Trenton Works Axle Hammer

Trenton Works axle hammer had a distinct sound when operating. People would refer to it as the "heartbeat of Pictou County", as the sound meant the plant received an order which was good news for the local economy. Trenton Works employees were noted for spending all of their paychecks within Pictou County. , A motto that was often used for decades "As Trenton Works goes, so goes Pictou County". , L.A. (Sandy) Stephenson - Former Trenton Works Public Relations Manager. , The hammer was one of three steam and air pressure driven machines that pounded hot steel billets into train axles for the Canadian market and beyond. The manipulator was brought to Trenton Works in 1947 to replace the hand method, where axles were turned by a sharp eye and skilled muscle from a crew of up to eighteen men., When axle shop improvements were made, an average output for hammer based on size of billet was 65 per eight hour shift. For many decades the steady thump of the hammer could be heard throughout Trenton and the surrounding areas day and night. , , Jack Jardine, Fred Jordon, Bill MacEachem and Ernie MacInnis - Interview 2010, Production Process of Manufacturing Steel Railcar Axles at Trenton Works , . Furnace Heats Billet 2300 F, Slides Into Carrier , . Carrier Delivers Heated Billet to Manipulator Jaws , . Hammer Pounds Out Shape of Axle , . Axle Measured For Length , . Axle Straightened With Hydraulic Press Then Slow Cooled , . Axle Heat Treated, Cooled and Normalized , . Axle Machined At Finishing Shop, The hammer and anvil are on loan from the Museum of Industry, part of the Nova Scotia Museum. , Preservation of this hammer and anvil is in part to the support of the Industrial Heritage Nova Scotia Society., This Plaza Honours the Industrial Heritage That Trenton Has Been Built Upon , Mayor, Council and Economic Development Committee , Town of Trenton , Historical Research and Graphic Layout , Ashton Creative Design, Bridgeville, Pictou County