US Steel 25-cycle (25hz) Electric Power

Gregory Bailey commented on the following post: "The yellow head towers were owned by USS. They went from Gary Works to South Works. They supplied 25 cycle produced at Gary & fed South Works. [Nope, South Works supplied Gary]"

Kevin A Heggi posted
I have to modify some towers for my home layout, I really dig them going under like that.....In case you're wondering....I was on top of the sintering plant at LTV/Youngstown/Mittal/ISG/Mark MFG.......

Kevin A Heggi posted again
One of my favorite things at the mill, the over track power lines....these went from Gary works to South Chicago, connecting the US Steel electrical grid....I was told these never really carried power, but were put up so that US Steel could negotiate with NIPSCO and COM ED for better rates....the threat being, the could reroute the power if needed.

These comments confirm that the power plant below in South Works supplied the 25hz power.

Comments on Kevin's second post

Below was written before Kevin's second post and its comments.

But I wonder if the power was generated in South Works and fed to the Gary Works. That would explain why this power plant remained long after all of the other buildings had been torn down in the South Works.

Rod Sellers posted
Where am I?

Rod sellers commented on his post
Answer: #5 Power Station at South Works U. S. Steel plant built 1936. Photo taken April 2001. When the plant closed in April 1992 this building (and 1 other) were not torn down with the rest of the plant. It continued to generate power for the U. S. Steel plant in Gary for several years. Attached aerial photo was taken in 1995.
Karen Grankowski Listowski Rod Sellers my husband worked at #4 Power Station, and was part of the skeleton crew left that provided power to Gary. They used to grill chicken alot.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Rod's post
Google Earth shows that the plant was removed between April 2002 and Sept. 2003.

These yellow head towers carried 25-cycle power between South and Gary Works. If this plant generated 25-cycle power, that would explain why it wasn't removed when the other buildings were torn down. Although as far back as April 1998 I don't see any coal piles in the Google Earth images. I wonder when USS converted Gary Works to the 60-cycle grid power or if the units that used 25-cycle power have also been torn down.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.6588792,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3

Note that these towers are built over the EJ&E right-of-way. When this power line was built, US Steel owned EJ&E.

Ted Gregory posted, cropped

Interesting how they handle utilities in narrow, constrained, and heavily used railroad corridors.

UPDATE:

Note they designed them for two tracks!

What all highway bridge designers should allow over a RR.

NW Indiana

[It was double tracked. The comments indicated the track was removed in the early 1990s after the South Works shut down.
Some comments also describe the stack shields or blast plates "used to deflect hot gasses and junk coming out of steam engine stacks. You'll see them under old bridges sometimes as well."]
Dennis DeBruler: The railroad, EJ&E, and power line were owned by US Steel. The line carried 25hz power from a power plant in South Works to Gary Works.
[There are some comments about why and where 25hz was used including:]
Kristian Svalland: They still use 25hz here in the east in large sections [of electrified railroads].

I presume that the tower in this photo of the USS South Works was also part of the 25hz supply.

Comment by Dwayne Stenger on a post via Dennis DeBruler, Credit: World Wide Photos