The Hottest Train On Earth: Molten Steel Trains Across Chicagoland

[@trtrproductions]

It’s been brought to my attention that, at some point in the video, I incorrectly state Riverdale is East of East Chicago, while it is, in fact, west. The rest of the video alludes to this but there’s the correction. Thanks for your continued viewing and support!

[@nstrainmaster2]

If you go around the earth enough, it is east! Also looking forward to your Argo video!!

[@macclane001]

I bet that sets off every hot wheel detector.

[@CSXEK]

I love how they have 2 southern gondolas for buffer cars

[@fasteddiesgarage5000]

One of the best train videos ive seen im from Lansing and have family that worked at IHB Dolton and Hammond

[@trtrproductions]

That is such a great comment to receive, thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed! Lansing is a nice place, I wouldn't mind living there some day...

[@Phantom1963]

This is a FANTASTIC presentation 🎉 Thank you for posting ❤

[@trtrproductions]

Thank YOU for watching! Glad you enjoyed!

[@bp8652]

Excellent video. I left chicago years ago, this brought back a lot of memories. Too bad youtube doesnt have smell o vision. A lot fewer steel mills, but i imagine that unique odor of east chicago is still in the air.

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much! I was born and raised on the northside of East Chicago, and can certainly attest to the smell still being ever-present. Though I will say on days with a north wind, all you can smell is sulfur from the refineries in Whiting! Thanks for watching!

[@squa_81]

Thank for archiving this operation :)

[@trtrproductions]

My pleasure, thank you for watching! :)

[@sweynforkbeardtraindude]

This will be killer! A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away; I used to watch these trains when we were at our summer home in Ogden Dunes. We would take the South shore line to Gary and the steel mills. I was and still am amazed at these trains.

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you so much... hopefully I don't disappoint! I myself grew up seeing these from a very young age and have always been enthralled by them... though I've always wished I was a few years older to have seen them when they ran out of Burns Harbor across such a further distance!

[@mikestirewalt5193]

Ah, you mention Gary. The lossom on the lake! I miss Gary. This video somehow captures its essence.

[@DanielParadis-sr5nh]

Thank you for sharing!

[@trtrproductions]

My pleasure Daniel. Thank you for watching!

[@RailFanRob]

I love industry!!! Great footage of this ever rarer sector in the US...

[@trtrproductions]

I love industry too! Thank you Rob, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@MrPeerum]

😊that torpedo iron mixer is 200 ton whe have here the big 400 ton torpedo mixer in the Dutch steelfactory Hoogovens IJmuiden in the Netherlands. i was working there from 1970 til 1980.😊 coool video in 4K.😅

[@sophiemarie7216]

🔥 (literally)

[@seanny4296]

Another masterpiece! I have a feeling this will be a critical piece of historical documentation for these unique operations.

[@trtrproductions]

I appreciate that, thank you very much! With Cliffs' usage of HBI in steel production at Indiana Harbor, I feel it's only a matter of time before these trains fade into the history books... that was a main reason I've wanted to cover these for so long!

[@JawTooth]

Awesome video! You got some great shots. I would love to see a bottle train.

[@NE_IL]

Jaw Tooth?!?!!??!??!?!

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much, Jeff! It's an honor that someone as popular as you has taken the time to check out some of my work, and I appreciate that!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Awesome video. This is by far the most comprehensive treatment of these trains I've found and what a treat it is. Super helpful for those of us modeling these cars and railroads.

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed! I have always been underwhelmed with the amount of video I see of these trains, so I'm glad to hear this helped others that were in the same boat as me!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

@@trtrproductions you knocked it out of the park - can't wait to dig into your new IHB video. These are remarkable resources for the community.

[@b43xoit]

Even thought those bottles are on bearings and can be inverted, they are taking the tension and compression forces that keep the train together.

[@TheLongjohntim]

I was visiting my mother and father in law a few years back when one of these trains went by. I was well over a 100 feet away and still felt the heat!

[@trtrproductions]

They provide quite the surreal experience passing by, that's for sure! Thanks for watching!

