Westlake Publishing Forums

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