@michaelmcnulty7327]

I worked there from 1999 to 2011 as an engineer. Most of what's being seen here is the test cell area in the back of the building. Although torn up I can recognize some of the test cells and other things. I'm not sure but I may have seen the test cell I was working in before the shooting started. For those that don't remember, there was a shooting there in 2001 that started in the test cell area. An ex-employee who was convicted of stealing engines that were to be scrapped was sentenced to about 5 months in prison. Instead he came to Navistar and killed. It seems his main target was someone key to get him convicted. After that he killed himself. I was the engineer supporting the technicians working in the first assault. I left for lunch a little early because these guys knew what they were doing and what I was asking of them. It was less than five minutes later I heard an alarm to vacate the building. I was working with three people at that cell. Two ended up dead. A post like this deserves to acknowledge this.

[@RainyWolf-zo4kx]

Dang

[@eldoradomanchuria]

I worked at this facility as a validation engineer from 2017 through 2019. These kids missed out on a treasure trove in the basement. Storage rooms galore. Former cafeteria. Locker rooms. Tunnels. The whole 9 yards. In their defense, it was probably flooded. It flooded even when the building was regularly operational. At its peak, this facility employed over a thousand people. World class emissions certification dynos, climatic wind tunnels, performance dynos, anechoic chamber, hydraulic shake tables, cold rooms, all wasted. There was a very cool room with a giant tile venturi ceiling that was used for airplane engine validation in the 1940s. It was a very cool old dungeon of a facility. I will never forget when the drop ceiling tiles fell on me sitting at my cubical in 2018 after a leak in a steam pipe. Met some really talented engineers in this place. The union guys had a basketball court in an unused former production area to shoot hoops at lunch

[@JacobafJelling]

Why were these facilities abandoned?

[@eldoradomanchuria]

@@JacobafJelling This facility was never abandoned. Just old. This facility was in continuous operation from the time it was completed in WWII up until the moment it was sold by Navistar to a real estate developer in 2021 for $63M. This video shows the facility in a state of partial demolition after the site was sold to a real estate developer

[@alienatedamericana8364]

I was there the tunnels(water was only like 3 inches deep, were amazing with phones ,conference halls ,lockers I got a few union badges

[@CaesarEllish1]

@@alienatedamericana8364sick action, man!

[@stormer7502]

wonder if there were some ancient computers sitting around before this place got torn down

[@daverdino]

Yea I worked there too. Sad to see it go to hell like that. Lots of memories out of there.

[@joen.]

I was at Melrose plant for 7 years before moving to corporate HQ. Weird seeing the place like that and surprised to see all that stuff left behind. The basement would have been cool to see, but probably flooded since it always did when it rained, and with that much water on the main floor, it would probably have been a mess. There are also a lot of secret rooms in that were in that place. We simply just walled up rooms when no longer needed.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

The "airplane engines" at this Melrose Park, IL facility were built by General Motor's Buick Division during WWII. The engines manufactured there were Pratt & Whitney, R-1830 radial engines used to power the four engine, Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" bombers that saw extensive use in the European and Pacific theaters of the war (more B-24s were built than any other American heavy bomber during the war). International Harvester purchased the plant after the war for manufacturing engines used in their trucks and probably other I-H products such as farm tractors and construction/mining equipment (in fact, the plant also built International Harvester, Payhauler, off highway, dump trucks and construction motor scrapers). Interesting video of this factory in the remaining days before it was torn down (my "old man" worked here back in the late 1950s). Thanks for sharing!

[@kylied6010]

Thanks for this info! So interesting:)

[@abundantYOUniverse]

Also Hellcats Wildcats, B25's many more airplanes and Sherman Tanks used the 1830.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

@@abundantYOUniverse Indeed many of the Grumman F4F Wildcats were powered by the Pratt &Whitney (P&W) R-1830 (some were also powered by the Wright 1820 such as the FM-2 built by General Motors). As for the Grumman F6F Hellcat, it was powered by the more powerful P&W R-2800 and the North American B-25 Mitchell was powered by the Wright R-2600.

[@AgapeLove793]

This is crazy. I left this place 8/2021. Just looking at this, brings back so many memories. Rip Navistar lol.

[@cablepupp]

I hate that American jobs have left yep ain't that great got another job taken from USA

[@140is]

Nobody took/stole those jobs, America is just a sh*t country that can't look after or sustain itself

[@sinist3rfpv672]

Sad watching this. I left Navistar in 2015 and moved out of state for family reasons.

[@MerrimanDevonshire]

10:36 - Dan Ustain in that meeting room: "I'm not going to have my truckers have to piss in their tanks!" 😂😮😢

[@srwapo]

Huh, this is like 1.5 miles from my folks. They recently demolished it and are putting up new buildings for factories to rent. Drive by it all the time when I need to pop into Menards.

