Abandoned Power Plant Decaying for 20 Years - Vintage Time Capsule Explored!

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  • Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
  • Go to www.audible.com... or text properpeople to 500 500 to get your free trial and for a limited time, save 60% on your first 3 months of Audible!
    In today's episode, we're exploring the long abandoned Warren Generating Station. Inside we found an amazing mid-century industrial time capsule full of vintage signs, massive machines, and beautiful natural decay.
    Special thanks to VAAAL for providing the music for this episode! Check out his stuff here:
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Комментарии • 899

  • @TheProperPeople
    @TheProperPeople  2 года назад +128

    Check out our print store where we recently put up an all new selection of photos. You can decorate your walls with photos of abandoned buildings while supporting the channel! Check them out at: theproperpeople.com/shop

    • @cjay2
      @cjay2 2 года назад +2

      Really great work here, guys. Thanks!

    • @zam55555
      @zam55555 2 года назад

      Yea i bought a tee shirt with the logo on it and a bunch of stickers, love that shirt.

    • @4xprops457
      @4xprops457 2 года назад

      Great job! Always enjoy your videos. Wish you could’ve done one on the Vought aircraft plant in Dallas Grand Prairie area.

    • @m21smt
      @m21smt 2 года назад

      why are there always Christmas decorations in abandoned places? It has any meaning? Greetings from Argentina.

    • @jasonthejawman5442
      @jasonthejawman5442 2 года назад

      Love the video 📹

  • @philpantall4176
    @philpantall4176 2 года назад +1307

    I was an operator at this plant from 1999-2002. It was a beautiful plant then. It is sad to see the condition it is in now. Some of the best people I have ever worked with were the ones here at The Warren Station. I remember signing the Wall of Fame. Thank you for the walk through. I've always wanted one more look before it was torn down. Phil Pantall

    • @Zer0suM207
      @Zer0suM207 2 года назад +41

      Do you happen to have any pictures of before? Or a goodbye video? Would be lovely to contrast and compare.

    • @raffaeleguido2828
      @raffaeleguido2828 2 года назад +51

      The comment I was looking for :D

    • @RogueA.I.
      @RogueA.I. 2 года назад +181

      Your signature is clearly visible on the left at 5:35.

    • @philpantall4176
      @philpantall4176 2 года назад +109

      @@Zer0suM207 I wish I did but I doubt it. I will look. That view of the turbine bay through the glass windows was really amazing. Also, the medical beds on the turbine floor was actually a small enclosed and air conditioned infirmary at that very spot.

    • @travissaldana4278
      @travissaldana4278 2 года назад +7

      You were operating these nuts

  • @alanblasczyk1779
    @alanblasczyk1779 2 года назад +186

    3600 RPM. Most likely ran for 50 plus years. Remarkable machines. I am a retired Steam Turbine designer from GE.

    • @hariranormal5584
      @hariranormal5584 2 года назад +6

      Oh Dear GE you must've made all the cool stuff

    • @kimmer6
      @kimmer6 2 года назад +9

      I worked for GETSCO in Scenectady 40 years ago. We put GE gas turbines all over the planet. Some drove generators, some drove refinery compressors, and 5 powered Chevron oil tankers. I still have a 6 foot wide General Electric aluminum sign from the side of some generator on my garage wall.

    • @seshelbow336
      @seshelbow336 2 года назад +4

      They run at 3000 in the UK since we are 50Hz

    • @kimmer6
      @kimmer6 2 года назад +2

      @@seshelbow336 Places in the Middle East are 50hz, too. I'm stuck on 3600 rpm.

    • @LadyLexyStarwatcher
      @LadyLexyStarwatcher 2 года назад +2

      Yeup, us power grid runs 60Hz so 3600rpm.

  • @2thumbsdown
    @2thumbsdown 2 года назад +54

    This video really hit home. I worked as an operator in a power plant for 26 years. It was bought by a major oil company and shut down for good in 2017. Myself and a friend who had also been there for 26 years were the last two people to leave as the gates were all chained shut. It was a very quiet last day. Great video, guys.

  • @jin1063
    @jin1063 2 года назад +414

    Being a retired Maintenance Foreman of several different types of power plants, I really enjoy these type of videos. I started in operations of the plants, then moved to maintenance. I took part in the decommisioning 2 plants and 5 units, recommissioning of 1 plant and 2 units, commissioned 9 units on 2 plants, over a 33 year career. Be safe!

    • @SteveVi0lence
      @SteveVi0lence 2 года назад

      I blame you for shutting down these places... You probably sabotaged everything

    • @lyonadimral
      @lyonadimral 2 года назад +1

      In the states? Which part of the country? We're big into hydro in my part.

    • @jin1063
      @jin1063 2 года назад +10

      @@SteveVi0lence Not everything!

    • @jin1063
      @jin1063 2 года назад +18

      @@lyonadimral Los Angeles, CA. We are mostly thermal, gas fired plants, but do haver a few hydro, including pump storsge plants. I work on and at co-generation plants, conventional boiler fired steam plants (1800 PSI, 1000F steam), super critical boiler steam (3200 PSI, 1000FSteam). At the middle of my career we started changing over to gas turbines (giant jet turbines) units and aircraft deriviative gas turbines, then combine cycle gas and steam turbine units. Right before I retired, 2 years ago, we were starting the transition to more renewable power such as giant wind and solar plants plus smaller short term battery storage plants.

    • @ddjohnson9717
      @ddjohnson9717 2 года назад +1

      @@jin1063 yeah that was a stupid claim. "sabotaged" lmao Jesus. It IS a shame we don't do forms and only keep functions now but thats not a single person's doing.

  • @CaptainHoratioPugwash
    @CaptainHoratioPugwash 2 года назад +213

    I know the rule of urban exploration is 'take only photos leave only footprints' but in cases like this I don't know how you guys stick to it. Knowing that the place was imminently going to be demolished I don't think I could leave things like the blueprints behind to be buried, they would look so cool framed and hang on a large wall. I think it would have been super cool (albeit impractical) to save "The Wall of Fame" the former workers made.

