Model Railroading > Walthers Steel Mill Buildings

Wondering if anyone knows of a source for any of the Walthers Steel Mill buildings?  I have seen a few on Ebay but the prices are super expensive.  Also, does anyone know when that series was initially released?

Dave

GBW309 Wrote:
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> Wondering if anyone knows of a source for any of
> the Walthers Steel Mill buildings?  I have seen a
> few on Ebay but the prices are super expensive. 
> Also, does anyone know when that series was
> initially released?
>
> Dave

This post covers only the HO versions....

The Walthers steel mill buildings were run by Walthers, twice. Once as the USS - The Works series of product, and once later as the Ashland Iron & Steel series. 

It is important to note that the Asland Rolling Mill building is about twice as long as the USS model was, the Ashland blast furnace is more tdetailed than the USS model was.  So the series are not identical. Both series had the coke plant, and the electric furnace and rolling mill stands.There were bottle cars and slag cars and coke-related hoppers in both series.  I am not certain if the coke plant and electric furnace models were more detailed in the Ashland than the USS series.  There was alsoi a Hulett unloader kit and an ore bridge kit. I have several of the rolling mill kits and  the electric furnaces and two of  the blast furnaces, ore bridges and Huletts all out of the Ashland series. I have been accumulating them for a number of years. I believe Walthers recently re-released the rolling mill, and perhaps opver time they may release the other Ashland Series kits - but all I have been able to obtain in the newer  Walthers boxes have been the Blast Furnace details, rolling mills, and rolling mill stands. 

Walthers blast furnaces and rolling mills at least are better kits when from the Ashland series. 

I am basically creating a large integrated mill and the rolling mill kits are great for kitbashing into other types of steel production facitiies such as fab shops, foundries, etc. The blast furnace was also released by Trix in HO scale...it is the same kit as the USS Works kit...Don't lose sight of the fact too that there are other large Walthers brick structures appropraie to be combined in order to be used in a steel mill. 

Bob

I'm thinking the first run (USS) was about 1996 and the second (Ashland) about 2010.   The blast furnace both times were among Walthers most expensive kits ever.  IIRC $150 first time and $250 second time. 

And I bought a pair of them from my local hobby shop for something like $40 each.   Those turned me a few dollars of profit on eBay!

- Jeff Carlson

CSX602 Wrote:
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> I'm thinking the first run (USS) was about 1996
> and the second (Ashland) about 2010.   The blast
> furnace both times were among Walthers most
> expensive kits ever.  IIRC $150 first time and
> $250 second time. 

Check out this NMRA Steel industry SIG Group:

https://www.nmra.org/sigs/steel-mill-modelers-special-interest-group-smmsig

Trix / Marklin makes a similar kit. Knowing Walthers, it might even be the same one. 
Or at the very least, might be a good start for a kitbash. 

In addition, I just learned of a Steel Mill detail valves supplier.  Check out http://www.alkemscalemodels.com  and look in the HO drop-down box on their web site.  Click on the Steel Mill details.  He explains hoe these valves were used.