Where We Have Been and Where We Are Going...

[@tommygrubbs2053]

Thank you for all the work you put in to preserve the industrial heritage of the Mahoning Valley!

[@mikus4242]

The Battleship Texas Foundation makes considerable donations for scrap steel from the hull restoration. They are also selling small deck wood planks removed during the deck restoration. If you what you make could be cut into small souvenirs type items, you might have quite the revenue stream.

[@clydecessna737]

Well done. Future generations need to see what built America.

[@ChadJones-x4g]

My old crane in the background. Spent alot of 12-13 hour days in that bad boy.

[@southern207hobbies]

Hmmm look into making 5/8" live steam rail and track components that would be sweet

[@davidg1811]

You’re doing a lot of good work. The area owns you its thanks for working to preserve a small part of history.

[@alandcruiser]

I follow your projects with great admiration and respect and wish you every success in realizing your vision. Greetings from Switzerland, where the last steelworks will soon be closing.

[@PaulPavlinovich]

I remember when you first started talking about this on the stationary engine list and watched the photos come in as the crew started to the gargantuan task of saving the Todd wishing there was some way I could get over the US and help with the people I knew. Respect to you, you've done some amazing things and the refactoring and reconsideration of a museum's purpose is perfectly normal and elements of the Youngs Town heritage will live on in perpetuity.

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

I remember as well! I owe a lot to the original "Wrecking Crew" who helped us get this thing started.

[@nickhovey261]

You're an absolute madman, JR! I'm here for it!

[@kennethhanks6712]

Ingenious: A combined reciprocating steam and electric drive system!

[@prr]

Impressive plans from interesting thought processes!!!!

[@Crankenfine]

Good stuff. I’m looking forward to a visit someday.👍

[@trisrush9155]

Make no apologies bro, you actually did something. Not many can say that. Push on.

[@cad68m_m]

Keep up the good work, you have done a fine job so far.

[@JonMarinello]

Great overview and roadmap! Appreciate that. Thank you.

[@jeffwxyz]

I love your mission. I wish I lived close enough to help. I worked in a bar mill once and we had a small furnace natural gas for heating steel bars. The furnace had inside dimensions of about 3ft cubed. The furnace would be used to heat bars that were about 3ft long and 3" diameter that were intended to manually feed into the entry of intermediate mill. The bars were manually fed to test the mill setup after a size change. I think you should look around McDonald for a furnace like that. There may be one there. It would be perfect for heating bars for your museum rolling mill.

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

There are a couple of heat treating ovens over there, but I am going to go a different route and build our own furnace. I did find a couple of small furnace doors off of their old billet heating furnace that will work as end doors on this new furnace. Did find enough gas burners for the new furnace as well.

[@jeffwxyz]

@@YoungstownSteelHeritage That is good! Hopefully you pick a door that has some "character" to it. I don't know how elaborate your new furnace will be, you may want to look for the proper safety rated gas valves. The ones I am familiar with are Maxon brand. Also you will need the flame safety relay and UV detector to work with the gas valve. On a reheat furnace, the gas that supplies the pilot burners is on a big enough line that it would be sized well for the main burner on your new furnace.

[@happyhome41]

You (and those who support you) are AMAZING ! In the way that the sign of vibrant organization is putting in sidewalks after the original design acknowledging and supporting where people are actually walking - you have provided the leadership to make things happen in most useful directions, adapting as you go - seizing opportunities and realizing for the benefit of all ! I started watching on a cold winter morning as you walked around the pieces of “58” and described at how it would be, and sure enough . . . Thank you ! May you live long and prosper.

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

Always must be willing to adapt. A couple of the large artifacts that we took in years ago will be going to other museums to make room for our changing mission, and that is a good thing. We do not want a disjointed collection of misc. stuff, our objective is to have a living industrial system where everything here plays a part in creating the whole.

[@monkeywrenchinandpepsidrin1578]

Miss the steam train rides man, wish you'd bring them back....

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

Become a member and come out for the members' operating days. Spend more time here and do more than just ride!

[@ShodHorse]

Wish I could get the time off work to come visit, I'm a stones throw away in Michigan but just can't quite pull the cards together yet.

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

We aren't going anywhere! Visit when you can.

[@alexprocyk8805]

Small scale live steamers, from 3.5 inch gauge up to 15 inch, would probably be a good market for rail.

[@CrossroadsOVR]

Was not able to make in 2024; hope to make it in the spring of 2025. Blessed to be friends with you folks and hope to continue to promote your efforts. Thanks again, Giles Kennedy (Crossroads OVR)

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

By the time you make it back here we should have much of the rolling mill installed.

[@wesbrackmanthercenthusiast4695]

If both of us succeed you may have a repeat customer since I'm trying to start a horse drawn farm implement shop

[@donaldkormos5529]

Appreciate your thoughts and vision. Have you ever connected with SMMSIG, the Steel Mill Modelers Special Interest Group of the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association)?

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

Yes I know some of the people involved with the SIG.

[@johnblair8146]

I'd like to see you guys reroll some worn out 100 lb rail into some 8,10,12 and 16 pound rail which is very hard to find for guys like American Industrial Mining.

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

That is going to be a bit beyond our abilities with this setup. We would be limited to small sections in up to 10 foot lengths.

[@amyreynolds3619]

You could make rails for live steam railroads like what Disney had.

[@RailPreserver2K]

Have you thought about asking them to hold certain machinery, tools, documents and items that you could acquire later on when funding becomes available? (Stuff that could be set aside and stored until it could be saved for preservation.)

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

No need. We have been able to purchase and move everything that we wanted to get.

[@morpheusduvall]

Any chance of salvaging some of the building structures to erect at the museum, or to make a new building from?

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

We did take down some crane runway and overhead crane for the new addition, so yes!

[@funone8716]

Maybe a bit large for the capacity you're describing, but 12 lb (per yard) rail (2" base, 2" tall, 1" wide rail head) is not made in the US anymore, but used for amusement park trains, etc. As I'm sure you're familiar with. And.......I shoulda watched to the end before commenting.....lol

[@randymagnum143]

Do you have Morgan Engineering's yard locomotive?

[@EricM9189]

What's happened to the Mcdonald Steel Alco S2?

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

Unfortunately it went to the new owners with the plant and is currently for sale.

[@maurice9457]

assisting the engine with electricity sounds interesting but where do you get the power from? hopefully not by a nearby diesel generator? also how much more expensive would it be to make or buy an additional boiler compared to that? i dont know much about that

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

The GE diesel locomotive out back should have enough power with one of its generators to power the mill motors but we will be reactivating the second generator anyways. Everything in our building is powered by that locomotive. The overhead crane, welder, drill press, etc. All lighting and 120VAC is provided by the off grid solar installation in the caboose.

[@maurice9457]

@@YoungstownSteelHeritage thank you for explaining. I was just worried about one of those smaller generators that make lots of noise. Somehow I missed the info that the GE locomotive is actually powering stuff there and I thought everything is powered by solar and when no visitors are there by small generators as well

[@trisrush9155]

You need to connect with me I can help you.

[@YoungstownSteelHeritage]

Send me an email at [e-mail]