    • @dannymiller6245
      @dannymiller6245 2 года назад +26

      Honestly… so many cool things destroyed never to be seen again

    • @roadblock24
      @roadblock24 2 года назад +22

      agreed, or the 'x amount of days since an addicent' sign.

    • @startedtech
      @startedtech 2 года назад +15

      @@roadblock24 to be fair, removing that sign would be an operation. Big, heavy, high off the ground. You'd need equipment.

    • @Helladamnleet
      @Helladamnleet 2 года назад +33

      Man, you know they have some secret treasures somewhere. The other rule of urbex is if the wrecking ball is in motion everything becomes fair game.
      Like, you know the cleanup crew kept things. Source: I've worked for cleanup crews. We take whatever we want.

    • @rcnitrodude999
      @rcnitrodude999 2 года назад +6

      I've never abided by that little rule, it's just a nice touch to put other ppl at ease about you exploring on private property. All of that stuff will inevitably be taken by another party, recycled, or end up in a land fill.

  • @Stylemaster911
    @Stylemaster911 2 года назад +135

    That employee wall is so cool! That part should be in a museum of industry or something. I suspect it was torn down with the rest though...

    • @storm_filter
      @storm_filter 2 года назад +18

      yeah man, too bad its a bunch of pieces now. this channel is a proper archive of these old forgotten places. cheers with peace and love

    • @johnnyfreedom3437
      @johnnyfreedom3437 2 года назад +6

      At the beginning of my boilermaker career I went into a plant that was exactly this old. Pulled off a boilerplate and written in the asbestos was the fellow's name and the year 1947. I went in about 30 years later for a repair job. It was shut down a few years later.

    • @Karmy.
      @Karmy. 2 года назад

      Agreed

    • @GetDougDimmadomed
      @GetDougDimmadomed 2 года назад +3

      One of the employees, Phil, is in the comments here.

  • @markwalters8799
    @markwalters8799 2 года назад +56

    The house in which I grew up was less than a mile downwind of that plant. My next-door neighbor worked there for probably 20 years. Before they installed a scrubber on the smokestack, everything would get coated with a thin film of coal dust - the grass, snow, trees, cars parked outside. Your feet would turn black from walking on the lawn barefoot. There was also a set of high-tension transmission lines running just 50 yards from my house. On the bright side, fishing was good near where the plant discharged warm water into the Allegheny River.

    • @joshb124
      @joshb124 2 года назад +2

      Nice! Might be worth trying to share this with former workers

    • @thedwemercomrade2675
      @thedwemercomrade2675 2 года назад +11

      That's one thing that won't be missed about these old plants, the environmental damage.

  • @melaniet6367
    @melaniet6367 2 года назад +84

    My Dad was a steam fitter that worked in various power plants in Pa. Unfortunately he died from mesothelioma due to years of asbestos exposure at these plants. Anyways thank you for this video, I could see exactly what he was talking about all those years ago. RiP Chick

  • @swatty7iron
    @swatty7iron 2 года назад +132

    The abandoned power plants are my most favorite! I could watch these all day. The art deco design, no vandalism, your haunting music... I never would imagined 30 years ago, that I would be watching basically a live-action history book like this. And you're both so young, but with such a deep understanding of your place in history. I can't stress enough how much I love this channel.

    • @MrPNutt
      @MrPNutt 2 года назад +7

      You said it, I could watch all the power plant vids on repeat and never get tired of them! They truly respect, understand and appreciate all the places they visit. Brian and Michael are extremely talented!

    • @shaggytallboy4982
      @shaggytallboy4982 2 года назад +1

      Well said!

  • @Andy_Dines
    @Andy_Dines 2 года назад +240

    A restroom truly fit to be used by "gentlemen", a turbine hall that looks like a fancy auditorium, and that tile work throughout! The time and manpower invested into its construction, I can barely imagine. I could have spent hours in that unmolested control room marveling over its mostly analog features. Old power plants are so fascinating, great tour :)

    • @djroadie22
      @djroadie22 2 года назад +2

      It looks like a dance hall for gentlemen .

    • @breakingames7772
      @breakingames7772 2 года назад +5

      That's transphobic, I demand they install a nonbinary bathroom immediately. And why does this plant not have the gay flag hanging anywhere?

    • @EphemeralProductions
      @EphemeralProductions 2 года назад +7

      Back in the days when men being masculine and just being men was accepted as normalcy and everyday, and not given the “sideeye” like it is now.

    • @EphemeralProductions
      @EphemeralProductions 2 года назад

      @@breakingames7772 😂😂. Love this comment! Expert level, sir!

    • @BrapBrapDorito
      @BrapBrapDorito 2 года назад +10

      @@breakingames7772 how do you people bring political comments into every single discussion?

