As a former worker at the last fully integrated steel mill west of the Mississippi river, I approve of this video. I worked in the hot end. Two BOFs. Three blast furnaces.
@kurtboginski5073 ай бұрын
Spent lots of time in the Rouge complex. A dangerous and dirty place. But very interesting with all the things going on.Thanks for the aerial veiw.
@michaelabalos5953 ай бұрын
I remember growing up in Southwest Detroit Patton Park area and the sky would glow orange at night from the hot iron blocks from the the Great Ford Rouge plant in the sixties and seventies.
@jcolby71772 ай бұрын
My dad was a millwright when it was the rough and then severstal. I would hear stories all the time about how he would fix things and help re-rail railroad loads. Thank you for this I remember touring when I was a kid
@chopperjoe65922 ай бұрын
Cool vid! I actually work there and maintain the locos. Eight of twelve were shipped to Dearborn after they closed the Ashland, Ky mill. They become like family members after 22yrs 😂
@J3scribe3 ай бұрын
Steel mills are mind boggling operations. This is a fantastic video capturing the feel and action. Thanks!
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching! Appreciate it!
@missyd0g23 ай бұрын
My father worked for Ford and we took a ride on the ore ship William Clay Ford in the late 1960’s.
@philipperiopel19113 ай бұрын
Interesting elevated abandoned rail yard!
@giovannicardillo83953 ай бұрын
I agree
@bob_._.3 ай бұрын
It's called the "high line" used to transfer materials (ore, coke, limestone) to the blast furnace. At one point you can see the bins underneath where they'd dump.
@ShawnCalay3 ай бұрын
This is cool, i worked for a railway for 21 years. Now im a expediter, i have been here, delivered parts for this facility and the locomotives
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Thank you! Very neat.
@shortliner683 ай бұрын
Nice to see the mill still going strong. I remember when Bethlehem Steel's Sparrows Point mill outside of Baltimore was busy with trains coming off the PRR, B&O, and WM going every which way. Unfortunately, that's just a memory now.
@haasebahn3 ай бұрын
Lot more green than you'd expect at a steel mill
@thunderbird19213 ай бұрын
Really cool to see the hot glowing stuff in that one "submarine car"!
@Scaletrains3 ай бұрын
Thank God for drones! Nice video, Sam.
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Agreed! Thank you!
@shawnpowell58763 ай бұрын
Great video of this MASSIVE steel mill that resembles a model railroad layout. The placement of the track is perfect to have access to each part of the plant. To see that steel through the top of car definitely looked like hot lava. Thanks again SLT for sharing this video with us along with your PRICELESS time and effort. Cheers from Laurel, Delaware.
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Thank you! Cheers!
@alfrednawrocki80612 ай бұрын
@@SamLovesTrains Great video !!! Drove past this massive plant many times as I grew up and lived in the west side of Detroit 1947 - 1986. Then moved to Florida.
@torchandhammer3 ай бұрын
I had seen the Paul R. Tregurtha before. I didn't realize there was another family member! Apparently, they're known as the King and Queen of the Lakes.
@paulbergen91143 ай бұрын
Once again some fantastic footage. That virtually is a city within the Detroit area one can't help but wonder how long it would take to walk the circumference of the plant. That unique in and out of the building and the track in between the two buildings sure makes it interesting along with that abandoned Highline. No doubt that structure was built in the earliest days of the plant. You passed over one of the bottle cars that was just glowing Orange its so bright it just stands out so vividly. It's actually quite a small engine house and when you swung around for the head on photo that unit was one of the special ones Ford ordered for the plant. No doubt someone still grumbles that a GM works at a Ford plant. Again many thanks for bringing current pictures and details to light.
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Thank you! I love getting those above angles to look into the torpedo cars. I went back to Gary Works the other day and got a shot of some torpedoes there with a lower camera exposure. It let me actually see the molten iron bubbling inside!
@leonardbartholomew50212 ай бұрын
You caught a few glimpses of the Marathon Petroleum Refinery in the background. Spent 41 years there but only caught a few glimpses of railroad ops in the Ford plant. There was a TOFC yard between the East and West sides of the refinery and i managed to get some stills of the switchers in 1977.
@AKawalski3 ай бұрын
Sam! Another awesome video! I was waiting for another one from you. These are industrial symphonies and you are a maestro! Stereo spatial sound too! Epic!
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!
@AKawalski3 ай бұрын
@@SamLovesTrains I did, I did! Keep up the great work mr
@pinkostv3 ай бұрын
You should film the nearby Great Lakes steel mill before it’s torn down
@electrictractiontrainsandt30633 ай бұрын
It is amazing to see 🇺🇸American steel works/ factories in operation! The trains and Laker add to the scene! Great stuff!👌👍
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@csxtfarmer3 ай бұрын
Great video of the Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Mill in Detroit, Michigan, Sam.