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Very cool video and enjoyed watching. Happy New Year.(Steve)

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you for watching Steve, glad you enjoyed! ...and a happy (belated) New Year to you as well!

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

@@trtrproductions You are welcome!

[@davidfuller581]

that IHB scheme looks great.

[@trtrproductions]

I couldn't agree more, David. Thanks for watching!

[@25vrd48]

Very interesting video . Well worth watching and learning a lot of what you spoke of . Keep them coming . Great video . Thanks for posting .

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed, and learned a thing or two as well!

[@davidconner-shover51]

I remember rolling past these on an Amtrack predawn, glowing a dull red in the dark

[@trtrproductions]

David! Thanks for watching. Watching these pass by after dark with the much-more-apparent glow is always a surreal experience!

[@sirt7286]

As a train engineer I wouldn’t wanna be no where near this train especially they these Railroads take care of their tracks now

[@FDNY8231]

Real nice the way they glow even after hours of being unloaded ... Cool video Brother.

[@trtrproductions]

Appreciate you watching my man! Thank you!

[@HighBall-wt8jp]

Nice heritage locomotive

[@trtrproductions]

The paint on 1069 pops, that's for sure!

[@rustyhauler6477]

I worked on those torpedo cars at a different steel mill, very hot. Those boxes at the head of the car are motors to turn the ladle on it's side so the iron pours out.

[@trtrproductions]

...you learn something new everyday, thank you for the clarification! I can't imagine working hands on with anything this heavy duty - not sure if I'd love or hate it! My neighbor relined blast furnaces for many years before retiring from the Indiana Harbor Works plant a few years ago, that would be terrifying in my book! Thanks for watching!

[@williamflowersrailfannerpr3808]

Very hot shot train ❤

[@rails-n-things]

This is great! I've really been wanting to catch these and have been mostly unsuccessful. What sort of schedule do these run on? Thank you!

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much! There is no set-in-stone schedule for these runs, but these trains are constantly in motion daily. I'm only a 10 minute drive from the IHB's Lakefront Yard, so when I was doing heavy handed chasing of these trains, I would start there at the marina and just wait around for the loads to leave. Monitoring the IHB East Dispatcher on Channel 25 (160.485) helps immensely too, as you'll hear the IHB jobs call to leave the Lakefront, and then you'll hear the NS crew request a restart as soon as they've boarded the train. If you start from the west, the Major Taylor bike trail in Riverdale provides a great view of the back of the plant, where you can see if an NS crew is still in there. It often takes them at least 2 hours from arriving before they're ready to leave with empties. That was a lot of talking lol! Hopefully I was clear enough... any other questions I'd be more than happy to help!

[@rails-n-things]

Thanks!!@@trtrproductions

[@ThePainTrain765]

Absolutely top notch! I see these trains roll by all the time but never really knew how they operate. Love seeing them early in the morning when the glow from inside is really visible!

[@trtrproductions]

Thanks Joey! We're very fortunate to live (and in your case, work) so close to these unique things!

[@peterbeesley8904]

Another highly informative and entertaining video. Obviously a lot of thought and research goes into the production. Look forward to anything else you produce. Thank you

[@trtrproductions]

Much appreciated Peter, thank you very much! Much much more to come!

[@markschenher4559]

This video takes me back I remember the bottle trains from Burns Harbor going west They had a buffer between each bottle, I notice these trains do not

[@ednelson6091]

I don't believe there are any bridges between the blast furnaces in Gary and the finishing mill in Riverdale, so spacer cars wouldn't be needed.

[@trtrproductions]

Glad I could take you back, Mark! Up until a few years ago, these trains from Indiana Harbor had spacers as well. There is only one bridge crossed on the current alignment (over the Grand Calumet River in East Chicago), which was reinforced a few years ago nullifying the need for them.

[@PCBill0622]

Absolutely superb coverage from the Southside of Chicagoland/America’s greatest railroad area.

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you, Bill! From a railfan's perspective, I couldn't live in a better place... but that's one of the only upsides to this area haha!

