NS 854

[Chris7092]

Saw this train up on the Chicago Line last week. A closer check with my sources reveal that this train's destination is Butler (SDI). It origintes in the WV coal fields. When did NS begin serving SDI with coal, and if I'm not mistaken, coal must first be turned to coke before being used in steel production. Is SDI capable of the entire steel-making operation?

Thanks

Chris
K8CRQ

[rrnut282]

IIRC, SDI uses electric-arc furnaces, so they wouldn't need coal, unless as you said, it was already coke.

[D.L.]

Why would the train be on the Chicago Line to begin with By the Chicago Line, do you mean the NYC "Water Level" or the NKP W of E Wayne???

[Greg46m]

NYC

[Michael Meisener]

SDI up here in Butler recieve's a couple coal trains a month. I believe they use it to make power. There was an article in the paper a few years back on how SDI could make there own power with coal cheaper than buying it from an electric company.

[D.L.]

Hey M.M., why not ask Keith Busse to run a line to your house? Then you could keep that G scale runnin' 24/7!

[Michael Meisener]

Hey M.M., why not ask Keith Busse to run a line to your house? Then you could keep that G scale runnin' 24/7!

I'm just hoping that SDI keeps expanding this way & they can buy my place so I can have a bigger place up on the NYC.

[wheeler]

Sorry guys, we don't make our own power here at Butler.
the coal trains go to IDI (iron dynamics) where it is used in a (relatively) new process to produce "DRI" (direct reduced iron)
When scrap and pig iron got real expensive a few years back (6-7?) they started this up.
I only know a few guys on "that side of the road" (they are a different division of SDI) and have only been in there a few times.
I think they are 100 car trains, and they (seemingly) never break the train up. They do have a cool car dumper that dumps 2 cars at once!

[esprrfan]

A few of the 854's have gone to Burns Harbor too