  • @jayeff7900
    @jayeff7900 2 года назад +42

    Wow... This video gave me flashbacks of working at the coal-burning power plant back in 1989 at School of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri. It was a work-study program that I was drafted into, since I was a freshman (so I didn't have much choice in what work-study job I got). I worked it diligently, and always smelled of sulphur and soot the following day, since the job was typically done at night. We didn't actually generate power per se, but we Did generate superheated steam that was sent to different buildings across the campus, which provided heat for the dorm rooms and greenhouses, and heat and sanitation for the cafeteria and other places that needed it.
    I remember going to the power plant one evening, and Marty (the supervisor at the time) warned us that the shipment of coal was 'dirty' and that it could potentially 'flash in the firebox'. Umm, what? Except, I learned Exactly what he meant later that evening. I was moving the coal hopper between the boilers, filling it with coal from the silo and dumping it into the automated conveyor for boiler number one, since the second boiler was temporarily decommissioned due to a ruptured super-heated steam pipe inside the firebox. The firebox was about 15 feet long, and an automated steel conveyor carried the coal from the hopper into the firebox, where it was Supposed to burn as soon as it entered the firebox. Except this batch of coal was wet and had a lot of mud in it, so the coal was being pulled into the firebox without catching fire.
    A coworker called me at about 9pm and told me that he was going to be late, and asked me to clock him in, and I didn't do it. Because, Heck, if I could make it, why couldn't He? I went down below to take pH readings for the boiler water and added chemicals to bring it back to neutral, and logged what I found into the logbooks. I went back upstairs and saw that the boiler pressure was dropping, so I looked into the firebox through one of the shuttered viewports and saw that a strip of unburned coal had been pulled about halfway into the boiler, and the head (leading edge of the strip of coal) was Barely burning. I remembered what Marty said, about how the dirty wet coal would be pulled in rapidly and subsequently dry out, and then all flash at once, so I warned my coworkers to be wary of the escape routes in case something bad were to happen.
    Then... it happened. I looked at the boiler pressure and it was Rapidly rising, and I looked into one of the viewports and the entire strip of coal was an Inferno. I almost couldn't look through the port because the radiant heat was so intense! I called my coworkers to the surface (the lower levels were for testing the boiler water pH and for cleaning the coal ash from the lower part of the boiler). We waited up top with our eyes glued to the pressure gauge that stood prominently between the boilers - 90, 120, 150, 180 pounds per square inch, it rose so rapidly!
    Finally...
    I thought the place exploded. I heard a mighty Slam, and a Roar that was so intense that it rendered a dragons' call on par with a dove's coo. I looked left at my coworker, who appeared to be talking to me, maybe Yelling at me, but I only heard white noise. I couldn't hear his voice at all. I yelled back at him but couldn't hear my own voice, just the rush of steam through some exit somewhere. We left the plant and looked at the west side of the building, and a 6-inch pipe had a Terrible Noise coming from it, way louder than I thought would have been coming from even a passenger jet just before takeoff. I looked further west and saw where the superheated steam was finally condensing from a transparent vapor into a water cloud, and remembered when Marty demonstrated the dangers of superheated steam by opening a valve next to a boiler, and passing a piece of paper through whatever was coming out of the valve, which immediately burned it as fast as he could pass it through the jet of vapor.
    I don't know why I did, maybe it was Marty's training or maybe I was just nuts, but I went back inside and looked at the boiler pressure and saw that it was almost back to normal, and then I heard another Slam! ...and silence. A silence that I'd never experienced. A silence that eventually gave way to a high-pitched ringing and hissing, a noise that I still hear today.
    So Yeah, take that map at 3:45 and subtract it by two boilers (S of O only had two boilers at the time), and that's where I worked for my first jaunt at college life after coming off an impoverished farm, no thanks to the corporate farms that Sucked the Life out of the local farmers who were just trying to make a living. Disgusting. But I digress.
    I hope you kept some of the signage before they tore the place down. Even though it is what it is, it's Still our history.
    We can't progress if we don't know where we came from.

    • @rottsandspots
      @rottsandspots 2 года назад +4

      An amazing story - thanks for sharing

  • @WindsweptWheelers
    @WindsweptWheelers 2 года назад +17

    5:53 “helped pull the plug” -Grimmy was also the last guy to sign the log book at 28:04. Just thought that was neat.

  • @SilentServiceCode
    @SilentServiceCode 2 года назад +52

    The Tektronix 475 is a portable dual-trace oscilloscope with dual time-bases similar to the 465, but with 200 MHz bandwidth and a maximum vertical sensitivity of 2 mV/Div. It is all solid-state except for the CRT. It was introduced in November 1972.

    • @fontana101
      @fontana101 2 года назад +7

      I'm surprised it's still there, very expensive piece of testing equipment especially if it works.

  • @zxggwrt
    @zxggwrt 2 года назад +135

    GE is green, Westinghouse is blue. The hydrogen label on the generator means it operates in a slightly positive pressure hydrogen atmosphere to make it more efficient.

    • @nascar2297
      @nascar2297 2 года назад +5

      Not true

    • @uTube486
      @uTube486 2 года назад +1

      @@nascar2297 I agree, but what is true? I thought they ran at negative H2 pressure. Hydrogen being so light it has less "air" resistance.

    • @dougtaylor8735
      @dougtaylor8735 2 года назад +14

      Hydrogen is used as a coolant for the generator windings. It is at a slightly positive pressure. The negative pressure is in the condenser which lowers the boiling point of the water to about 101 degrees F. This is where efficiency comes in. You get all the energy out of the steam.

    • @electron8262
      @electron8262 2 года назад +1

      How did they mitigate the risk of the hydrogen exploding?

    • @dougtaylor8735
      @dougtaylor8735 2 года назад +5

      If you keep hydrogen at a positive pressure air will not get into the generator so it can’t explode.

  • @vulcangunner58
    @vulcangunner58 2 года назад +32

    I worked at the Lovett power station in NY up until it closed in 2008. Our plant too, was built in '48 and we had 3 working steam turbine/ generators. Our main fuel was coal, but we could also burn gas and oil. Our plant closed and was demolished. I really enjoyed my 7 years at the plant, made great money and felt good about my job. There were a number of plant systems that needed attention and safety was top priority. We generated power that all used, and were part of the NY metro power grid.

  • @dilo19000
    @dilo19000 2 года назад +115

    It's crazy to think that if y'all didn't return, Wormwood might have never been documented, and been completely lost to time!

    • @breakingames7772
      @breakingames7772 2 года назад +2

      I'd bring a ladder and take that sign immediately.. I met the proper people...I live behind Cooley highschool in Detroit when they came to see it, I go in there a lot for wiring, wood for projects, my house is pretty much furnished with desks and stuff from in there

    • @shafferstefan
      @shafferstefan 2 года назад +22

      You won't believe me. But wormwood is my grandfather, it was his nickname. He worked in the power plant and did that artwork. I have a photo with more detail at his old house. He also drew the art in my avatar.

    • @philpantall4176
      @philpantall4176 2 года назад +13

      @@shafferstefan I never met your grandfather but I remember that drawing. He also did an amazing mural on a tunnel wall that connected to the intake building. It was probably underwater. It was of Chief Cornplanter. He was a talented man.