[@marcseclecticstuff9497]

@@trtrproductions That and Lake Michigan. These were my old boating stomping grounds when I lived in Illinois. Had friends that kept their boats at that marina (nothing but one huge party on the weekends!) and went to that beach (Whiting?) all the time. I always did the Chicago July 3rd fireworks show. I'd put in @ Calumet Harbor (early before scambo Chicago would show up collecting launch fees that weren't posted and only on holidays), run down around the coast of Indiana exploring all the heavy industry and then head up to the warm water beach by Michigan. We'd spend the day at the beach then cut across the lake, refuel @ Burnham Harbor, they anchor off Grant Park and hang out for the fireworks. I also never missed the Chicago Air & Water Show in August. Out on a boat was the only way to see it since the aircraft had to maintain separation from the shore for safety, but flying over the boats was OK. Sometimes the planes would be so low you could see the pilot(s), even got them to wave back a couple of times. I also had friends that lived in Whiting, IN so I was around the area on land quite a bit as well. Oddly, I don't ever recall seeing any of these bottle cars either in the steel works or driving around Whiting. Very cool video! The other thing I miss about Illinois is Giordano's Pizza! Not as good as the original stuffed pizza: Nancy's, but a close 2nd.

[@nstrainmaster2]

You really tooled this up!!

[@Steven_Williams]

Really great video!! And all my favorite railfan spots too. Love the interchange yard action. Steel mill rail action is my favorite. " Big ups 👍 from Chicago !"

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much, Steven! I always look forward to reading your comments on everything I post, they never fail to make me smile!

[@sweynforkbeardtraindude]

Wow! I had to pull over at a rest stop on 23 when I got the notification. You did not disappoint my man! That Southern gondola and the Virginian hauling the coal cars were icing on the cake. You brought back some great memories for me. Thanks!

[@trtrproductions]

That means a lot! Thank you for watching, but more importantly, taking the time to STOP and watch!

[@jaymz5267]

Having ties to Chicago and NWI, I would always watch the trains shuffle the hoppers around while I was on a boat salmon fishing in Lake Michigan. I thoroughly enjoyed the in depth analysis of the steel operations and the awesome footage to go with it.

[@trtrproductions]

That means a lot, thank you very much! I've lived between Hammond and East Chicago all my life, and grew up watching these trains and being fascinated with the steel industry myself. The East Chicago Marina offers some great fishing AND railroad action, what more could you ask for!?

[@ednelson6091]

Great video. @ 58:42, when Acme was still in business, some of their trains ran at night during the winter months. The empty cars always had a brighter glow than the full cars despite being cooler. Nice to see that again.

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you for watching, Ed. Glad you enjoyed! The empties always feel just as hot as the loads as well!

[@briankale4275]

The glow is because there is no crust on top of the iron in the bottles

[@Tinglesbymeg]

The sounds of the waves at 7:06 quietly sloshing around while you watch it pass by 😩🙏🏼

[@trtrproductions]

Big big big thanks to my #1 fan! Sorry it woke you up 😤

[@Trappedinatriangle]

Great video!

[@trtrproductions]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you very much!

[@ellisjackson336]

I used enjoy coming to this area for the industrial sights and trains

[@trtrproductions]

The rail action and industrial scenery are a few of the good things about living here, that's for sure!

[@JOHNNYCARROLL-f9e]

thumbs up dude.that was great.

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much, Johnny! Glad you enjoyed!

[@NE_IL]

Ey Congrats On 1,000 Subscribers

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you thank you thank you!

[@servicetrucker5564]

I heard about the empty gondolas distributing the weight but what’s with the one at the rear? So you can hook to either end and not have to shuffle train?

[@trtrproductions]

I was under the impression the gondolas are only in buffer service now, and that weight distribution ended a few years ago with the reinforcing of the Grand Calumet River bridge on the IHB. But with that said, I can't be sure. Perhaps someone more in the know will see this and can help us both out!

