Industrial Challenge-Kentucky Electric Steel Melt Shop

[Kentuckian]

KES steel mini-mill that produces steel slabs and is located in Northeast Kentucky. The building I am modeling no longer exists, and I cannot find a picture of it. I do see it in my mind’s eye, remembering passing it many times on l-64 going to visit family in Carter County. This is a current picture.
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I am planning on modeling the entire complex-scrap metal piles, melt shop, stripping department, rolling mill, and storage/shipping yard. However, for this Challenge I am realistically hoping just to finish the Melt Shop. If this is successful, maybe it will generate enough momentum to finish the entire complex. About a year or so ago I started collecting kits. This is how they look tonight:
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Overhead cranes are not included in the building kits. The holy grail of N scale overhead cranes kits is the Walthers model. Just last week one arrived.
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I am also copying this kit, using it as a guide to kitbash the HO scale kit to N scale. It may have been easier to scratchbuild.
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I have already started coverting the HO kit to N scale; this is a photo of the shortened HO scale crane beams. They still need to be cut down in depth, thinned, relief added, etc.
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N scale RSD-15 wheels were ground down to make them thinner for use as the crane truck wheels.
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These two cranes will be used in the Melt Shop.

Walthers also makes a smaller overhead crane kit in HO scale that is not offered in N. Three of these HO kits were acquired, mainly for the crane rail but also for the cranes. These will be used in the Rolling Mill and the Shipping Yard.
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A crane was also acquired from Shapeways, this one will be used in the foreground of the shipping yard.
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The Walthers Furnace kit will be doubled in length. I am planning on using the kit supplied siding for one sidewall, and  Plastruct 1:200 corrugated sheeting for the other sidewall. Three additional roof trusses and columns will need to be scratchbuilt from Evergreen structural shapes. The structure should scale out to around 200’ long.

[Kentuckian]

I really am not good at cutting window openings. I am trying to copy the crane operator’s cab.
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Oh well, maybe no one will notice. I went to the scrap box to find a door when I noticed an old Kadee caboose body. Eureka! Keith and Dale did windows a lot better than I can-which is not saying much-and variety between the two cranes is probably good. I finally found a use for an SP caboose.
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Ready for paint strip.

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[Kentuckian]

Started first extra roof truss. Reminds me of building balsa wood airplanes when I was a kid.

[johnb]

I finally found a use for an SP caboose.
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nooooooo!!!!!!!!-

[nkalanaga]

I posted this to the Crew Lounge topic, but since you have your own topic here, I'll repeat it.

KES is closing.  The story was on one of the local TV stations this evening.

http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/113-jobs-to-be-cut-in-Ashland-plant-closure-468490003.html

That will probably also be the end for the Coalton branch of CSX, what's left of the Lexington Division, because, as far as I know, KES is the only customer on the branch.

[Kentuckian]

Steel Mill modeling Kiss of Death strikes again! Seriously, I am sorry to read this, but thanks for posting.

I have ordered a sound and light package from Ngineering for the electric furnace; I hope I can wire it all together without releasing the magic smoke.

[Kentuckian]

The first truss is done, not perfect, but done. The end flanges will be added later. I am thinking about using a heavier section for the perimeter beams for the minimum of three more I need to make.
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This time I remembered the wax paper!

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Work continues on scratch-bashing the HO scale Heavy Duty Crane to N. The crane trucks from the HO scale Overhead Traveing Crane kit (top two pieces) are being used for the trolley trucks for the N scale crane. The trolley rides on the crane beams; it is what the block and tackle hang from. These HO pieces are shortened, and then details will be added. The yellow detail has been cut from the HO scale Heavy Duty Crane. The seam still needs to have putty applied and sanded. The bottom pieces are from the N scale crane, these are what I am trying to copy.

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[Kentuckian]

Three trusses: check. I have started on the Electric Furnace from the kit. The copy crane beams still are not finished, but are close.

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[Kentuckian]

The light and sound package came in the other day from Ngineering. Here is the 1” speaker mounted in a custom PVC pipe coupler enclosure. I hope I used enough Goo! The Electric Furnace base is on the left, with a large hole cut for the speaker, and two small holes for led wires.
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[Kentuckian]

This is very much a design/Build process. I just have a door layout right now, so this industry is for a future layout. This future space is about 11’x16’. I love the way the steel mill on John Colombo’s layout dwarves the trains, but I just don’t have that kind of space.

Since I am not designing for a specfic space on an existing layout, it is tempting to go big. When I first started to design KES, I had it at about 5’ long for just the structure. Once construction started, I revised it down to 4’. I only have one kit for the Melt shop and one kit for the rolling mill and I was planning on doubling the size of both using Evergreen siding. I'm not sure how well the kit siding and the aftermarket siding will mix. Maybe once painted a difference will not be discernible.
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However, if I only go 1.5 times the length of the stock kit for the Melt shop, I can use kit siding for all the walls I believe. One end will be open, so that end siding can be used to lengthen the sides. The roof may be a different story, I may have to use Evergreen for that.

I am using channel to hold the wall pieces together. This was the safest way for me to make the splices without ruining the surface of the siding with solvent. This will make the building slightly wider than stock, so the end pieces will have to be widened, too. Or I may have to cheat and use angle to cover up the corner gaps, we’ll see.

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So now the Melt shop is around 13” long, the plan for the rolling mill is for it to be around 19” long, and the shipping yard will be around 6” long, for a total of about a 38” long structure. The entire scene with the scrap piles, office, and other buildings will still be at least 4’ long.

[nkalanaga]

For those following the construction, but with no knowledge of KES, the real KES is big, but nowhere near the size of a traditional steel mill.  Armco has one of those in the area as well, although it's mostly shut down, and it would dwarf KES.  These electric "mini-mills" recycle scrap, rather than smelting iron and making new steel, and are much easier to fit into a layout.

Here is a more or less current view of KES from Google Maps:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.368175,-82.766227,838m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

[Kentuckian]

Thanks, nkalanga.

I do want to reiterate that my model is inspired by the original building that no longer exists. It was about half the size of the current building. In the 2011 view of Coalton, KY on Terraserver the building is there; in subsequent views it is not.

[nkalanaga]

Didn't it sit in the vacant area between Williams Creek and the current buildings? 

I don't know when KES was built, as it was there when we moved back here in 1978, but before the Interstate was built, "Midland Trail" was US 60.  The old highway can still be traced across much of WV and KY by looking for various forms of "Midland Trail", usually as short stretches of side road along modern US 60.

[John]

I
That will probably also be the end for the Coalton branch of CSX, what's left of the Lexington Division, because, as far as I know, KES is the only customer on the branch.

what about that trash yard?  Is that what it is?

[Kentuckian]

Didn't it sit in the vacant area between Williams Creek and the current buildings? 

I don't know when KES was built, as it was there when we moved back here in 1978, but before the Interstate was built, "Midland Trail" was US 60.  The old highway can still be traced across much of WV and KY by looking for various forms of "Midland Trail", usually as short stretches of side road along modern US 60.

Yes, the old building was immediately to the north of the current one. The old building was built in the mid ‘60’s.