    • @bombtwenty3867
      @bombtwenty3867 2 года назад +2

      Stefan Shaffer Your grandfather had as a nickname the name of what poisons the water in the book of reveIations?

    • @shafferstefan
      @shafferstefan 2 года назад +3

      @@bombtwenty3867 lol yeah I think he got it drinking absinthe in Paris.

  • @ghostofmanitou6864
    @ghostofmanitou6864 2 года назад +14

    I work at a power plant that opened in 1954. Our controls and actuators have kept up with technology but the basic equipment is all the same stuff you guys are walking past here and that is very cool to see. I must also note I appreciate how respectful you were of the place.

  • @UrbexAndChill
    @UrbexAndChill 2 года назад +104

    Nothing better than TPP exploring power plants

  • @DCR52
    @DCR52 2 года назад +87

    I worked 33 years in a coal fired plant. It saddens me to see them all being razed. The plant I worked in is closing soon. It all looks so familiar and brings back memories of my power plant family. So many holidays, weekends and nights there. Coal plants were the available work horses of the industry that will be missed

    • @jaysmith179
      @jaysmith179 2 года назад +28

      You can thank a Democrat for closing these plants, Just like the pipeline. The Dems are all about destroying American jobs.

    • @StormBreaker_Chasing
      @StormBreaker_Chasing 2 года назад +7

      I don't understand why these buildings couldn't have been repurposed into a greener energy plant, such as nuclear or geothermal. Yeah, they likely would've needed to be heavily retrofitted, but I imagine it still would've been cheaper than building a brand new plant

    • @3UZFE
      @3UZFE 2 года назад +8

      @@StormBreaker_Chasing Too much regulation, no common sense.

    • @androiduberalles
      @androiduberalles 2 года назад +9

      @@StormBreaker_Chasing I don't know how they would've made it into a nuker. Those things have incredible amounts of concrete and it always seems to be in a really specific shape. These guys have a few vids from way back where they found a nuke plant abandoned mid construction and the amount of concrete is incredible.

    • @bradklingensmith
      @bradklingensmith 2 года назад +2

      @@StormBreaker_Chasing there is a gas fired generator on site already built. It's a peak unit, only runs a few days when there is massive demand.

  • @creatureconnor
    @creatureconnor 2 года назад +60

    0:22 As an urban explorer from PA who's been searching for a power plant to explore forever, this line stabbed through my heart like a needle!

    • @bradklingensmith
      @bradklingensmith 2 года назад +6

      There is one near Templeton PA. I don't really explore. But, it was a coal plant and shut down and looks like a time capsule.

  • @markfredericks3641
    @markfredericks3641 2 года назад +4

    I started At that plant in 1981 And retired from the company 30 years later! Many memorys of the plant and my fellow workers that i will never forget!

  • @truthfilter
    @truthfilter 2 года назад +117

    i feel honoured to have been able to see this piece of history before it was destroyed to never be seen again! your amazing video's are immortalising these places, have a great Christmas my friends

  • @joeyismetoo
    @joeyismetoo 2 года назад +76

    I loved this so much - the wall of fame was moving, for many workers that was decades of their lives. A power plant where I grew up in the UK is in the middle of being demolished; the smoke stack went on Halloween, the control room will be the last in 2022. After decommissioning, it was used in multiple blockbusters and sci-fi TV shows. The control room is iconic 70s, looks like a UFO. I'd love for someone to do a final walkaround, unfortunately I think the security is far too tight to even get past the perimeter fence.

    • @Mark_-jq6wg
      @Mark_-jq6wg 2 года назад

      Battersea?

    • @Cyberdeamon
      @Cyberdeamon 2 года назад +1

      @@Mark_-jq6wg Battersea just restored the control rooms so its not that one lol.

    • @Mark_-jq6wg
      @Mark_-jq6wg 2 года назад

      @@Cyberdeamon Ahh right ok :D Me and a few buds went round there a number of years ago.

    • @stephhedgehogg
      @stephhedgehogg 2 года назад +4

      I know which power plant you mean, it was oil fired and located on the south coast next to an oil refinery. They’re using part of the site to paint wind turbine blades so I was chatting to one of the guys working there through the fence and he said that security are based in the control room making it near impossible to get inside (this was a few years ago before most of it was demolished).
      I was lucky enough to go on a school trip there in 2009 and had a tour of the power plant, control room and labs. I remember the control room being absolutely fascinating with so many switches, lights and gauges. Another thing that was really interesting was that in the maintenance room they had a fish tank with various sea creatures in that had been filtered out of the cooling water.
      It’s a shame it hasn’t been properly documented before being torn down.

  • @kimatlastlooks2915
    @kimatlastlooks2915 2 года назад +16

    This was awesome but wow, this one tugged at the heart strings with the Wall of Fame. Things aren't built to last anymore and it's a crying shame. So glad y'all got to go back one more time. RIP Warren.

  • @TM-nk4id
    @TM-nk4id 2 года назад +9

    I work at a production facility that was constructed in the early 60’s and some of the knobs and switches in this vid are exactly identical to the ones I use on a daily bases. We still got ORIGINAL wooden bearings that are still operating on our conveyor system, parts of the conveyor are original as well. Blows my mind that it still works after 4+ decades of use.

  • @vaaalsongs4867
    @vaaalsongs4867 2 года назад +25

    Happy to provide music for this episode. What a creepy place!

  • @andrewmichael651
    @andrewmichael651 2 года назад +11

    You know whats so cool about videos like this? They become the time capsules after the locations are long lost to time. The Proper People entertain us, while keeping the spirit of these old buildings alive for future generations to enjoy. LOVE this channel!

  • @branhicks
    @branhicks 2 года назад +20

    The fact that you are smart enough to recognize things like that oscilloscope is why you're my favorite explorers

  • @NVintage
    @NVintage 2 года назад +175

    I haven’t watched you guys for years and I come back after seeing a notification for a video. Your content is still the best quality out there. My go to urbex channel.

