Page 46 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Jan/Feb 2013
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A
n article about the grand
opening of the B&O ore
pier in Baltimore appeared
in the May 15, 1951 edition
of the
Pittsburgh Press
, accompanied by
this photo. The 650-foot pier, constructed
to accommodate the largest class of ocean-
going ore carriers at the time, was capable
of unloading 2,000 tons of iron ore per hour
from a ship into railcars. The newspaper
reported that “the first modern, completely
new facility of its kind” demonstrated
remarkable advances in “the design and
construction of machinery to unload bulk
material quickly and economically.”
Two unloaders, spanning 65 feet,
were fitted with giant material-handling
buckets built by Pittsburgh-based Dravo.
The conveyor running from the pier to
the hopper was made by B. F. Goodrich
and, at 1,812 feet, was the longest single
loop conveyor in existence. The pier was
constructed by the B&O Railroad at a cost
of $5 million to serve the booming steel
industry of the northeast.
Later, the pier was expanded to 900 feet
to accommodate larger ore carriers. Today,
the pier is operated by CSX and handles a
variety of bulk cargoes.
STORY BY KATHY BERGREN SMITH
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44
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The Port of Baltimore
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January/February 2013