[@servicetrucker5564]

@@trtrproductions I hope so too

[@unclesheavy769]

beautiful video with sufficient explanation, very interesting! My brother has been working here in the Netherlands in the port for years, at the Blast furnaces (Tata Steel) one of Europe's largest steel producers. Greetings from the Netherlands

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much, very cool! It never fails to amaze me how far of a worldwide reach you can have here on KZbin. Thanks again for watching!

[@gemcofoamer]

I absolutely love the menacing thumbnail!

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you, I was hoping it would grab attention! I photographed that bottle train in a cold October rainstorm in 2019. Was afraid people would accuse me of clickbaiting since I don't have any video of one steaming in a downpour... glad that hasn't happened! (Yet, lol)

[@kelvintorrence5994]

i used too haul coils outta there back when it was l.t.v. steel, those cars are builded around my house in niles ohio, i hauled parts 4 them,the last time i was there,they had a rebuld or new uss steel,now call tippon steel i guess afterbthe sale going out to indiana

[@kelvintorrence5994]

a great video by the way sir

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you Kelvin, glad you enjoyed it!

[@gp3829]

Hi and thank you for another great video. Like before, there is so much going on that I'm gonna have to watch it at least another two times over. Since your first vid about the IHB, I have picked up a second Athearn B/Box 'Special Edition' set (GP38-2 & SW1500) and only a couple of weeks back, Athearn B/Box, W/Vision Cab, IHB 32 (here in the UK) I can run these into my version of the CSS, Burnham Yard. Thanks for filming, editing and posting.

[@trtrproductions]

I always look forward to your comments, thank you very much! And I must say, I think it's AWESOME that someone overseas is modeling the area I call home... that is just too cool!

[@franzbrunner499]

very very interesting -"normal" people can't have access to such locations -11:30+ in these special cars (what's the name?) is melted iron? what is the purpose of the flat cars (first and last)? -at 36:15, what are those small cars for? -42:30 coil cars covered, earlier we could see the coils on the cars -covered to prevent rust? what is the weight of such coils? thank you

[@trtrproductions]

Believe it or not, every shot/vantage point shown in the video were taken from publicly accessible locations, though I do wish it was easier to get plant access to show loading/unloading processes and how badass the molten steel actually is! Yes, in the bottle cars (or torpedo ladles, as people in the industry refer to them as) is pig iron, which is crude iron produced in a blast furnace from iron ore. The first and last gondolas, as far as my knowledge goes, are only as collision buffers - just safety measures in case of any accident. At 36:00, I -believe- those were ladles in slag service, but I can't be sure... maybe someone with more knowledge will see this response and can educate us both. At 42:30, those coil cars are in over-the-road service with the eventual destination of Wyoming, so yes, they are to prevent rust, whereas the flat cars (or open-tops, as they're frequently referred) are only going to a plant across the river, so they won't be out long enough for a substantial amount of rust to form. And as far as coil weights are concerned, it can vary greatly depending on the grade of steel - typically anywhere between 7 and 15 tons. Hope these answers helped, thanks for watching!

[@kelvintorrence5994]

i didnt know their was another plant out there that made coils,did u say its 12 ,miles away from the bid 1, thanks,i learned alot on 1 video

[@kelvintorrence5994]

i hauled out of the big 1 in gary , i just didnt know about this 1

[@MrPeerum]

😊thanks for this amazing coool video,greetz:🍐Peer en🍻Skål.🍻

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed!

[@terrywebb8636]

I've often wondered about these strange looking cars, i knew they carried hot something just didn't know, i thought it possibly was sulfur, thanks for sharing.

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you for watching Terry, glad I could teach you a thing or two about these awesome trains!

[@jonmccormick6805]

Sweet! I wonder if I can find those bottle cars in N gauge?

[@trtrproductions]

I've stumbled upon a few on eBay, but never any close to these specific prototypes. The hunt continues for me as well... From one N scaler to another, thanks for watching, and glad you enjoyed!