    • @silentlover1905
      @silentlover1905 2 года назад +1

      Yesss samme

    • @Mogamishu
      @Mogamishu 2 года назад +2

      Are you not disappointed this video does not feature an abandoned asylum?

    • @NVintage
      @NVintage 2 года назад +1

      @@Mogamishu judging from your recent comments… I take it that you are an abandoned asylum connoisseur.

    • @silentlover1905
      @silentlover1905 2 года назад

      @@Mogamishu bruh

    • @tommysparks2705
      @tommysparks2705 2 года назад +2

      Indeed! The best UrbEx video production…bar NONE!

  • @cayman9873
    @cayman9873 2 года назад +1

    I was a tv engineer 40 years. I feel so comfortable understanding the industrial nature of the place. Designed by order and logic and by function. I relate so strongly with the people that left the place and left part of themselves behind.

  • @EngineeringMindset
    @EngineeringMindset 2 года назад +143

    YES! these power station exploration videos you upload are my favourite.

  • @pacman377
    @pacman377 2 года назад +37

    Those controls are very similar to the controls for the 4 oldest boilers and 2 oldest turbines at the powerplant I work at. It's 2 separate powerplants. The older one was first put online in 1935 and has had 8 365psi boilers the newest was installed on 2010 and the last old one was shut down in 2012. The newer powerplant was put online in 1957 and eventually consisted of 3 1250psi boilers and one larger 30mw turbine. Now it's 2 low pressure boilers and 1 high pressure, all installed between 2010 and 2014, and the two largest turbines, 1947 and 1957. From the control room myself and one other run both plants. Another operator is located at the older turbine. Another works on and the 1250psi boiler and he has a helper and final person keeps fuel pushed up for the 1250psi boiler. While I enjoy all your videos the powerplant ones are my favorite as they generally display the older equipment like I started on when I first started in power 15 years ago.

    • @nascar2297
      @nascar2297 2 года назад

      What power plant do you work at? Sounds like a big station

    • @pacman377
      @pacman377 2 года назад +6

      @@nascar2297 it's a plant that runs a paper mill. We are capable of feeding out and supplying the grid however we try to avoid that. Duke Power is in the business of selling power. They do not want to purchase any from us. Total current capacity is just over 42MW and total steam capacity is 635klbph.

    • @joshb124
      @joshb124 2 года назад

      Sounds like a great place to work. Do the boilers supply process steam or just run the turbines?

    • @pacman377
      @pacman377 2 года назад +5

      Overall it is a good place to work. The primary purpose of the boilers is to supply steam for making pulp and then drying the paper. The electrical production is a byproduct. However in the past 10 years part of our bonus is based off MW production. As natural gas and biomass prices fluctuate we will make more or less MW depending on what is cheaper, purchasing more MW from Duke or creating more on our end.

  • @theminiyosshi2901
    @theminiyosshi2901 2 года назад +36

    May Wormwood rest peacefully in the depths of this deconstructed time capsule

  • @tekvax01
    @tekvax01 2 года назад +33

    (21:31) A beautiful Tek 475 oscilliscope!! They were one of the best on the market at the time!!
    It was my favourite scope to use in school! Everyone else wanted the digital scopes, but I sat down with this beauty! #SoSAD

    • @LakeNipissing
      @LakeNipissing 2 года назад +2

      I recognized that right away! I have two of Tektronix 475 scopes, but no cart! :( I got them from a surplus auction when Sperry-Univac closed their operations here. Although there is not digital data on the display ( V, Hz etc.) they still work great.

    • @Cryptic-1-9-1-1
      @Cryptic-1-9-1-1 2 года назад +1

      I noticed that too.. I have a 475

    • @dustyc324
      @dustyc324 2 года назад

      @@Cryptic-1-9-1-1 do you use it? for what?

    • @uhrbexer9134
      @uhrbexer9134 2 года назад

      As I commented above, the Proper People already discovered a similar Tek in a Powerplant close to the shore or a river. I don't remember how long ago that video was, but it might have been some art deco station or otherwise historical style around 1900-1920.
      So the Teks are not as frequent as christmas decoration, but two in a row is still quite remarkable for this rare and expensive equipment.

  • @matsounds
    @matsounds 2 года назад +11

    I love seeing in the comments people that were actually in places like this when they were still going/operating or people that built or helped build something in it and telling story's about things they experienced 😊

    • @ravenwashere1776
      @ravenwashere1776 2 года назад +3

      I agree. It really adds to the experience of seeing this now lost history in my opinion. I could read these stories all day.

  • @brustar5152
    @brustar5152 2 года назад +1

    That wall of personal notations makes one appreciate this plant employed people and allowed them to fulfill some of their most basic aspirations of providing for a family while even fulfilling a dream or two of that new car every few years and putting one or more kids through college.

  • @dangeroustoys5668
    @dangeroustoys5668 2 года назад +39

    That never happens. An abandoned place that hasnt been ransacked by looters, scrappers or vandals. Amazing look into a piece of history practically untouched, awsome video guys!

    • @TheMrLebaron
      @TheMrLebaron 2 года назад +10

      I mean as a former PA Resident ( Fled to Florida ), people in Rural PA generally are very nice and dont wreck things.

  • @sonnyjlewis
    @sonnyjlewis 2 года назад +35

    I absolutely love these old plants.

  • @WeeSleeket
    @WeeSleeket 2 года назад +15

    Thank you for preserving the memory of these old buildings by filming them.

  • @boyteebah3794
    @boyteebah3794 2 года назад +8

    funny, the plant operated for 54 years but the facility where i am working is 66 years old and still running...and man, the amount of breakdowns we are having is mind-blowing

    • @tomrogers9467
      @tomrogers9467 2 года назад

      I’d be very nervous working at a plant that old, waiting for a steam pipe to burst and cook me on the spot.