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@railroadjim3 ай бұрын
Wow! Terrific video and I enjoyed seeing the top of the blast furnace, as well as all of the other shots, including the hot metal cars being moved.
@flynlr3 ай бұрын
kinda sad as there are 6 blast furnaces in your video of which only 1 is active now. so much offshoring of steel production will probably bite us in the rear someday
@Dog.soldier19503 ай бұрын
Steel demand has fallen way off since 1970
@The_DuMont_Network3 ай бұрын
Already has. A BIG bite in the ass.
@ATF19853 ай бұрын
Same a zug island
@morpheusduvall3 ай бұрын
It’s switching over to EAF mostly
@ff17333 ай бұрын
There was never 6 only 3 furnaces and only one active
@jondietzen43423 ай бұрын
Overcast skies made for great filming. Nice job.
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Certainly! Thanks.
@how_to_hallagon13 ай бұрын
Every model railroaders wet dream
@bentrail3 ай бұрын
Very nicely done. Thanks for sharing
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Thank you! And thanks for viewing!
@liann38812 ай бұрын
I had a school field trip here back around 1970.
@Steven_Williams3 ай бұрын
Outstanding video Sam! Had no idea that this mill still existed.
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Thanks. Not many seem to film this mill!
@thomasmackowiak3 ай бұрын
Thid is an interesting video of the engines moving hot metal cars in Cleveland Cliffs' Dearborn Works steel plant, Sam! From the drone footage the plant almost looks like it is part of a model railroad layout. I have seen at least one video of the Lee A. Tregurtha being loaded at the ire dock in Marquett, Michigan. Thank you for making the trip to Dearborn, Michigan to record this video! (24 June 2024 at 1841)
@bradleyjanes29493 ай бұрын
Great video TY very 😎
@onenickthomas3 ай бұрын
Well done!
@robertbaraszu54623 ай бұрын
Excellent video! Thank you!
@randylearmonth40473 ай бұрын
Wonderful video
@DMUSrilanka3 ай бұрын
Nice video ❤️✌️
@donaldkormos55293 ай бұрын
Thank you!!!
@aarsairliners3 ай бұрын
Great Video!
@jstoli996c4s3 ай бұрын
The former Bethlehem Steel site in Buffalo (Lackawanna) was massive like this one, about 1,100 acres. Shame it’s gone, though it’s slowly being revitalized and repurposed to light industrial use.
@319E3 ай бұрын
Very good!!
@crazyman7623 ай бұрын
I just LOVE the grittiness of it all. I am a FORD fan so that adds some interest. Does your drone do live sound? That adds greatly to the recording.
@jamesburnside30233 ай бұрын
Excellent
@acdii2 ай бұрын
To think, at one time all those plants and more were operating 24x7 all to make cars, or tanks, during the war. Henry Ford really had a great imagination in order to do what he did.
@PlanetMojo3 ай бұрын
Very cool video Sam!
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Thank you!
@njunderground822 ай бұрын
6:00 Kind of surprised those trees don't get scorched! Great video though!
@maybesomeday25963 ай бұрын
I wonder what's changed in the process that they no longer use the High Line.
@handyandy21122 ай бұрын
I work at this Blast Furnace, cool to see it in this video. The old highline was abandoned back in the 80's in favor of conveyor belts. At 0:39 you can see a large tube running diagonally to the top of the blast furnace. Inside the tube is a conveyor belt that sends the raw materials (iron ore pellets, coke, limestone and scrap metal) to the top of the furnace where it is dumped via a rotating chute. In the old days the train cars would dump on the highline into hoppers which would in turn dump into a "skip hoist" which is an open bin on diagonal rails which would rise to the top and dump. The newer process is much more precise and environmentally friendlier because it's all enclosed and the dust removed by a baghouse. A lot of dust is generated during the conveying process which used to be released to the air. The highline was constructed with old school concrete about 3 feet thick. A little further south the maintenance shops and offices are still located underneath the highline.
@centraliowarailproductions28103 ай бұрын
Nice catches!
@donmason29333 ай бұрын
Born and raised in Melvindale. Ford complex was basically at the end of Wall St, our home... Even worked at the coke plant. Dirtiest job I have ever had!!
@emiloldersum250615 күн бұрын
I was visting my son during a scholarship in Metro Detroit. At this time in January 2023 I went to Miller Road and took some photos from outside. I'm fascinated of these Steel mills. Great to have such an superb overview by your video. Was it easy to get a permission filming the plant? Anyway, many thanks and greetings from Berlin/Germany. Gonna check out your channel!
@woodencoasterfan3 ай бұрын
What kind of cars is the yarder pulling at the 2:12 mark and are they just restricted to the Rouge River plant? I’ve never seen those type on the open rails before.
