Standard Steel Switcher
Standard Steel SW8 6734 switches inside the massive plant. Still wearing her North Shore colors from where she was purchased in 2014, she was built in Sept. 1951 as Lehigh Valley Railroad 265.
Standard Steel is the only reason the Juniata Valley Railroad still operates the four miles of the old PRR Milroy Branch up from Lewistown and down Water Street featured earlier.
Standard Steel has been in existence since 1795, one of the longest continuously operating forging operations in the United States. The company, initially known as Freedom Forge, was founded during the first term of President George Washington. Initially, the plant produced iron bars and rods though today it solely produces railcar wheels and axles mostly for the freight new build market (though it does sell into the aftermarket and makes passenger wheels as well). Once known as one of the largest producers of steam locomotive tires, by the start of WWII it was producing 1/5th of the all locomotive tires used in the US. Here is a nice one page corporate timeline: www.standardsteel.com/history.php
And for a more in depth article on the saving and resurgence of the 250 acre plant that employs 600 people check out this article: industrytoday.com/the-right-track/
Burnham, Pennsylvania
Friday July 31, 2020
Standard Steel Switcher
Standard Steel SW8 6734 switches inside the massive plant. Still wearing her North Shore colors from where she was purchased in 2014, she was built in Sept. 1951 as Lehigh Valley Railroad 265.
Standard Steel is the only reason the Juniata Valley Railroad still operates the four miles of the old PRR Milroy Branch up from Lewistown and down Water Street featured earlier.
Standard Steel has been in existence since 1795, one of the longest continuously operating forging operations in the United States. The company, initially known as Freedom Forge, was founded during the first term of President George Washington. Initially, the plant produced iron bars and rods though today it solely produces railcar wheels and axles mostly for the freight new build market (though it does sell into the aftermarket and makes passenger wheels as well). Once known as one of the largest producers of steam locomotive tires, by the start of WWII it was producing 1/5th of the all locomotive tires used in the US. Here is a nice one page corporate timeline: www.standardsteel.com/history.php
And for a more in depth article on the saving and resurgence of the 250 acre plant that employs 600 people check out this article: industrytoday.com/the-right-track/
Burnham, Pennsylvania
Friday July 31, 2020