    • @boyteebah3794
      @boyteebah3794 2 года назад +3

      @@tomrogers9467 we always have steam pipe leaks...the good thing though is that we only use low pressure steam but still... equipment breakdown is a normal occurrence

  • @johnnyfreedom3437
    @johnnyfreedom3437 2 года назад +6

    Thanks for a tour of one of my old playgrounds, though my usual territory was farther east. I spent 35 years traveling the country repairing coal-burning power plants. So Thanks for the Memories!

  • @skylieden
    @skylieden 2 года назад +5

    I literally live right down the road from this place. I’m a local. I’ve been around since 2013. It’s crazy to watch the demolition process. I’ve no idea y’all were around lol. They started to destroy the main building now sadly. It’s on the east end. Closest to the tower which is no longer existing. Half the building still remains and not much has been done. If only I could post photos on RUclips lol

  • @DanEBoyd
    @DanEBoyd 2 года назад +1

    Man I wish my Great Uncle Barney was here to watch this! He worked for Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, and probably would've known about all of that equipment. He might've been at that plant while it was being installed or maintained or repaired.
    In places like that, I'd like to see you do a nice smooth pan across controls and gauges so we can see what they all are. I would've loved to have those manufacturer's data plaques from that turbine.

  • @matsounds
    @matsounds 2 года назад +3

    I would love to see a plant like this still running today in all its glory!
    The history and attention to detail is always so awesome!

  • @Trainy2
    @Trainy2 2 года назад +13

    The complexity of those old analog control rooms is pretty incredible

  • @jameswright8948
    @jameswright8948 2 года назад +22

    42MW is approximately 55,300 horsepower. Paltry by today's standards. Such a cool plant, nonetheless. Sad to think that before long, these relics will be gone forever. Thank you for documenting them.

  • @mokeyat
    @mokeyat 2 года назад

    You are so poetic in your narrative. "This plant has a sense of dignity that shines through" . It's just sheer word porn. Beautiful.

  • @MrPNutt
    @MrPNutt 2 года назад +5

    The signatures on the wall and control room give the sleeping giant her final farewell… closing the curtain on Warren Stations final act… to turn the key in the lock one last time and walk away, never to return again. Amazing explore guys, thank you for capturing a glimpse of her before the demolition was completed.

  • @deonc81ify
    @deonc81ify 2 года назад +13

    As a nuclear power plant maintenance worker, I love seeing these videos. As someone who is captivated by abandoned places, I love all your other videos too. 😂

    • @tomrogers9467
      @tomrogers9467 2 года назад +1

      I’ve been through a very large nuclear plant, (550 MW x 8 units) and this place is a home generator by comparison!

    • @deonc81ify
      @deonc81ify 2 года назад

      @@tomrogers9467 yeah, it's definitely tiny, but it's still cool. Our plant is 980MW x 2 units, which is one of the smallest nukes in our area. Haha

  • @AngryBerb
    @AngryBerb 2 года назад +9

    0:17 I want that "careless person" sign so bad.

  • @b1nary_f1nary
    @b1nary_f1nary 2 года назад

    The sign at 11:51 is gold. Such a beaut! I bet it really takes you back in time seeing it in person.

  • @urbexplorationz3143
    @urbexplorationz3143 2 года назад +19

    Wow guys, that's one of the coolest powerplants I have seen yet. I'm in love with these turbines!

  • @jwilliams383
    @jwilliams383 2 года назад +9

    I live 10 minutes from there. Been watching The Proper People for years and its cool they were this close to home. I canoe behind that facility multiple times each summer. Warren has a lot of cool old buildings, wonder if there are any more to check out

  • @colinklang
    @colinklang 2 года назад +2

    This is so incredibly cool. I could just imagine the place cleaned up and going like it was in 06. Coal being loaded into the fireboxes. Boilers and turbines going. The plant operators walking around checking gauges and keeping things going. Even in its decay it has a sense of class and beauty you don't see anymore. It really is an incredible time capsule.

  • @jenifurinwy2066
    @jenifurinwy2066 2 года назад +3

    I love that y'all appreciate the history of the places you explore and the way things used to be done. The pride in workmanship seems to be lacking so much these days. For me, your videos are actually preserving some of our history. Thanks for so many enjoyable reflections on the past.

  • @D3lor34n
    @D3lor34n 2 года назад +4

    I love that you capture the essence of these lost places before they vanish for good. In another world there would be mandatory video farewell to major abandoned/old sites before it is allowed to be demolished, so it's zeitgeist could be preserved for years to come.

  • @sski
    @sski 2 года назад +7

    I had this thought watching this. That back when I first started watching you guys, your explorations gave me this 'otherworldly apocalyptic vibe'. Now, after everything the world has been through in the last couple of years, it seems like this is every day, right down the street. It's not that I don't appreciate the context or the art. It's that I see this as becoming the norm as the world moves forward in time.

    • @daystar4909
      @daystar4909 2 года назад +3

      Pretty sad the way things are becoming more rapidly!

  • @hypnopulsar2855
    @hypnopulsar2855 2 года назад +102

    The only reason you guys aren't on the Discovery channel or the History channel is because those networks couldn't afford to make content with your quality. Keep up the good work guys!

    • @zam55555
      @zam55555 2 года назад +12

      This urbex channel has the best cinematographers by far. Yalls eye for what will make a good shot is amazing as is your editing skills.

    • @androiduberalles
      @androiduberalles 2 года назад +8

      Well, probably more the legality but I agree with your sentiment.

    • @Ganiscol
      @Ganiscol 2 года назад +10

      You dont want them to give up creative control - thats exactly what would happen.

    • @mrmoran0077
      @mrmoran0077 2 года назад +5

      There's far too much footage here for anything on the discovery channel, the standard format for tv nowadays seems to be about 20 minutes of actual stuff and the rest is padded out with recaps and adverts

    • @Zer0suM207
      @Zer0suM207 2 года назад +2

      @@zam55555 Truly art!

  • @regdarling3867
    @regdarling3867 2 года назад +35

    “Wormwood” was Hartwell Shaffer-a dear friend of mine-he was a truly extraordinary person-I wrote a book about his role in my life-Hartwell Road-it’s available from all the usual places.

