Scunthorpe’s Corus Steel Works played host to members of the IRO North East Area Council when they paid a visit in September.
Such is the size of the site – set in 2,000 acres and with 90 miles of internal railway – the Corus Sports and Social Club has a dedicated railway enthusiast section, the Appleby Frodingham Railway Society (AFRS), which maintains a fleet of heritage locomotives and rolling stock to take visitors round the works.
Before setting off on a visit aboard the Peckett 0-4-0ST (Works number 1438 of 1916) steam loco, the IRO group were treated to a briefing by Terry Longmate about the history of steel making on the site. Terry had a very long career in steelmaking, retiring in 1999 but still coming back to take conducted tours, sharing his encyclopaedic knowledge of the works and steel manufacture.
There had been an iron works on the site since the 1850s, initially exploiting local supplies of ore but nowadays receiving ore from overseas, rail hauled in after being unloaded from cargo ships at Immingham. Also accompanying the group on the visit was AFRS chairman Robert Harkness, himself a former manager in the works rail operations department, who helped to answer many of the rail specific questions raised.
First port of call was the engine shed – home of the AFRS - where the group took refreshments and concluded the business part of their visit. From there, the train toured the extensive network, making a circle round the entire site. All trains on site are strictly limited to 10 mph, with all movements under the control of a Rail Control Centre.
The group were shown the Rail Service Centre, where the rails for despatch were taken for quality control tests and storage. Though an automated plant, the visitors were able to stop inside the shed and view a series of non-destructive testing apparatus. Whilst the plant was not actually in operation during the visit due to maintenance works, the group were taken into the computerised control centre where each of the processes were explained in detail. Non-destructive testing included eddy current, ultrasonic, laser, and optical processes. At this stage, rails were also cropped to remove imperfections and cut into customer specified lengths. If necessary, there was also an adjacent electric flash butt welding plant to create longer lengths intended for continuously welded rail. The rail from the rolling mill arrived in nominal 108 metre lengths, but to satisfy Network Rail’s requirements, 216 metre lengths could be produced, with Internal movements of rail taking place on trains comprising of long bolster wagons.
The IRO party rejoined their train to travel to the Medium Section Mill, where rails are rolled from a bloom of steel. The bloom is heated in a furnace and passes through three processes while still hot and ductile. The Primary process then cleans off scale with high pressure water jets before rolling it out to a shape suitable for the secondary stage by passing it between massive rollers. The secondary stage consists of a similar process but in one direction only, passing through a series of rolls. This reduces the cross section further. Although still broadly rectangular, it leaves the secondary mill small enough to pass into the shaped rollers that impart the required section. The finishing mill consists of a series of rolls in a line, each gradually rolling the steel closer to the desired size and shape. At the end of this line, the rail (or other section because the mill also produces constructional steel) is deposited on a cooling rack and is allowed to cool and de-stress over a couple of days. Each rail is individually recorded by computer, with a stamped number and bar code applied to the rail itself so that each rail is traceable from casting to installation.
The group then observed a steel section being rolled, with the whole process actually automated and operated by just one controller via remote computerised control. The building in which this took place was vast, though there were very few persons to be seen, which made for quite an eerie atmosphere.
During the tour, the IRO visitors also learnt a host of facts about the plant and its output, with the works producing per annum 4.5 million tonnes of liquid steel, 400,000 tonnes of structural steel and 200,000 tonnes of rail. The plant also produces wire, slab and plate and has its own oil fired electrical power station that generates 57% of its consumption. The coal blending plant handles 5,600 tonnes of coal a day, to be turned into coke in two coke oven complexes. Coal and Iron ore is imported, but limestone is obtained locally.
The IRO North East Area Council extends its special thanks to Corus and AFRS for ‘a grand day out.’