This is the Coos Bay Iron Works in Coos Bay, Oregon. The track extending out from the near end of the building was for the swarf dolly. All the swarf (metal shavings) from the lathes, milling machines etc.) were hauled out there and dumped. There is a huge, about six feet high, pile of rusted swarf out on the ground.
What No recycling ???
In such a green place and no green?
"It's hard being green!" Kermit the frog
MPH
What was the purpose of those walkways so high up on the sides of the building?
???
The aisles were still excellent for cleaning the gutters.
There are strange things with this building. I do think the walkways were for access to the roof and gutters. There is also that round, covered opening on the end. There was a foundry across the street where they cast fire hydrants, etc. This building was the machine shop for making the patterns and other machining to o with the products. The building is over a hundred years old and all the belt driven machinery instill in place and operational. I will try to dig up inside pictures. This photo was taken a long time ago with a very early point and shoot digital camera with very little memory in the chip so I missed out on many other gray photos such as across the slough was a cannery dock and buildings slowly disintegrating into the slough. I will look for my files on this place and try to post some of the interior shots.
Another shot of the building.
Some of the belting drive system.
belts
What a great old building, especially with all the belt drive stuff intact! Do you know if this building still exists?
Yes Ray, the building still exists,just about as shown it these pictures, the last time I heard. I would like to take a trip back over and get more pictures of the area but my health is not the best for the long drive. All the machinery is still in the building and is operational. In fact when we were there the owner demonstrated some of the equipment. He does lathe and mill work for himself once in a while.
Some more picture of inside taken from the loft where the pattern making was done. Not much pattern stuff left.
Note the overhead crane tracks and in the second photo it can be seen parked at the far end.
I'll try again. Although all these original photos are the same size some are getting rejected as being too large in KB.
Another work space, most used now.
I think I may have posted the drill press before.
Of course you got to have a place to go. Last photos although there are many more of different machinery.
Wow that place is great, thanks for posting the pics! i don't know anything about the company. Did they make any logging equipment?
Thanks,
Paul
Paul, From what I can figure out is that they made mostly patterns for the foundry which cast fire hydrants and large scale cast iron pipe fittings. I did see a couple of patterns for large gears for some kind of machinery so it is possible they might have also taken speciality orders. I know the owner was trying to get museum status for the building but there were some public safety and structural issues (many of them) that would have to be resolved before that could happen. The building is standing on a (pile) pier system rather than a solid foundation. All that area is bay (sandy) soil. In spite of the foundation the building seems solid and the roofline is straight, no ridge sag. I notice in the inside photos that there are a lot of unpainted braces leading me to believe that at a later date they were added to add strength to the building and roof. I did not see any signs of roof leak although it was realign raining had at the time we were there. Note even the white building that can be seen in the second photo of the building how straight the roof ridge is even though that building is deteriorating.
Our model engineering club was invited to visit the building but I had no idea of what I was going to have to photograph. I would have taken my good film camera with a better lighting system if I had known. The building ate up the flash from this little digital camera.
I don't know what the area has for snow and ice but the yellow cord that goes up to the roof would be an indication here that ice buildup might be a problem on the eaves of the roof (electric heat tapes). Perhaps the walkway was intended to access that area to remove snow or ice there. Great indoor shots, thanks.
Great stuff, thanks for posting!
Love the wood stove made from 3 oil barrels in one of the interior shots.
So on a lark I googled Coos Bay Iron works...
http://www.coosbayironworks.com/
They did make logging stuff, and it seems like a lot of it. Great place, again thanks for sharing.
Paul
Thanks Paul. None of that stuff. The patterns and machinery in the loft, donkey engines alongside the building and castings were not there when our group toured through. Not much was mentioned but making patterns and machining for the foundry, mostly fire hydrants and such. There were a couple of cast stove fronts and fire grates for light metal stoves. Very interesting. Sad to hear the fellow died and hope who ever got it now will keep it honest in what it does or made in the past. It has been some years since I was last down there.
Is that a Fordson powering the Coos King donkey shown on this page?
http://www.coosbayironworks.com/CBIWPhotoGallery3.html (http://www.coosbayironworks.com/CBIWPhotoGallery3.html)