@MarcelosalivaTRENESArg3 ай бұрын
Belo video mi estimado Amigo pelo Like, un saludo
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Gracias!
@robertoenduro94393 ай бұрын
I wonder if in 10-20 years someone is still going to work in a place like this, the new generations surely don't want to and even discouraged to do so...
@terryjohns93013 ай бұрын
Millennial and Gen Z generations work in a place like this, that's a huge laugh... Most of them are big Candy-Ass Crybabies, that don't know the difference between a hammer or a screwdriver...😂
@appleintosh3 ай бұрын
There’s plenty of young people in the trades. If the money is right, people will work these jobs
@Ken-Kaef3 ай бұрын
A fascinating video. It looks to me that the blast furnace is well and truly been mothballed. So do you know what happens to the iron ore pellets unloaded from the Lee A. 👍
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Thanks! There’s one active blast furnace here, and that’s what the Tregurtha was delivering ore pellets to. They’ll be turned into molten iron.
@Ken-Kaef3 ай бұрын
@@SamLovesTrains Thanks Sam, I did wonder. Cheers Ken
@barefoot36623 ай бұрын
Cool i like this video
@steppanoreed3 ай бұрын
Unloaded taconite there many times. Always something going on to watch.
@RonStanek3 ай бұрын
Like the old Larry car up on the highline, with the plants growing out of it. You covered this part of the works area here. Is there more of the other areas of that industrial complex? Just curious, how far are you from your drone at the farthest in this video? Would it be difficult to go farther into the complex without losing control or taking a chance of losing it?
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
Yes. It all depends on where I take off from and if I can get a good connection. It was also quite windy this day which made it risky to fly farther out (flying against the wind drains my battery quickly). I’d like to go back here next time I’m in Detroit to film other areas of the complex.
@SouthernBelleACe3 ай бұрын
Guess they're trying to tell the treehuggers that it cannot be all bad Especially if plants can actually grow on the property!
@ArantiusVulpes3 ай бұрын
so sad looking to see all that industry not used to its full potential
@timothystrauss38383 ай бұрын
Did the DTI railroad once work this plant, and does the Indiana and Ohio still have anything to do with it, Sam??
@richardtrudeau73633 ай бұрын
DTI brought in Parts and Supplies and took finished Mustangs out.Ford had their RR inside the Complex.
@cp368productions22 ай бұрын
Said to see that high line mostly abandoned, looks like the one track on the right is still used though, no weeds and coke sitting there between the rails.
@LutherWilliams-x9d2 ай бұрын
I'm a truck driver from Cleveland Ohio and no disrespect for the owner but the the drivers are left with uncleaned portable bathroom with poop overflowing past the stool area ,looks like they haven't been cleaned in years
@guerrillarailfan37163 ай бұрын
How do you record the sound from the drone?
@SamLovesTrains3 ай бұрын
I record audio from the ground and then dub it with the drone video.
@pleiku8872 ай бұрын
So much standing water on rooftops and all over that site. Can't be good.
@michaelhband3 ай бұрын
👍👍👍
@rand49er2 ай бұрын
The place where Mustangs and F-150s are "born."
@yano65173 ай бұрын
At 2:35, did that used to be elevated track?
@jondietzen43423 ай бұрын
Yes, the abandoned highline.
@chriswarner1263 ай бұрын
So looks like just one furnace.
@oldshep26952 ай бұрын
All them old coke ovens and the feeder too..
@platec47983 ай бұрын
Which building is it that Ford adds rust to their metal, so the body rots out before the power train fails? Seen many Ford trucks and vans that just rusted away but still ran ok. Plate C
@richardtrudeau73633 ай бұрын
They put in a Galvaning Plant in 79 but today they make different Steel.
@TomStarcevich-fb3qo3 ай бұрын
😎 🆒️ cool vid 🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃👍
@andrewhatton16063 ай бұрын
Epa and nafta are why they are overseas
@FrankPrauser3 ай бұрын
repair the company not the own buildings
@Paul-hk7ue2 ай бұрын
superfund site ford keeps using it so they don't have to clean it up
@debartellomartinez72142 ай бұрын
I hope they close that dump down. Need to reduce surplus population to close the hospitals,
@ModMokkaMatti2 ай бұрын
Maybe you can lead the way by taking yourself out of the population, yeah?
@jamesdavis50963 ай бұрын
Faaaake!!! This is just a model rr!
@ARsRUS5563 ай бұрын
Great video
@richintalent3 ай бұрын
Beautiful shot of either the Lee A. or Paul R. Tregurtha ore boat in the beginning
@Trentm1293 ай бұрын
Lee. Paul has the bridge at the back and also is a lot bigger lmao