[@kelvintorrence5994]

and by the way,they make those cars and repair them in Niles Ohio.i hauled parts thereb also,the last car I seen a couple of years back was a u.s.s steel 1

[@tomstarcevich1147]

Ive got pictures 📸 of this train from 1980 it was pulled by a conrail GP 9 👍

[@trtrproductions]

Tom! Very cool... what I would give to see a sight like that today!

[@sentinel76]

I remember reading about Cleveland-Cliffs Riverdale and noted that it had two basic oxygen furnaces but no blast furnace in the equipment list. I thought that the lack of the blast furnace in the list was just an oversight. Apparently not! Edit: and in industry, the 'bottle cars' are known as torpedo ladles.

[@trtrproductions]

Correct, I had worked mentioning torpedo terminology (for lack of a better term lol!) into the script for this video at some point, but evidently overlooked it putting the final draft of this together. Thanks for watching!

[@sentinel76]

@@trtrproductionsMaybe worth mentioning the reason for the 'bottle trains'? Riverdale is a compact strip plant, originally built by Acme Steel, where a thin-slab caster feeds steel straight into the rolling mill. Normally a compact strip plant like this has a electric arc furnace in front of it but it appears that Acme had blast furnaces nearby, so the plant has a BOS shop instead. From what I can gather Acme went out of business in 2001 but the strip mill was bought by the International Steel Group who decided to feed the oxygen furnaces from the blast furnaces at Indiana Harbor. This arrangement stayed the same whilst Riverdale changed hands to ArcelorMittal and then to Cliffs.

[@antiussentiment]

What a super interesting consist and a great video. I wonder how long the steel remains pourable in those bottles should there be a hold up? I'm curious as to why the mills don't ticket their drivers and crews for the line between the two yards so they don't have to faff about with the motive power of other companies?

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much! I've heard 14 hours is the limit for the steel, but (to my knowledge) at that point it just begins to get soupy as it slowly solidifies. I do know the cars are equipped with kerosene heaters, but I'm not clear on if that would lengthen that 14 hour window or not. As for the mills having their own crews run the trains, I know that this specific service (and the contracts that are bound to it, I'm sure) date back to the 1970s when Acme Steel still had their own furnaces in South Chicago... all long gone now. I'm guessing in this day and age, it's just easier for Cliffs to keep working with other railroads like they've been vs. trying to secure the rights to run these trains over mainline trackage. ...a very long response, but hopefully my unsolicited opinion was an interesting enough read lol!

[@antiussentiment]

@@trtrproductions thanks so much for your time on this reply. All super interesting.

[@KibuFox]

One thing that should be noted, for all railfans, is you do NOT want to get too close to the loaded bottle cars. There are numerous instances of them failing and dumping molten iron or steel everywhere. For that reason, if you do photo them, you better have a good telephoto lens.

[@trtrproductions]

...luckily I haven't had to deal with such an instance lol! Somewhere on KZbin, there's footage of iron sloshing out of an intraplant car (without a cap), an a small explosion that followed upon contact with the ground.

[@RaceBanner_]

Wonderful video. Point of order @ 1:00:41: Unique means one of a kind, something cannot be ‘extremely unique’ in the same way it cannot be ‘very historic.’ Your viewers appreciate uniqueness on its own.

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you for watching. I'll strive for better grammar in future uploads!

[@FallenFlagPhotography]

Another INCREDIBLE video! It definitely did not disappoint!

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much, Ryan! So glad you enjoyed!

[@cna435]

Very, very cool video. Thank you for putting in all the work to document and share these scenes. What type of camera did you use for this video?

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you very much! 95% of the footage in this video was shot with my go-to JVC GY-HM170U, though there are a few shots around the Riverdale plant that I took with my iPhone (as much as I'm ashamed to admit that lol!), just so I didn't have to set my tripod up and take 10 minutes getting it flush with the fences.

[@DieselDan8411]

How do they get away with pulling the Torpedo cars on main trackage with journal box bogie's?

[@nightrider6769]

Not wanting your phone dumb but I don't understand why they gotta transfer steel.I don't get it.Can somebody enlighten me here.

[@deanmarkoshan2129]

Were those cars called the Pollock Submarines?

