I was in Terre Haute,IN last week at the Haley Tower rail park. Got to see some of CSX’s trains roll through. While there, one of my personal favorites came by, a solid train of steel coil loads. Nothing says “industrial America”, whats left of it, like a train of steel loads. But I have often wondered why some of the cars are covered and others are not. You often see steel coils just placed in gondolas with no covering. I suppose the covered steel may be coated or on its way to some sort of specialty processing? Also, if you look at the ends of the coils, it looks like they aren’t cut smoothly as by a shearing action but they appear to be torn and the ends are generally jagged looking. Could this be from the way the mill rolls the coils?
One last comment. Does anyone know what the status of the little rail park in Terre Haute is? The day I was there, it had the look of a place that gets little use. Yet, they are in a great location for train watching.
I am not an expert, but I think it depends on the alloy type of the steel as to whether or not it needs to be covered.
Side note: The 1st oversees shipment of steel in over 20 years is about to leave from the Port of Cleveland. The coils are on the dock. (uncovered) _Rich
It may also have to do with what type of processing it will undergo at its destination. If it will be pickled awayway, they may not care if it has been exposed for a little while.
You pick up a coil or several, going to … Maytag which makes washing machines… that needs to be covered. BEFORE they rust. IF allowed to rust, it’s deemed no good for the new appliances they are making.
Let’s say they took a rusted coil and stamped a washing machine out of it and shipped the finished and new item to the appliance store. Within the year the unhappy customer will be calling to complain that the machine is rusted and unuseable.
Should a rusted coil arrive at the customer and is unusable the entire value is deemed damaged and must be recovered from somebody… hopefully not the trucker that hauled it.
I remember taking some aluminum for the Government out of the east coast one afternoon where it was a little chilly and low humidty. I arrived in Oklahoma at 8 the next morning in sweltering heat and high humidty. Those coils were covered but still sweated liquid all over my deck. Fortunately they were wrapped in plastic wrap and the water did not reach the metal itself.
Many times Ive arrived at a mill to get a coil after being breathed on by three disptachers, two brokers, one operations manager all demanding that I check this coil extra-special for rust and I see it half sunken in mud left behind by a storm earlier that week.
I have the high number of tetnus shots to prove my work around these sharp coils. Doctor asks me how did I cut the skin and I say coil, he says Nurse, get the needle, tetnus.
The most perfect coils without a drip of moisture anywhere on the metal goes to Brewerys where they are consumed and turned into cans for Beer and what not. WOE onto you should they see a drop anywhere on it.
I can’t help much on the steel coils, but I was over to Haley tower last summer a couple times [we live 30 mile west]. It was usually open from 11 to 3 [if I remember right] Saturday and Sunday; it is a good place to rail fan. From the viewing stand or inside Haley tower. The last I heard was, they’re still trying to raise money for restoration and park improvements with donations.
Why are some covered and some not? It really depends on where they are in the process cycle. Hot bands (coils up to about 1/4" in thickness coming off the hot strip mill) are placed outside to cool. Most mills have a 40-50 acre site for this near the HSM. HSMs roll scale and other imperfections into the surface although the ideal is none of the above. Prior to cold rolling the coils are pulled through an acid bath (pickle line) to remove the rust and scale and some of the steel surface. They then go to a cold mill for further reduction. Dependent on how thin the strip is to be rolled it may have a partial reduction and then be annealed to soften it and be rerolled on a cold mill. In either case its is annealed and then temper rolled which puts a degree of stiffness in the metal the customer requires. Once it is pickled it needs to be protected. You will notice coils on trucks wrapped in a mositure proof paper. Hot bands get shipped with no protection. Galvanized steel can be shipped this way also since the zinc is there to protect the strip. Plate is generally shipped unprotected. Just about anything else gets paper and/or a cover.
Consider the protection of the Aluminum Coil. Let’s say it’s winter and I just left Central Kentucky with three aluminum coils for the Busch in Williamsburg Va. There is road salt, splash spray and perhaps a bit of mess that can get on the metal. You dont want any of that on the coil.
It gets fed straight into the stamp upon arrival. Usually those stamps are hungry and need coils badly and they dont spare any effort for “Dirty coils”
Thanks for the good information. Would like to get over there on a day that the park is open, as I mentioned in the original post, it seems to be a very good location. I remember walking by the Graffiti lounge when I was there.