I have been in the foundry business off and on for many years, and now I am restoring a 23" gauge Porter 0-4-0T, Jones & Laughlin Steel No. 58. Three weeks ago I brought both of those interests together when I cast a new set of grates for the locomotive at an iron pour that we held at the Carrie Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Rankin, PA, just outside of Pittsburgh. We are ramping up a metal arts program at the site and over the winter will begin construction of a foundry building. By next summer we will have the ability to cast grey iron and ductile iron up to about 7,000 lbs. We will also be able to cast bronze. Much of our work will be art pieces, but my interest is in creating a location where castings for historic restoration projects could also be made. We will be producing all of the castings that we need for our railroad, including the wheels.
I am confident that we could produce all of the grey iron, ductile iron and bronze castings for the WW&F 11 project, do it at a cost substantially less than what a commercial foundry would charge and with the same quality. I have worked at foundries producing iron castings from 100 tons down to a couple of pounds using both no bake and greensand. I've also operated my own iron foundry business making reproduction parts for gas engine and tractor enthusiasts.
Carrie Furnaces NHL is a former US Steel blast furnace plant, once the major iron producing facility for the now demolished Homestead Steel Works. The furnaces could each produce over 1,000 tons of molten iron per day that was converted into steel and rolled into I beams, channels, plates and armor plate. It is now a major tourist attraction in the Pittsburgh area. We are restoring the J&L 58 in the blowing engine house and have intentions of constructing several hundred feet of track on which to operate the locomotive when it is finished.
Just something to think about as you plan your WW&F 11 build. Click on the below link and advance through the photos of the making of the grates as well as builders plates. I made one plate out of bronze and four more out of iron, working from an aluminum reproduction plate that I changed the construction number on. The grate pattern is about 100 years old and part of the collection at the WA Young Foundry & Machine Shop, a complete turn of the century lineshaft driven machine shop that is also under our care.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/33523379@N03/21477577788/in/dateposted-public/