[@trtrproductions]

They very well could've been. Many of these cars were built by Pollock, and subs are a popular term to refer to these cars, so just putting two and two together would make me assume so, but I can't say for certain!

[@jeffvandenberg8422]

Can't wait.

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you Jeff! Hope you enjoy!

[@greyshadow9498]

Out of curiosity are those gondolas collision buffers? (sorry if it was covered, my capacity to remember things is terrible)

[@trtrproductions]

...your brain is functioning at 100%, I made no mention of them! I believe so, yes, but I'm not certain. That is one of the only things I couldn't get a clear cut answer on when researching for the script. Perhaps someone in the know will read this, and can help us both out!

[@greyshadow9498]

@@trtrproductions I wouldn't call it 100% 😉 Thanks for the reply!

[@frankgeurts3912]

We call them cigar cars❤

[@bobm2331]

How does the molten metal inside these bottle cars stay hot?

[@trtrproductions]

Bob! These cars are equipped with kerosene heaters for winter service, and lined with refractory brick on the inside that provide a good amount of insulation for the trip. Upon arriving at the Oxygen Furnace, even partially-solidified iron will instantly reliquify under the immense heat in the steelmaking process.

[@AkbarRivais-hc5jj]

👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍💯💯💯💯

[@trtrproductions]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@TreyBiscoe]

Correction: 2022 is a GENSET not a Road Slug

[@trtrproductions]

Incorrect. IHB 2020-2022 were built as Gensets, but gutted of their engines and redelivered as mated pairs with the 4020-4022 in 2020.

[@rottenroads1982]

Oh Lord, Norfolk Southern pulling Molten Steel?! And considering Norfolk Southern's Reputation for accidents, The NS + Molten Steel train = DISASTER waiting to happen.

[@kelvintorrence5994]

since those cars are heavy, why not use 2 engines or is old n.s. just that cheap

[@briankale4275]

One thing that's not the hottest train on earth there's a hotter train on your video

[@trtrproductions]

I imagine the superheated steel fresh out of the BOF is hotter than the pig iron, yeah? Hottest train on Earth in the context of over-the-road operations vs intraplant, should've clarified.

[@scottsmith7051]

enters IL...the land of high taxes and gas prices....😂

[@mikestirewalt5193]

There's no indication that there's anything in those bottle cars except air. Just video of empty cars being shuttled around mostly empty railroad yards. Are these the empty bottle cars I've heard about that are being melted down by Canadians and used to make electric cars in Manitoba? Are these bottle cars rare and on the verge of disappearing? Is that why we have this exciting video of empty bottle cars and other rolling stock? There's something going on in this video but darned if I can figure out what it is.

[@trtrproductions]

Between the "empty" rolling stock and method of operation, I (personally) find these trains fascinating regardless of if you can see whether or not each car is loaded. If the hours I put into research, script development and narrating doesn't display the uniqueness of these trains and thoroughly educate you on their operation, then I can't help you.

[@mikestirewalt5193]

@@trtrproductionsThat's just it. There is no education here. Knowing nothing about these cars and trains and their purpose, I watched the video thinking surely I'm going to learn something here if I just keep watching. Nope. No explanations, descriptions, history, or anything at all other than just the reminder of how dreary the world is in that neck of the woods.

[@Unsound_advice]

@@mikestirewalt5193what are you going on about? The cars are loads going west and empty going east. They feed another mill with molten alloy for production. Sheesh.

[@mikestirewalt5193]

Well thanks. I got a lot more from your response than from the video. It's as if the originator designed it to be mysterious.

[@sophiemarie7216]

get a life bro

[@mkmcclure]

Riverdale is 14 miles west of East Chicago, not east. Goo captures. Hate that the pedestrian bridge is on borrowed time.

[@trtrproductions]

@@mkmcclure Correct. I had noticed that error just about as soon as I had rendered this video. This thing took over 7 hours to export so it wasnt practical for me to redo it. And yes, isn’t it a shame about the 502 bridge? Driving by it a few days ago on Cline, it’s now been condemned entirely…