[@kenl4940]

This is cool. I worked there until 2019 when I was finally able to retire. I remember working the test cells during the overnight hours. If you explore the basement, be careful. Since there is no electric, there will be no ventilation down there. There could be noxious gases. You never know what you may run into. (Maybe take a crossbow)

[@josephfanella724]

Hi Ken, how's retired life?

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

There's nothing left anymore it was totally demolished and everything is been removed.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

@@truckerkevthepaidtourist Not even a guard shack still around?

[@juanrobles5480]

Yall need to do to the basement it's amazing

[@decayingmidwest]

I forgot to check it 😔

[@bradleyprice1651]

17:02. Hey guys! Good to see you all again! I hope you are all doing well. PEACE!

[@Chaosmama25]

I grew up in Melrose park and never knew about this

[@josephfanella724]

Saw my old work area.

[@markpera2501]

crazy I drive past this all the time it has sine been torn down.

[@fredfuentes5682]

I worked there yall should of walk the basement yall would of been creep out most definitely lol

[@paulschuth2868]

Freddie! Hola my friend! I ran Production from 1998 - 2017, then Engineering D563 Test Cells 45/46/47/48/50

[@ty8324]

Was the basement ever considered the "bunker"? I've always been super curious. I had a math teacher in high school that told us a story about the shooting that happened back in 2001. According to him he had a friend that worked at Navistar and he said the shooter hid in the "bunker" and had a standoff with police before he ended himself. He also mentioned that the bunker might have been used back when the facility was used for making military vehicles / aircraft engines during WWII. There's also some videos referring to Navistar bunker here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6PIiWmapbKWntk from a former Senior Systems Engineer at Navistar at the time of that video. I also live vary close to the location and have seen small buildings with what seemed to look like air vents around them which pushed my curiosity even further. If you search these coordinates 41.91396383794357, -87.87780854803663 on google maps and use the 3D/Street view function you will see what I am referring to. Here's a picture also gyazo.com/a2c8def8a084af8d0913c41ff7929437. Any former workers to confirm this story for my curious mind? Would be appreciated :)

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

@@paulschuth2868 did that bld also house a anechoic chamber?

[@Wehrheim47]

The shooter wasn't hiding in the bunker and didn't have a stand off with police. The shooter shot himself after killing 4 employees and injuring more. When the police entered the building they found the shooter dead.

[@captainrylenaviation29]

Interesting... I live in the area but never heatd about this!

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

That building B4 whole campus demolition had one of those sound testing rooms I believe called a anechoic chamber? They were making stuff for military after the heavy truck stuff if I remember right

[@eldoradomanchuria]

Yes this facility had a semi-anechoic chamber for noise, vibration, and harshness testing and tuning. Semi-anechoic because it had a solid floor, not a suspended net floor like a fully anechoic chamber. It is shown in this video briefly at 15:15

[@eldoradomanchuria]

Navistar made MRAP and Bradley fighting vehicles for the US and global militaries until they were bought by Volkswagen, at which point Navistar Defense division was sold to Oshkosh truck

[@donivangodsil9653]

They built diesel engines for semis there

[@decayingmidwest]

Yep! The original building was for airplane engines!

[@burnheretic3950]

Looks like they kept the lights on for almost another 20 years after you left. That is a sad story, prayers to the victims.

[@burnheretic3950]

Most of that equipment was extremely expensive when purchased and utilized but due to its specific applications and being dated, is probably scrap now.

[@cablepupp]

From Those old CNC machines to the chain hoist that are on the rail system those are shiny pennies to dull dimes and couple old Benjamin's right there I'd like to have some of that myself And everyone who makes little podcast today that sounds hadn't and dubbing systems boy may have a little money under that roof

[@3rdgenerationrichkid167]

They have tunnels that run all the way to Ohare airport

[@dustin9035]

These kids literally don’t know anything about the contents inside that building

[@toyfarmer2129]

I could have spent days in there

[@Rongulch]

So much money left behind.. sad

[@OrangeBoss-ww8eb]

looks like truck plant

[@pepsi_man4962]

Wth happened to the Midwest? In general I think the north and west of the US are dying areas. It’s nearly dystopian.

[@srwapo]

It's surrounded by stores and houses. It got torn down at some point this year and they are building new factories/warehouses for companies to rent. It's in a super busy area of town. Like, there's smaller factories all around that neighborhood, UPS has a hub like a mile away, McMaster has their headquarters the next town over.

[@chooch1995]

In this instance it’s age. The building is rather ancient. It costs a fortune to heat it during a typical Chicago winter. Old building cost companies a fortune to maintain. It’s cheaper to demolish it & sell the land & rebuild elsewhere than to refurbish, remodel, re-everything.

[@mega1552]

loool this is so cool this is like right by my house lol