Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Stock Trestle/Tunnel
Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 22, 2011
1. Stock Trestle / Tunnel Marker
Inscription.
Stock Trestle/Tunnel. Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark. , Construction of the stock trestle/tunnel complex was part of the extensive modernization that Sloss carried out between 1927 and 1931. Much of the work focused on mechanizing the charging operations and equipment, the stock trestle/tunnel complex and the inclined skip hoists. It was here that raw materials were stored, weighed, and loaded into the furnace., The Process, The 800-foot-long stock trestle was made of concrete and supported a dual-track rail line. Freight cars moved into the trestle and emptied raw materials into stock bins below. From there the stock was discharged into scale cars that ran on a rail line inside the concrete charging tunnel. The tunnel was 747 feet long and almost 11 feet high. The scale cars automatically weighed the stock and dumped it into skip cars, which moved up the inclined hoist and mechanically deposited the stock into the furnace. Before the mechanization raw materials were loaded into wheel barrows and taken by vertical elevator to the top of the furnace, where they were shoveled in by hand. The modernized charging operations were not only safer and more efficient, they also reduced the labor requirements for loading from twenty men to three., The People, "Down there in that hole it stayed dusty all the time, and water runs, by it being so low like that. The water runs along the side of the track all the time. And to me it seems like it went against your health to be down like that, because at that time they were putting coke in the furnace or either lime rock or scrap that they picked up. This whole place would be dusty down here. When you opened a door to catch that stuff coming out, it just hit down in the car. That stuff just hit down in there and you can't see nothin. You have to close the door up and wait to see how much you got down in there." , Monroe Lide
Construction of the stock trestle/tunnel complex was part of the extensive modernization that Sloss carried out between 1927 and 1931. Much of the work focused on mechanizing the charging operations and equipment—the stock trestle/tunnel complex and the inclined skip hoists. It was here that raw materials were stored, weighed, and loaded into the furnace.
The Process
The 800-foot-long stock trestle was made of concrete and supported a dual-track rail line. Freight cars moved into the trestle and emptied raw materials into stock bins below. From there the stock was discharged into scale cars that ran on a rail line inside the concrete charging tunnel. The tunnel was 747 feet long and almost 11 feet high. The scale cars automatically weighed the stock and dumped it into skip cars, which moved up the inclined hoist and mechanically deposited the stock into the furnace. Before the mechanization raw materials were loaded into wheel barrows and taken by vertical elevator to the top of the furnace, where they were shoveled in by hand. The modernized charging operations were not only safer and more efficient, they also reduced the labor requirements for loading from twenty men to three.
The People
"Down there in that hole it stayed dusty all the time, and water runs—by
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it being so low like that. The water runs along the side of the track all the time. And to me it seems like it went against your health to be down like that, because at that time they were putting coke in the furnace or either lime rock or scrap that they picked up. This whole place would be dusty down here. When you opened a door to catch that stuff coming out, it just hit down in the car. That stuff just hit down in there and you can't see nothin. You have to close the door up and wait to see how much you got down in there."
Monroe Lide
Erected by Sloss Furnaces Historic Landmark.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.
Location. 33° 31.228′ N, 86° 47.446′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of 32nd Street North and 2nd Avenue North, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located on the grounds of the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 20 32nd Street North,, Birmingham AL 35222, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Casting Pigs (a few steps from this marker); The Stock Trestle (a few steps from this marker); The Blast Furnace (a few steps from this marker); Slag
3. Diagram of the furnace's stock trestle / tunnel complex.
Photographed By Timothy Carr, February 21, 2009
4. The 800 Foot Stock Trestle
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 12, 2011
5. Rail level view of the Stock Trestle.
Photographed By Timothy Carr, August 11, 2007
6. One of the stock bins under the Stock Trestle.
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 22, 2011
7. Diagram of the scale car in the charging tunnel
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 22, 2011
8. Interior of the charging tunnel.
Chutes in the top of the tunnel released raw materials into the scale car to be weighed.
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 12, 2011
9. The Charging Tunnel
Photographed By Timothy Carr, August 11, 2007
10. The Scale Car in the Charging Tunnel
After the closing of Sloss Furnaces, most of the tools and equipment at the plant were removed. The water pumps to the charging tunnel were turned off. Over the years the tunnel flooded. Before Sloss Furnaces was opened to the public in the 1980's it was not know of what was still remaining down in the flooded charging tunnel. After the water receded the scale car was discovered covered with fine layer of mud.
Photographed By Timothy Carr, August 14, 2009
11. Skip pit viewed from the charging tunnel.
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 25, 2009
12. Panel of indicator lights at the Skip-Hoist transfer station.
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 22, 2011
13. Image of the skip hoist and skip car as seen from the skip pit.
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 22, 2011
14. Skip hoist and skip car as seen from the skip pit.
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 12, 2011
15. Skip hoist leading up to the top of the furnace.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 6, 2013, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 762 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. submitted on October 6, 2013, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.