    • @joshhamburger5451
      @joshhamburger5451 2 года назад +1

      How did you know him? And what year would that had been drawn??

    • @regdarling3867
      @regdarling3867 2 года назад +4

      @@joshhamburger5451e He was married to my cousin who is 10 years older than I and more like an older sister than a cousin. Hartwell was a mentor when I was growing up and one of my closest friends in adulthood. It's difficult to say when the drawing was done but most likely between the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s.

    • @joshhamburger5451
      @joshhamburger5451 2 года назад +1

      @@regdarling3867 Is there some more examples of his artwork and such posted anywhere that i could check out?

    • @regdarling3867
      @regdarling3867 2 года назад +6

      @@joshhamburger5451 An excerpt from my book, Love Song With Mountain: Hartwell worked all night in the control room of the hydroelectric generating plant at the Kinzua Dam and would be off for three days before returning on a new shift. He came home too wired on caffeine, job stress, and cigarettes to sleep. Judy was working.
      He retrieved the acrylic paints and brushes I had given him two years before from the closet and moved the couch away from the white living room wall. He painted in a frenzy of inspiration. By the time Judy arrived home from work and the kids came home from school, the mural was nearly finished. Hartwell had painted an apocalypse.
      In the background, a thermonuclear airburst was detonating above a large city. The outlines of the buildings were still visible, even as they were consumed by pulsing waves of fire and radiation. The middle ground was a sea of flames rippled with shock waves. The foreground and left quarter of the mural were dominated by a near life-sized screaming man standing on a rocky promontory, one arm outstretched toward the explosion. His clothes were disintegrating. Pieces of burning flesh were flying away from his skeletal face and hand. A charred infant lay smoldering at his feet. In the air above, a flock of flaming birds left a trail of disintegrating feathers streaming behind them.
      Jennifer, his youngest daughter, cried when she saw it. Judy thought it was a great work, but asked, “How can we live with this?” When I saw it, I countered with, “How can you destroy it?”
      “Jesus Christ, Reg, this is our living room!” Judy replied. I understood.
      They did live with it for a while, until eventually it disappeared behind a layer of paneling.

    • @k_froggy
      @k_froggy 2 года назад +2

      @@regdarling3867 Its amazing how the internet connects us all. Thanks for the story.

  • @startedtech
    @startedtech 2 года назад +1

    All of that old analog equipment really has a beauty to it.

  • @TaylorMMontgomery
    @TaylorMMontgomery 2 года назад +10

    I always love your voiceover at the beginning Michael!
    'to see what's left' is y'all's trademark line, def put it on a t-shirt and I'll buy it!

  • @teddycorwin6254
    @teddycorwin6254 2 года назад +1

    I live by an abandoned coal power plant called the mohasco that closed in the sixties, I explore it with my dad and friends and there’s probably like 20 barrels of toxic tar and waste but there’s a huge control room and 2 huge turbines and it’s just a beautiful abandoned industrial gem

  • @jerrymalone8370
    @jerrymalone8370 2 года назад +4

    That is an absolutely beautiful Tektronix 475 oscilloscope, complete with stand and manuals. It even has the plastic face cover. Too bad it is wasting away like that, and not being used by someone who appreciates it.

  • @digital11337
    @digital11337 2 года назад +11

    Love these old power plants. Something very old-industrial about them

  • @garydeleon1230
    @garydeleon1230 2 года назад +4

    really stings to see this style of design and architecture get scrapped, not sure if this quite falls into art deco style, but seems derived from that. love your guys appreciation for intricate attention to detail, i woulda been scraping the corrosion off that info plate too haha

    • @TheProperPeople
      @TheProperPeople  2 года назад +3

      Yep it's streamline moderne, considered the evolution of art deco for the more utilitarian post-war period.

  • @williamlloyd3769
    @williamlloyd3769 2 года назад +3

    Thanks for the video.
    Seeing the abandoned power staton made me think of walking through my destroyer, USS Hollister (DD 788), as we prepared it for decommissioning. Since it was scheduled for foreign military sales program, decommissioning crew took special care to cleanup spaces and organize all documentation. As we got closer to the decommissioning date, more and more of the crew transferred to their next assignment. We borrowed sailors from other DESRON 23 ships to man the rail. I believe the ship was transferred to Taiwan where it served for a number of years before being made a static new recruit training ship.

    • @kimmer6
      @kimmer6 2 года назад +1

      I worked as an engineer for GE Marine Department in San Francisco in the early 1980's. Every so often I would be sent to an abandoned ship to look through spare parts to find something no longer made. These ships sounded haunted. There are dim string lights in passage ways and machinery spaces. Sometimes you would hear something start and water flowing. There were random groans, banging against something on the hull, there were howling and moaning sounds. The place is very creepy when you are the only living thing on the ship. An abandoned ship smells like moldy air, lubricants, and strange chemicals.
      I was on the Austral Moon for about 2 hours and didn't find what we needed. I went to the Chief Engineer's cabin and there was an open log book, last entry dated months before with the pen still on the page, a dead cigarette in the ash tray, a petrified half eaten donut, and a coffee cup where the contents had evaporated. It's as if he went to the head and never came back. His clothes were gone. He sure left in a hurry. The ship ended up at the Mothball Fleet for years. To this day, I carry a small flashlight in my pocket even though I'm long retired. There is nothing darker than a ship when the lighting quits, and DC backup lighting doesn't come on. Its still a useful habit.

  • @hi.panorama
    @hi.panorama Год назад

    I love this symbiosis of the stories you present with comments from people who have something to do with the places you have explored.

  • @TheMrLebaron
    @TheMrLebaron 2 года назад +5

    I do know, its out with the old and in the with the new, this plant was probably replaced by a modern natural gas plant which is good for everyone, but it is sad to see places that provided people with power for generations go away. This plant kept thousands of homes warm in the winter, give them light, and everything needed to live life. And its all down to people who work in places like this 10 hours a day,

  • @leinanightray4294
    @leinanightray4294 2 года назад

    Your appreciation for old things and your disapproval of bare and plain are still as enjoyable. I wonder if the next generations will go back to make buildings elegant.

