Blaw-Knox/Continental Foundry & Machine in East Chicago, IN

(Satellite, the plant was on the east side of Railroad Avenue. Some of the buildings are still standing.)

I recognize Blaw-Knox as one of the competitors for Mesta for making big equipment for steel mills.

I've hit a paywall for NWI.

Bruce Taliaferro posted two photos with the comment: "Blaw-Knox steel in East Chicago Indiana. My father retired from there. They used to make the turrets for the M60 tanks."

R Jim Echlin: Not only did they make M-60 turrets, they also made hulls. I worked there from 1964 through 1985. Turret and hull production for the M-60 tank peaked in the late 1970’s when the plant was producing over 100 of each per month. When the M-60 was replaced by the M-1, the bottom fell out and the plant was shut down. Shame!!!!

William Boardman: Turrets and hulls. The military production ruined them. We made the best rolling mills in the world and did all the really big repairs for all the NW Indiana mills. Then they got addicted to the military production. When the new Abrams tank came out they were screwed and couldn't pivot back to what they were really good at. They also stole all our pensions.

R Jim Echlin: William Boardman So true! White Consolidated used the M-60 program to line it’s coffers and make its execs rich. They even negotiated a contract with the Government to pay shutdown costs when M-60 production ceased.

Frank Groenewold: William Boardman did you ever get anything at all back from stolen pension?

William Boardman: Frank Groenewold No not from the company. It happened at Wisconson Steel, Republic Steel and many others. What we get is a government paid 60% of our pension.

So basically the tax payers are paying because the companies were allowed to rob us.

William Boardman: Biggest steel foundry in the US

R Jim Echlin: True for several years before its closing. Earlier on Mesta’s foundry was even larger in terms of maximum casting size at least. While I was working at Blaw Knox the heaviest casting we produced weighed just over 400,000 pounds. It was a ram for a giant counterblow forging hammer for the Ladish Cimpany in Cudahy, Wisconsin.

William Boardman: R Jim Echlin I remember a few pieces that were so big it took two 100 ton cranes to move them and even then the load was slipping through the cane's brakes as they moved it down the big bay.

Thomas Boswell: The facility was made up of several very large buildings. There is a gap in them because one burned down, I believe in the 1980's. A company tried to repurpose the building by recycling used tires. They caught on fire and the smoke nearly smothered half the city. There has been various businesses that have tried to make a go of the remaining buildings.

R Jim Echlin: Thomas Boswell The building that burned down was the Number 1 building where the M-60 hull front and the larger castings like mill housings were cast. That building had two large open hearth furnaces and an electric arc furnace that supplied the steel required for these castings. What a shame that this facility was shutdown when the M-60 program ended.

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R Jim Echlin commented Bruce's post
More Blaw Knox East Chicago pictures
Kenny Ozelie: R Jim Echlin much better representation of what more we were capable of than just the armor. Thanks!

R Jim Echlin commented Bruce's post
William Boardman: Is that the crusher they made for the shale oil project that got scrapped?
R Jim Echlin: Yes. Allis-Chalmers was our customer. As you can see the component castings (top shell, bottom shell and spider) had all been cast and were being machined. As the order was being completed Allis Chalmers stopped the order prior to shipment and subsequently directed Blaw Knox to destroy the castings. They were burned up for scrap. Blaw Knox was paid for the castings even though they never left our plant.

I wonder if this is the foundry for which my dad worked during WWII. I know it was in East Chicago. But I'd guess there was more than one foundry in this town back then.

Todd Branch posted
Old Continental Foundry & Machine/Blaw-Knox office building at 4444 Railroad Ave., East Chicago, Indiana. Manufacturer of heavy steel casting, rolls, rolling mills, tank turrets, etc.
R Jim Echlin: That building was not the Continental Foundry and Machine Office Building. It was built in 1976 long after Blaw Knox acquired Continental . The building in the picture was funded by the Government as part of a large funding package which increased production of M-60 tank hulls and turrets. The original Continental office building was actually on the opposite’s side of Railroad Avenue. As part of the aforementioned Government funded program it was converted to facilities (lunch room, etc.) for the hourly employees.
Todd Branch: R Jim Echlin Thanks for the correction and timeline 👍I will say the building pictured sure looks older than 1976? especially the entrance, perhaps matching some existing construction types?
R Jim Echlin: Todd Branch didn’t match any existing buildings at that location. Not sure who called the shots on the design.

Was there more than one Continental that made steel mill stuff? By "Butler," I presume they mean the SDI plant.

Comments on Todd's post

Carl Berstrom commented on Todd's post
Made lots of patterns for them.
R Jim Echlin: Carl Bergstrom hey Carl good to hear from you. East Chicago Patterns certainly was our most important outside pattern source. I for one really miss those days!
Carl Bergstrom: R Jim Echlin the good old days. After closing the shop I've worked for White Pine Lumber. Not sure if you remember Tim Hays who worked in planning at Blaw Knox but he's been a good customer of mine at Harrison Steel Casting and recently semi retired. Take care.

Continental Foundry & Machine Co. also had a location in Wheeling, and it merged with Blaw-Knox in Nov 1955. Blaw-Knox was based in Pittsburgh. [1950 aerial photo of Wheeling Works, that library has more interesting photos, but with the same restrictive copyright.]

https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/history/wheeling-mold-and-foundry-%7C-continental-roll-%7C-blaw-knox/7357

https://ledenews.com/gone-forever-a-series-8-blaw-knox-factory/

When you do a Google search for Blaw-Knox, you get results concerning a company that builds asphalt pavers. The name is also associated with a company that makes "below-hook" equipment.