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Title: CONSTRUCTION AND OPENING OF RAVENSCRAIG WORKS, the

Reference number: 7174

Date: 1954 - 1957

Director: filmed by A. Fisher A.R.P.S.

Sponsor: Colville's Ltd.

Sound: silent

Original format: 16mm

Colour: col

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 34.06 mins

Description: The progress of the building of the Ravenscraig Steelworks in Lanarkshire over three years from 1954, from site clearance until the first steel is produced.

Credits: ph. A. Fisher A.R.P.S.

Shotlist: Colville's presents - title - We planned to build a New Steelworks in three years and exactly on schedule the New Works opened. The Green Fields site as it was on October 1954. Pan of landscape. The First Stage - the moving of 3'000'000 cubic yards of earth to adjust the levels of the site. (1.21) Gv's of a bulldozer at work. Precast Concrete Pipes 72" dia. for the Iron Works main Storm Drain arrive on site. (1.59) Gv's of a crane lifting the pipes off a lorry to a field. Power station site levelling. The cut here was approximately 40 ft deep. (2.23) Gv's of a digger and bulldozer moving earth. Adverse weather conditions make things difficult. (3.09) Gv's of the site waterlogged site. First Concrete Batching Plant arrives on site 22.12.54. (3.29) Pan of construction site. Iron Works Main Storm Drain takes shape. (4.09) Pipes on site. Early in January 1955 the Power Station site is ready for concrete. (4.34) Gv's of site covered in snow. The excavation of the Melting Shop site a month later. (5.14) Gv's of a digger clearing earth. Site still covered in snow. Power station erection makes excellent progress in spite of poor weather. (5.36) Gv's of site. Main Works Entrance Bridge. Preparation of site. (6.32) Men discussing the site plans at the cleared site. The north-west corner of the site showing depth of fill of approximately 70 ft. (6.58) Gv of site. Coke Ovens and By-products Plant. Site ready for construction, March 1955. (7.44) Gv of site. Weather conditions at Power House and Iron Works sites. (7.57) Gv's of waterlogged site. Power Station Flooring. April 1955. (8.31) Gv's of site with floor and scaffolding. Columns arrive for Mould Preparation Shop early in May 1955 (9.34) shots of low loader, crane and columns being positioned Blast Furnace foundations go in. (10.44) Gv's of concrete poured over the foundations. Mould Preparation Shop. Lifting gantry girder, 70 ft. long and 43 Tons weight. (11.12) Gv's of a huge girder hoisted into position - shots of site traffic. Early in 1956 concrete work shows excellent progress. (12.39) Gv's of ext. of works. Blast Furnace construction is also well up to schedule. (13.04) Gv's of men climbing a tower. Ore Troughs - March 1956. (13.43) Gv's of site. Melting Shop. First Open-Hearth Furnace foundations go in, March 1956. (14.09) Gv's of site. By this time the Coke Ovens are emerging from their temporary shelters. (15.13) Gv's of site ext. Discard 22.3.56. Man walking to a pile of discarded tyres. Visit of Directors 11.5.56. (15.55) ext and int shots of the directors on their tour of the site. (18.32) directors leave in Land Rovers. September 1956 - the Melting Shop walls and floors, etc. are well advanced in construction. (19.01) Pan of site and int. views. A Panorama in May 1957 shows principal units nearing completion. (20.03) Pan of site from above, showing buildings, railways and roads. From the Coke Ovens to the Blast Furnace. (20.57) Gv's of site and buildings. Starting up - On Monday, 3rd June 1957, the Coke Ovens are lit. 70 Becker type combination gas gun coke ovens to carbonize 1608 tons of crushed coal per day. (22.30) Officials gathered to watch the ovens being lit. Charged on 23rd July, the first coke push is made on 24th July 1957. (23.31) Gv's of site operation, Wellman Pusher, molten material in cooling process. After preliminary heating, the Blast Furnace was lit on 1st August and tapped on the following day. Over 220 ft high. Rated output 1000 tons a day. (27.07) Ext. of site. Gv's of the site in operation, firing the furnace, molten metal. September 4th 1957. The Melting Shop starts up with first charge of iron to 800 ton mixer. (30.22) Gv's of site in operation, pouring molten metal. And on September 6th the first tap of steel flows from "A" furnace. (31.55) Gv's of site in operation. The End of the Beginning. (34.06)