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UER Forum > US: Southeast > Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant (Viewed 1434 times)
Pearson 


Location: Chicagoland/Sometimes Austin
Total Likes: 470 likes


You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

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Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< on 3/23/2022 11:40 PM >
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I haven't done one of these writeups on here in years but I miss making them. On a recent trip to Alabama with Sheavy and Mookster we visited what remains of the old Republic Steel mill in Birmingham. This place is about as good as it gets, loads of ancient machinery and other things about. Republic steel started operations in Birmingham in 1888 and continued up until 1972. The blast furnaces, rolling mills, and other steelmaking buildings have been demolished for years. Fortunately, the massive coke battery, blower house, boiler house, power plant, and a handful of other buildings still remain. 50 years of abandonment has not treated this place well, most buildings truly fit the definition of a death trap. Alas, here are the photos.

Starting off with the coke battery/byproducts plant, built in 1925:
DSC_5673 by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5661 by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5677-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5655-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

On to the blower house, complete with a set of Harrisburg blower engines and an Ingersoll-Rand compressor:

DSC_5631-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5627-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5650 by pearson, on Flickr

Then the boiler house, I took very few photos in here. This was the deathtrappiest of all the buildings on the property:

DSC_5694-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

Finally, the power plant. This was probably my favorite, it was equipped with three General Electric turbines at one point. Only one remains completely intact, one was completely removed and the other was stripped:

DSC_5698-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5717-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5703-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5707-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5719 by pearson, on Flickr

Here are some other miscellaneous photos around the property:

DSC_5688 by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5686-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5682-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr

DSC_5678-Enhanced by pearson, on Flickr


All in all, this place was absolutely phenomenal. We spent somewhere around 8 hours on the property. These photos definitely aren't my best work by any means, this place was very tough to shoot for the most part with lots of difficult lighting situations and tight spaces. But, I had a great time shooting it and wanted to share here.




Sheavy 


Location: Hoover, Alabama
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Total Likes: 569 likes




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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 1 on 3/24/2022 3:50 AM >
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Good shit dude! Definitely did not walk on anything insanely sketchy, nope nope.


Posted by Pear

Then the boiler house, I took very few photos in here. This was the deathtrappiest of all the buildings on the property:





Wandering around in the boiler house is great, you're constantly wondering whether you're going to fall through the floor or half the place is going to collapse on you




Purveyor of Sinister Whimsy to the Wretched
randomesquephoto 


Total Likes: 1671 likes


Don't be a Maxx

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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 2 on 3/24/2022 3:59 AM >
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So fucking killer pear.

Making uer great again.






RIP Blackhawk
Pearson 


Location: Chicagoland/Sometimes Austin
Total Likes: 470 likes


You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 3 on 3/24/2022 6:21 PM >
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Posted by Sheavy
Good shit dude! Definitely did not walk on anything insanely sketchy, nope nope.





Wandering around in the boiler house is great, you're constantly wondering whether you're going to fall through the floor or half the place is going to collapse on you


Lol, I wasn't as daring as you in there.


Posted by randomesquephoto
So fucking killer pear.

Making uer great again.


Appreciate it dude.




Air 


Location: Canada
Total Likes: 65 likes




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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 4 on 3/24/2022 8:02 PM >
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This looks like a fun place. Great shots!




"The extraordinary beauty of things that fail." - Heinrich von Kleist
mookster 


Location: Oxford, UK
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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 5 on 3/31/2022 6:59 PM >
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I can't believe I went right up to the top floor of the boiler house.

Sketchiest industrial building I've ever set foot in.

Top set, and what a way to finish off my trip to the States.




Vacant NJ 


Location: New Jersey
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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 6 on 3/31/2022 10:58 PM >
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Dope place, that IR compressor is really cool. Seems like an awesome adventure and nicely photographed.




dundertits 


Location: at the beginning
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Cave Cave Deus Videt

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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 7 on 4/1/2022 11:03 PM >
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nice work with the Best Southern Explorer of All time!! The Gods favor him even tho he wont give Bandcamp a goddammed dime!!!!!







Kabbalah is an undramatic tradition that requires great patience and stability. One of the reasons for this tempo is that everyone has to mature his potential gradually and thoroughly at his natural pace. In this way his life's work unfolds at the right moment in his own and the cosmos's time.
Z.B.S. Halevi -- Kabbalah
YoelT 


Location: Viet Nam
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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 8 on 4/2/2022 6:53 AM >
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Really great place! I think one of the buildings got demoed in the last decade. It's super sketchy at the tops of everything. Just waiting for it to collapse, yikes.




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mookster 


Location: Oxford, UK
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 2372 likes




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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 9 on 4/2/2022 6:54 PM >
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Posted by YoelT
Really great place! I think one of the buildings got demoed in the last decade. It's super sketchy at the tops of everything. Just waiting for it to collapse, yikes.


There's no 'safe' way up to the top of the tower now, the only feasible way to get to the bottom of the staircase is too far gone so we didn't even try it.




Pearson 


Location: Chicagoland/Sometimes Austin
Total Likes: 470 likes


You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 10 on 4/4/2022 6:51 PM >
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I can't believe I went right up to the top floor of the boiler house.

Sketchiest industrial building I've ever set foot in.

Top set, and what a way to finish off my trip to the States


Yeah, I can't either... Thanks!


This looks like a fun place. Great shots!

Definitely was for sure, thank you!


nice work with the Best Southern Explorer of All time!! The Gods favor him even tho he wont give Bandcamp a goddammed dime!!!!!



He lives up to your legend.. Thanks man


Really great place! I think one of the buildings got demoed in the last decade. It's super sketchy at the tops of everything. Just waiting for it to collapse, yikes.


What mookster said is completely correct, there is a way up to the top, but things were actively falling when I tried to traverse it. Not for me!


Dope place, that IR compressor is really cool. Seems like an awesome adventure and nicely photographed.

I really loved that compressor too, appreciate the kind words



[last edit 4/4/2022 6:52 PM by Pearson - edited 1 times]

Aran 


Location: Kansas City
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 1839 likes


Huh. I guess covid made me a trendsetter.

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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 11 on 4/4/2022 11:15 PM >
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Man, these are some great photos. You really have a way of capturing the best angles. Thanks for sharing!




"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there.

Once-ler 


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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 12 on 4/16/2022 12:51 AM >
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Love it! Those are some wonderful shots right there. Good to see some more activity here and great to see this place still exists. We've been having so many place disappear, seems like all my old spots are gone now.

~O







SP.E.C.T.R.E.
Pearson 


Location: Chicagoland/Sometimes Austin
Total Likes: 470 likes


You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

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Re: Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant
< Reply # 13 on 4/17/2022 5:02 AM >
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Man, these are some great photos. You really have a way of capturing the best angles. Thanks for sharing!


Thank you so much man, means a lot.

Love it! Those are some wonderful shots right there. Good to see some more activity here and great to see this place still exists. We've been having so many place disappear, seems like all my old spots are gone now.

~O


Thanks! I've been missing the activity here and decided I would bring some myself. At some point in the not too far future, somebody is going to get injured here and the Sand company will definitely be less forgiving with permission. But until then, it's a great place!




UER Forum > US: Southeast > Republic Steel - Thomas Coke Works/Byproducts Plant (Viewed 1434 times)


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