Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

I have been reading a small pamphlet that I recently received, which in part relates the general specifications of a good sized and fully modern (at that time) manufacturing plant in the Berlin - Karlsruhe area. As a prominent part of their promotional scheme, they seem to eagerly list the details of the plant in order to show potential customers of their production capabilities.

Here then is a brief synopsis of that facilities infrastructure:


"The Berlin works ... are located in Martinikenfeld. They cover about 48,000 square meters of ground. 25,300 square meters are covered by buildings, most of which being several stories high, 36,000 square meters of floor space are thus available for working purposes."

"Power is supplied by 5 Steam Engines representing a total of 1560 HP."

"There are also 9 Dynamos and 20 Electric Motors."

"Steam is generated by 11 Boilers having 1504 square meters of heating surface."

"The total length of shafting is about 2500 meters."

"... over 3,000 machines are in operation, most of these machines being of special pattern and designed with the view to accomplish their various purposes in the best and most economic manner."



All of that is for just one of three plants whose specifications are individually detailed in this little pamphlet.

I have seen photos of such a plant from back in the day, and the amount of belting coming down from the ceiling mounted shafting is simply staggering and must be reckoned in miles, or rather in Kilometers for this German plant.

Here's an image of just part of one floor of just such a manufacturing facility found on the internet:

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Notice the age of many of the "workmen" and also the number of stepped pulleys both on the shafting above and the machines themselves, allowing for "gear changes" to provide for different operations on many of the machines.

I wonder how many of us today would have made out, in making such a living?

I wonder how many of those young boys got called up in the Hitler military 
Youth service.?

Quote from: St Paul Steam on September 19, 2023, 03:46:53 pm

I wonder how many of those young boys got called up in the Hitler military 
Youth service.?

Probably none, as they would have been in their 50's and 60's by the time that rolled around and employed in desperately needed, indispensable "defense" industry jobs!

they took young & old; they took them right off the production line figuring the war effort more important...much of their undoing.

Keep those neckties well tucked in! If the machine gets hold of it... you don't have anything else to worry about.

Certainly, it was and is very necessary to use extreme caution working around such machinery, and most especially back in the day when those belts could also pull you into a pulley with irresistible force, much to your detriment!

I know my Lady has a finger that doesn't work so well any more, but she is very lucky to still have it, along with the rest of her hand, because she was wrongly wearing gloves while operating a Drill/Mill set-up as a second operation, while running an injection molding machine, hence the gloves. But those two production operations should not have been attempted side by side, and her finger paid the price by the glove getting snagged by the bit and wrapping her finger up around the base of the chuck!

OUCH!!!

Death and dismemberment awaited any who worked in such a shop as is pictured, even without the belts and shafting. It was, is and always will be very necessary to keep your wits about you at all times in such an environment!!!