Birmingham, AL : Sloss Furnaces

[MrRunciter]

Went to Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark earlier today.

Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark - Birmingham, Alabama

Opened in 1882 and operated through 1970. None of the original buildings are there, but there are still two 400-ton blast furnaces, surrounded by an assortment of other buildings and structures. It was fascinating to see how this process worked, and I can only imagine the conditions the men that worked there endured.
Lots of images on this one ( if it's too many, I apologize. Let me know and I will delete some.)

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[felipegeek]

Feels eerie in a way even with the nice light. I like the porthole shot best but nice compositions on much of it. The set transmits some of the history and decay nicely.

 

[MrRunciter]

Feels eerie in a way even with the nice light. I like the porthole shot best but nice compositions on much of it. The set transmits some of the history and decay nicely.

Thank you.
The folks that run this place have done a great job of balancing maintenance and accessibility vs. the inevitable decline that comes with time.

 

[BosseBe]

Thanks for sharing! How can there be too many pictures when they all show different things/views? Don't worry about the amount.

 

[StephenB]

Enjoyable scrolling through these shots. When I was 21 and had just finished my electrical apprenticeship I got a job as a maintenance electrician in a smelting works, I've worked on ancient switchgear like this as it was still operational in the late sixties.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

Nice set of photos. I love the immense scale being shown. There is also something very sensual about the old manual controls.

 

[Alberta Dave]

Great set of pictures showing the large scale of the operation. I would be totally in my element around here although Sue might get a little bored escorting me around LOL. Thanks for sharing.

 

[MrRunciter]

Enjoyable scrolling through these shots. When I was 21 and had just finished my electrical apprenticeship I got a job as a maintenance electrician in a smelting works, I've worked on ancient switchgear like this as it was still operational in the late sixties.

That switchboard was a sight to behold. Someone was actuating one of the handles (I was surprised that they let people touch any of the moveable stuff) and I could hear something clunking one floor down. It was a Rube Goldberg scenario for sure, except I never did see where the thing was that was moving.

Nice set of photos. I love the immense scale being shown. There is also something very sensual about the old manual controls.

Thanks.
These controls were impressive. No stamped steel or plastic knobs there. Just a different era and class of manufacturing for sure.

 

[Sam0912]

I’m another electrician who cut his teeth in industrial factories, in my case mostly GEC sites (before they got bought by Alstom). I love places like this, really takes me back.

Thanks for sharing, even though it may eventually cost me money (I’ve been eyeing that PL 8-18!)