The following photographs were taken on a busy day at the foundry in July 2005. Production was in full swing with everything operating in its normal efficient manner. It is always an impressive sight to see a foundry in operation and sad to think that so few now survive in the UK.

 

 

In the distance is the filtration equipment and chimney for the cupolas and in the foreground is the scrap metal that forms part of the furnace charge.
The raw materials - scrap iron, coke and limestone.
Molten iron from the cupola flows into the electric induction furnace below.
Another view of the flowing iron from the cupola.
The Birlec electric induction melting furnace. Above is the track that carries the large ladles that collect the molten iron.
The two sand mixing machines.
Finished cores awaiting their journey into the foundry.
Manufacturing locomotive brake blocks on the foundry's moulding line. The bottom half of each mould is prepared and put on the track.
Another view of the moulding line, where the top half of each mould is prepared in readiness to join the completed bottom half on the track.
The two halves are joined together and cast by hand.
When cast, the brake blocks cool as they travel towards a cubicle at the end of the line, where they are removed from the mould.
Casting on one of the Disamatic machines.
A sandblasting machine for cleaning the castings.
Grinding surplus metal from the finished castings.
One of the company's delivery vehicles.
A view of the works alongside the Wolverhampton canal.


The cupolas as seen from the canal.

Return to the
previous page