Past Times

D3SshooterD3Sshooter Registered Users Posts: 1,187 Major grins
edited April 4, 2013 in Street and Documentary
Every so often I engage in a quest to explore abandoned industrial places. Those places were once filled with sweat, noise, smoke and the smell of hard labor. All what is left is emptiness and triestesse, a moment to capture before it all vanishes.

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A not to promising start

Inspired by the industrial revolution in the early 1900’s, I packed my gear to explore the remains of a roof tile factory. The factory had been abandoned for many years, since a modern ceramic production process had replaced the production of handmade clay tiles.
Driving along the once so impressive factory didn’t promise much; all what was left were a few facades and a humble little building in the back. The car wreck was about the only thing that pulled my attention at that moment.

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Close to demolition

I proceeded to the little building at the end of the property, made my way through the mud and piles of rumble. A demolition crane, next to the building didn’t promise much. However, I noticed that all the windows of that building were blinded and several big underground metal pipes left the building, as they were roots. And why was that building as the only one still there ?

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My Black Pearl

Once inside, my eyeballs fell literally on the ground.
I stepped back in time, did I step through a time window? I had to pinch myself in the cheek to come back to reality. Wow an electrical power plant from 1902, fully intact and untouched by time.
If it weren’t because of the pigeon shit, I would have thought that it could start-up any moment and the engineer would ask me what I am doing here. That is how real or surreal it felt.

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Steam aggregates

A 20 by 10 meter facility; a steam generated power plant, with two large electrical 3 phase generators and two steam engines to drive the generators with large belts and pulleys. Not to mention the control panels with the gauges. The ID tags on the machines indicated the year 1902. Amazing that all the elements were still intact besides a few gauges with broken glass.

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It's all about Controls

The cellar is a maze of steam pipes; as vines finding there way to the vital organs. Unfortunate it was partial flooded and not such a good idea to wade through it.
In those days, the factory required electricity for the production process, however the local electricity plant could not provide sufficient power or the infrastructure was not in place. Hence, factories had their own power plant. This one was driven by steam, the boiler room was no longer their and had been removed by the demolition team. What a shame.

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Electrical Generator

Manuals, tools, grease cans, spare fuses it was all there, a heaven for Urban Photography. This find is without any doubt my black Pearl.
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Multiphase generator
What happened with it afterwards? Well I did report the finding together with the pictures to the state department for the protection of monuments and industrial heritage. So far the demolition has stopped.
It’s amazing what is still out there, one just has to find it.

Thanks for reading
A photographer without a style, is like a pub without beer

Comments

  • lensmolelensmole Registered Users Posts: 1,548 Major grins
    edited March 31, 2013
    Interesting set I love the textures and old abandoned building ! Steam is still widely used in the power generation sector. I am assuming coal was used to fuel the boiler.
  • D3SshooterD3Sshooter Registered Users Posts: 1,187 Major grins
    edited March 31, 2013
    lensmole wrote: »
    Interesting set I love the textures and old abandoned building ! Steam is still widely used in the power generation sector. I am assuming coal was used to fuel the boiler.

    TXS for commenting, That is also what I assume and it came rather cheap as the roof-tiles had to be baked anyhow. So i recon they must have combined the boiler with the oven... But its to late now..
    A photographer without a style, is like a pub without beer
  • rwellsrwells Registered Users Posts: 6,084 Major grins
    edited March 31, 2013
    Very interesting series, and you captured it with your usual excellence thumb.gif
    Randy
  • D3SshooterD3Sshooter Registered Users Posts: 1,187 Major grins
    edited April 2, 2013
    rwells wrote: »
    Very interesting series, and you captured it with your usual excellence thumb.gif

    Thanks
    A photographer without a style, is like a pub without beer
  • isdillyisdilly Registered Users Posts: 31 Big grins
    edited April 4, 2013
    The writing you supplied with these photos is fantastic! Questions really engage the viewer!

    The lighting on the second photo was great. However the composition on a lot of these photo's (except number 4) failed to engage me. Seems like a lot of the shots were taken at a normal eye level. Just my thoughts though. I do enjoy the textures as well!!

    Cheers,
    Travel writer/photographer. Please leave comments and Share my work, it helps me improve!
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