The Ralston Steel Car Co.
Building Expansion
Business must have been booming in 1907 as the Ralston Co. was able to start an ambitious building project that would over the next five years eliminate the largest of the old Rarig buildings. It was replaced by the 1410 foot Punch, Shear Fitting and Erection shop build along the south border of the property. In 1907 the east end of the building construction was started, in 1912 the larger west end section was added.
The old Rarig building was fine for building a piece of machinery, sending in a flat or gondala car, setting the machine on the car with their overhead crane, and pulling the car out of the building. To build large numbers of freight cars, 40-60 per day, required track space for each car, many more tracks then that old building could hold.
While the construction was underway Ralston still had to build their new freight cars resulting in both taking place at the same time. It made for some fine pictures showing the Ralston operation.
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Construction for the new Punch, Shear Fitting and Erection shop east of the tall building is starting. The wooden shop building between the tall building and the new construction had been added by Ralston. It was torn down during this project. Freight car work did continue during construction. The Hocking Valley cars on the left look like all wood cars having new steel underframes retrofitted. The string of cars on the right, also for the Hocking Valley, are brand new all steel drop-bottom gondolas. Photo taken October 10, 1907, with the camera pointed west.
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It is eleven days later and the shop building construction continued. Work also continued building new freight cars. The drop bottom gondolas on the right are a Ralston Steel Car Co specialty. The photo is dated October 21, 1907. The camera is pointing west.
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Now you can see the second half of the building taking shape. The builders did a good job as this steel framed building is still standing one hundred years later and is still used by the Ralston Industries the successor to the Ralston Co. A string of gondolas for the Boomer Coal and Coke Co. can be seen in the background. The photo is dated October 25, 1907. The camera is pointing east southeast.
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Three days later the Boomer Coal and Coke Co. gondolas are gone replaced by an order for the Hocking Valley. The gondolas in the foreground are being lettered, note the stencils being used on the second car. The PRR panhandle/B&O RR line is visible beyond the new building. The roof in the lower left is the Ralston office building. The photo is dated October 28, 1907. The camera is pointing east southeast.
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Four days later the roof was starting to go on. Note the large skylights which gave the workmen lots of natural light to work with. The office building can be seen behind the new construction. In later photos this building disappeared and another office building will be constructed. The photo is dated November 1, 1907. The camera is pointing west.
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Sixteen days later the building siding was well along. The new building will have six tracks greatly increasing the capabilities of the Ralston Co. It took until 1912, but eventually the building stretched 1410 feet to the west. While the building wasn't heated the three workmen in the picture must have appreciate being out of the weather when doing their work. The photo is dated November 16, 1907. The camera is pointed west.
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Taken the same day (November 16,1907) the camera is pointing east southeast from the west end of the new building.
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The wood building that was in the way of the new construction is being dismantled in this photo. The PRR/B&O tracks are on the other side of the fence seen on the right of the picture. The tall building is behind the photographer. Freight car wooden underframe timbers are piled up on either side of the track. These were removed when steel underframes were retrofitted in previously all wooden freight cars. The photo is dated November 24, 1907. The camera is pointing east.
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The photo was taken from inside the wood building that was being dismantled. It looks like a temporary wood face has been added to the north half of the new building and the side of the south half that extends past the north half. Perhaps this has been installed to get the workmen through the next few winter months. The photo was taken December 12, 1907. The camera is pointing west.