Rick Rowlands
Titanium
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2005
- Location
- Youngstown, Ohio
I just got back from Buffalo, NY helping my landlord dismantle his latest acquisition, a GA Gray 6" planer type horizontal boring mill. The mill is in the former Niagara Machine and Tool Works plant, later known as Clearing Niagara. Niagara built stamping presses, press brakes and other similar types of equipment. For over 100 years this company built many of the machines that stamped out the sheet metal parts that were to become automobiles, appliances and countless other items.
There was an auction about 3 years ago however a sizable amount of equipment did not sell and remains in the plant. We paid a visit to the plant in February when it was decided to buy the boring mill and I took almost a hundred photos that first visit. I've posted them to my webshots album.
Click here for Clearing Niagara Album
We expect to be back up there later this week to start loading trucks. Its fascinating to be in a plant such as this and to think of the qctivity that once went on there. Its also unnerving to think that about half of the large machines are now in China hard at work making parts as you read this!
BTW the big Carlton radial drill press in the fifth photo is still for sale and there is a good possibility it will be scrapped if nobody saves it. It has an 8 foot arm and 22" column and sits on a T slot table which is probably 20' square. At some point Niagara added an 8" extension under the column so now you could probably drill a hole eight feet off the ground. Its a beauty, fully operational and in excellent condition. As you might be able to tell I am enamoured with this drill and wish I had the money to save her. Even though it would go really cheap I've sunk all my money into the foundry and there isn't any left for more old iron saves.
So take a look at the pictures and lament the death of the Niagara Machine and Tool Works, one of the thousands of such places in the US that have folded in recent years.
At least the Gray boring mill will go to a good home.
There was an auction about 3 years ago however a sizable amount of equipment did not sell and remains in the plant. We paid a visit to the plant in February when it was decided to buy the boring mill and I took almost a hundred photos that first visit. I've posted them to my webshots album.
Click here for Clearing Niagara Album
We expect to be back up there later this week to start loading trucks. Its fascinating to be in a plant such as this and to think of the qctivity that once went on there. Its also unnerving to think that about half of the large machines are now in China hard at work making parts as you read this!
BTW the big Carlton radial drill press in the fifth photo is still for sale and there is a good possibility it will be scrapped if nobody saves it. It has an 8 foot arm and 22" column and sits on a T slot table which is probably 20' square. At some point Niagara added an 8" extension under the column so now you could probably drill a hole eight feet off the ground. Its a beauty, fully operational and in excellent condition. As you might be able to tell I am enamoured with this drill and wish I had the money to save her. Even though it would go really cheap I've sunk all my money into the foundry and there isn't any left for more old iron saves.
So take a look at the pictures and lament the death of the Niagara Machine and Tool Works, one of the thousands of such places in the US that have folded in recent years.
At least the Gray boring mill will go to a good home.