One of the most spectacular scenes in industrial rail is pouring molten metallurgical slag.
Slag is a byproduct of metallurgy, formed during metal smelting. Up until the mid-20th century, slag was poured and crushed right near blast furnaces or open-hearth furnaces, which slowed production down. Once ladle pouring was introduced, it became possible to remove slag continuously using slag pot cars.
A slag pot car is basically a slag ladle mounted on a flatcar. The ladle is rotated by a tipping mechanism driven by an electric motor installed on the car. With slag pot cars, molten slag is hauled away from the blast furnace or open-hearth shop to the slag dump.
To prevent the slag from sticking, before a pour the inside surface of the ladle is coated with a calcium hydroxide solution. At the moment it’s poured, the slag is about 1600°C — roughly one and a half times hotter than the lava from an erupting volcano.
In addition to the photos, in the "360° Gallery" section you can view this same scene as an aerial virtual tour. Three panoramas are available.
