Osogovo, Muskegon

[Guest]

cwc in Muskegon makes camshafts and crankshafts . It is not for us.

[Ben]

Haha - thats one way to do it, RDD!

[Raildudes dad]

My wife's sister ex worked at CWC. They do some exotic metal pours so it might be them. I'm not aware that EJIW does anything but gray iron castings but I could be wrong. I've followed trucks before to see where materials brought in by rail went to. lol

[Guest]

My best guest is East Jordon iron works.

[Ben]

Anyone know where the product is bound? Campbell Wyant & Cannon foundry in Muskegon?

[Paul A]

Wondering if this ore is for the flanges of the wheels or the "tires". Must have some stability properties for friction/heat expansion.

[muskguy]

She isn't leaving until next week.

[djwmusk65]

Second time posting. Part of my first got cut off somehow. The ore can't have more than 20% moisture so they stopped unloading when it started to rain Fri. I understand it will take 2-3 yrs. to use what she brought in. Looks like there is a pilot flag flying now and two tanker truck loads of fuel went aboard at midday today. It's been windy here the last few days My opinion,I think she is wind bound and is just waiting for it to go down to leave.

[GuestfromEU]

A bit of a side topic here, but I know some of us are also interested in railways and trains.

That ore concentrate is mined underground in Kiruna and Malmberget, Sweden, then shipped by rail to Narvik, Norway and Luleå, Sweden. This is in the far, deep north of Lapland. The electric locomotives that operate on the railway are some of the most powerful locomotives ever used in Europe. I believe each locomotive of the IORE class is 7,400 hp. The trains are not so long like Australia or the USA, but the powerful locomotives are needed to pass over the mountains separating the mines and loading port. The locomotives were built in Continental Europe, and shipped disassembled, as their weight was too heavy for European rails. Also interesting to note is these trains use North American style couplers, so no spring buffers are needed. This is because standard European couplers could not handle the weight of a loaded ore train.

The locomotives they replaced are also quite famous, the Swedish Dm3 class. Impressive machines to watch operating.

The Miniatur Wunderland museum in Hamburg, Germany has a section of this railway in HO scale. Very large, and set in the winter time, with snow as a major part of the scene. Quite fitting, as this is a majority of the year...

This part of Scandinavia is equivalent to the Missabe/Iron Range in MN, or the UP of Michigan. Very desolate, rough terrain, harsh weather, but also very beautiful scenery.

Here are pages to each locomotive noted above, and some other information about the mining and railways too.

http://www.4rail.net/reference_sweden_locos_el_dm3.php

http://www.4rail.net/reference_sweden_locos_el_iore.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LKAB

[Hermie Phillips]

Thanks for the info. That is an unusual cargo to say the least. I wonder what they'll bring in next?

[djwmusk65]

I talked to the security guard and he said the ore is going to be used to make railroad wheels. It can't have more than 20% moisture content. It rained here this afternoon and theystop

[garbear]

I saw the ship passing Sorel August 14 and noticed the ship's last port was Narvik, Norway. It is one of the export ports for Swedish iron ore pellets, and although very far north, it is an alternative to the Baltic.
It was an important strategic port during World War II when the Baltic was inaccessible to the Allies.
Bringing iron ore pelllets from Sweden seems to me to be a variation on "coals to Newcastle" unless there is something unusual about the ore.
The ship stopped at Contrecouer ca. August 14, and must have offloaded some of the cargo there.

Read on Facebook that it's magnetite ore.

[Mac Mackay]

I saw the ship passing Sorel August 14 and noticed the ship's last port was Narvik, Norway. It is one of the export ports for Swedish iron ore pellets, and although very far north, it is an alternative to the Baltic.
It was an important strategic port during World War II when the Baltic was inaccessible to the Allies.
Bringing iron ore pelllets from Sweden seems to me to be a variation on "coals to Newcastle" unless there is something unusual about the ore.
The ship stopped at Contrecouer ca. August 14, and must have offloaded some of the cargo there.

[Hermie Phillips]

I noticed today in the vessel passage for Muskegon that the Osogovo was unloading a "Special type of iron ore" at the Mart Dock. Anybody know what's so special about it and what are they going to do with it after its been unloaded? Thanks for any info. Herm