04-27-2010
( Reply#: 5482 ) |
Joel357 |
I forgot to add that the Sullivan boys affectionatly called their dad's car the pig. |
04-27-2010
( Reply#: 5483 ) |
Tom J |
What do you mean by the term "mill car," Joel. I don't think I ever heard that one before.
Tomster |
04-27-2010
( Reply#: 5484 ) |
Joel357 |
Tom,
Because of the caustic air, coke dust etc, the finish on vehicles would deteriorate to the point of being ruined. Some of my friends families had old junkers, usually $100.00 specials, to drive to work and not worrying about taking the good family car to see it get ruined over time.
Joel
|
04-27-2010
( Reply#: 5485 ) |
Tom J |
Gotcha, Joel. |
04-27-2010
( Reply#: 5486 ) |
tom w |
Another reason to call your work car a mill car is that if you parked in the mill lot, chances are that sooner or later it would get broken into or damaged. They had armed guards at U S Steel's gates but as far as I know, they were mostly for show. I can remember seeing a young gentleman pull a gun and rob an older gentleman as he got out of his car. He was parked right next to me. One winter after a really heavy snowfall, they sent a few of us heavy equipment guys out in the lot to get rid of some of the snow. I went back in because my machine was way too big to help but not before I saw a smaller loader dumping a Volkswagon Bug into a semi-dump. Another time I was cleaning up around some piles of scrap with a machine that had an oversize bucket. I drove around a pile and felt my bucket run across something. Suddenly 2 taillights appeared under the bucket. The crane operator later thanked me because of the money he got from the mill for his old, mill car. Tom W |
04-27-2010
( Reply#: 5487 ) |
seejay2 |
Don't forget the miracles that mill use could work on your tires as well. I hoplessly blew out two of them within an hour of each other at Youngstown running over pieces of scrap.....Cj |
04-29-2010
( Reply#: 5497 ) |
Jim Plummer |
Mill car is a term that could only be heard in the region. I haven't heard it in decades! |
05-01-2010
( Reply#: 5510 ) |
duane |
This was a VERY common term in East Chicago.
A mill car was not only a clunker....it was an American car.
If you drove a Volkswagen or a Toyota to the mill, you would get your tires slashed and your car vandalized. Foreign cars were seen as taking work away from the steel mills (foreign steel to make the car). |
05-02-2010
( Reply#: 5513 ) |
tom w |
Duane; And it looks like we were pretty close to right on that one, huh. Whats left of the mills are even owned by who? Tom W |
05-02-2010
( Reply#: 5515 ) |
duane |
You are correct, sir. Inland is owned by India. I believe US Steel (now USX) is still owned by a US company, but I'm not sure.
First our cars, and now the steel that makes them. Now they own our debt, and likely soon they will own our souls. |
05-02-2010
( Reply#: 5516 ) |
BobK |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittal_Steel_Company
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Steel |
05-03-2010
( Reply#: 5523 ) |
duane |
Thanks Bob...as your links show, some of these companies change hands many times...trying to figure out who they are and where they are is difficult.
A similar thing has happened here in NE Minnesota. In addition to Iron Ore (all the major steel makers, including USS and ISPAT INLAND have taconite mines here) the area has been a major paper producer with several large Pulp and Paper mills. In Cloquet, the large mill was Potlatch, in Duluth the mill was Consolidated, and in Grand Rapids, MN it was Blandin. These were all US companies and Consolidated and Blandin were local MN and WI companies. Over the past 10 years, they have all been sold to international companies. Cloquet's is South Africa (SAPPI), Grand Rapids and Duluth got sold to Finnish companies (UPM Kyminee and Stora Enso, respectively) and now Stora got sold again to New Page (which I believe is Canadian). Most of these companies also had major industrial forest-land holdings to help supply their mills. When the foreign companies bought the mills, they either didn't buy the forest-lands or sold much of it off to private companies. They are not in the game for the long run. |
05-04-2010
( Reply#: 5526 ) |
Jim Plummer |
Are any of the mills still open in their old locations? How about General American or Pullman Standard?(places I worked) |
05-04-2010
( Reply#: 5528 ) |
duane |
PULLMAN STANDARD
The plant remained busy during the 1970's with many large Amtrak passenger car building contracts. However, when the last Amtrak contract was completed the company closed the plant in 1981.
GENERAL AMERICAN TRANSPORTATION CO. GATX CHICAGO, Feb. 9, 2001
GATX Rail Corporation today notified its employees and the United Steelworkers of America that it has finalized its decision to close its East Chicago, Indiana, service center where it maintains and repairs railroad tank and freight cars.
Terrence G. Heidkamp, GATX Rail's senior vice president of maintenance, stated, "We have determined that it is not economical for us to continue to operate this facility. As we have discussed with the United Steelworkers of America, a number of cost issues specific to this facility and this location such as taxes, utilities, and railcar switching costs led to the closure plan, previously …
UNION TANK CAR COMPANY
Union Tank Car Company today announced the closure of its East Chicago, Indiana plant effective at the end of May 2008. James Shirvinski, General Manager- Manufacturing for the Company, met with employees to tell them about the closure.
A declining market for tank car sales and leases and long-term demand estimates require the Company to consolidate its manufacturing operations. The Company has operated the East Chicago plant, its oldest factory, for more than 40 years. During that
time, the plant built more than 75,000 tank cars.
When the plant ceases operations, eligible employees will be offered severance packages. Hourly workers' packages will be according to the terms of the labor contract signed in December 2005. The plant employs about 70 salaried and 375 hourly
employees.
Union Tank Car will continue to provide customers with the best quality products and services at its plants in Sheldon, Texas and Alexandria, Louisiana, and through its network of repair facilities. The Company will continue to be based in Chicago. |
05-05-2010
( Reply#: 5529 ) |
tom w |
How very sad. Tom W |
05-05-2010
( Reply#: 5531 ) |
Roger D |
"Da Region" use to be the place people migrated to to find a good job. Anyone who wanted to work could get a good job there. I am sorry to say that that is not true any more. Although many companies closed or changed owners they kept the country going during WWII, Korea and 'Nam.
Inland changed hands but the retirees are being taken care of by contracts with the USW Local 1010. I have been retired for over 16 years, still have my pension and insurance thanks to the UNITED STEELWORKERS UNION. |
05-05-2010
( Reply#: 5533 ) |
Jim Plummer |
I just started receiving a pension from IATSE and I agree-thank God for the union!I think the jobs are still around except they have changed. I think the benefits are what has disapeared. Its a different world today and I think only the young are prepared to deal with it! I'm not sure we could have endured what are parents put up with in the 30's and 40's. |
05-10-2010
( Reply#: 5535 ) |
tom w |
J.P.; You know, since me and my beautiful wife never had any children, the question has always nagged me and perhaps you or some of our friends might enlighten me.
When I was a kid, I had to be real good and do my chores and be quiet around the old man all week in order to get enough money to go to the show and buy a small Karmel Korn and for bus fare to and from. What then are the angels of today doing to have laptops, cellphones that they can use all day with only seconds between calls and $42.000.00 cars? Tom W |
07-24-2011
( Reply#: 6713 ) |
tommy51 |
quote:
Any of you guys drive mill cars?
Joel
Yeah, I got my uncle's '63 Fairlane when he was done with it for free.
It rattled when you closed the door due to the loss of metal on the door bottoms. The dreaded Tin-worm had done his evil quite well. The right rear door was so bad I had to replace it and repaint it. The tops of the bumpers had lost all their chrome and were black. I didn't want it, but my uncle was just beaming at the thought of him launching me into the Industrial Age.
Since I just started at de Mill, I had to save up some money in order to get a better car. I couldn't say no.
I actually hand-polished the red paint back to a near-mirror 'cause I was dating. Then, a year later, I got stupid and bought a T-bird with a white vinyl top! Brain-dead from all the Coke Plant sulphur fumes, I guess. Never did get out the black crud from the crevices of that genuine imitation vinyl top.
Tommy |