  • @darksaintparker
    @darksaintparker 2 года назад +1

    I think id die of happiness if you guys ever got the opportunity to explore an old abandoned submarine.

  • @eily_b
    @eily_b 2 года назад +2

    I love the fact that the restroom was bigger than the lab. 😉

  • @capriracer351
    @capriracer351 2 года назад +7

    I don't know what is allowed here. but if it were allowed, I would certainly save that oscilloscope. One of the best oscilloscopes ever made. I used to have a setup exactly like that, with the cart, manuals, cover and all. I sold it 20 years ago to buy parts for my race car. Now that I decided not to spend thousands of dollars per year racing and concentrate on my electronics hobby, I wish I still had it.

  • @RJ-luci
    @RJ-luci 2 года назад +5

    You two are truly the best cinematic explorers on RUclips!!

    • @pinballdan
      @pinballdan 2 года назад

      No question they are the best on RUclips!! In A League of Their Own!

  • @Bigolg1975
    @Bigolg1975 2 года назад +2

    I worked in a coal power plant that was being demolished on the shores of Lake Erie, I am so glad I saw the facility before it was scrapped, it was so amazing. The craftmanship and quality was top notch, I could tell the plant was probably a wonderful place to work, I imagine they took great pride in their professions.

  • @pyro323
    @pyro323 2 года назад +6

    The grain elevators in Buffalo NY took a hit from the last wind storm. The brick veneer caved in and they wanna demolish the whole building, but the veneer is just for looks, the building itself is still sound it just looks bad from the outside.

  • @CM-ek9ec
    @CM-ek9ec 2 года назад +2

    It’s funny to get excited to see you guys explore places we may know or live near or drive by once in a while. It’s a pleasure to watch your videos but it’s also something special when you read the comment section and see how people are moved by the way you document and give the respect to a building especially when the comments are from people who actually worked there. Great job as always guys, can’t wait for the next one.

  • @87tubechrisd
    @87tubechrisd 2 года назад +2

    A beautiful memorial to this beautiful place. I love the care and pride that went into these old industrial buildings. They didn't have to tile those walls, but they did. Such a pity that it's being torn down.

  • @redbullninja11
    @redbullninja11 2 года назад +11

    im glad yall were able to preserve this piece of history

  • @BUILTFORDTOUGH79
    @BUILTFORDTOUGH79 2 года назад +3

    Awesome footage, but you guys should show more of the crane controls in the cab. I ran cranes before getting into the operating engineers, and it’s always cool to see old cranes

  • @AaronSmith-kr5yf
    @AaronSmith-kr5yf 2 года назад +1

    The ceramic tile in these old power plants and industrial spaces just blows me away. I wonder why they did it that way, cause it would have taken FOREVER to tile those huge walls like in the main turbine hall.

  • @sirvincent2883
    @sirvincent2883 2 года назад

    If at all possible, please never stop filming these power plants, at any age, though of course the older ones are the best in my opinion. Your power plant videos are my favorites, and contribute at least partly in my interest in electronics and pursuing an electrical/computer engineering degree. I recommend your channel to anyone I can, keep up the great work guys! Always get those shots of the electrical components when you can, and I'll keep watching.
    I know it's much too late for me to be working with technology this old (hell, I was born in '98), but with a modern grasp on electronics, I can more easily work with older systems and try to collect what I can before it's all gone. And in the meantime, I can watch your content to see the things I'll never be able to interact with organically.

  • @Sarahlynn1304
    @Sarahlynn1304 2 года назад +3

    Wow, I’m just in awe of how original this place was, not much renovation done during its operation. But also just enjoying those little details you guys notice about these places. I love your videos so much!!!!

  • @ielwa
    @ielwa 2 года назад

    Man.. Slidecam, with the right music just makes the procution quality 10x higher.. i love it

  • @ZvookUK
    @ZvookUK 7 месяцев назад

    It's so nice to share and appreciate the little details that others might miss or overlook with you guys - like the "streamlined" art deco decorative elements to the control panels. Bravo 👏 It's why I keep coming back to you guys.

  • @LeeBreece
    @LeeBreece 2 года назад +1

    Crazy that without Proper people no one would ever see this.

  • @pinballdan
    @pinballdan 2 года назад +10

    How is it even possible that this place has been abandoned for twenty years with absolutely no graffiti or vandalism!

  • @TheAgamemnon911
    @TheAgamemnon911 2 года назад +3

    Wow, that ending gave me chills. (Not talking about the ad)

  • @zinc_ave
    @zinc_ave 2 года назад

    Found this channel 2 days ago and I can't believe I was living without it

  • @DerelictToDecay
    @DerelictToDecay 2 года назад +4

    Power plant video from the proper people? Yes please! Always a great watch seeing you guys appreciate the industrial beauties.

    • @gagegodin7825
      @gagegodin7825 2 года назад +2

      Power plants and old malls make me instant click

  • @Darxide23
    @Darxide23 2 года назад +2

    I would have signed that guestbook. Freak out the crew there to demo the place.

  • @lonesoldier2485
    @lonesoldier2485 2 года назад +5

    Someone was a Buckaroo Bonzai fan that left the "wherever you go, there you are" quote.

  • @dragonrider4253
    @dragonrider4253 2 года назад +8

    It's incredibly sad that historic buildings like this are just flattened to make room for housing/malls etc. I'm happy that you found it before it was all gone. I really wish we'd preserve old buildings like this instead of just demolishing them. At least put some things into a museum. The turbines, the wall, the painting, some of the control panels, the time sign etc.

  • @lavapix
    @lavapix 2 года назад +10

    That sure looks like PA :-) Good old steel sash windows. Won't sign the guest book but will post a video on social media.

  • @hockeychick216
    @hockeychick216 2 года назад +1

    I stumbled upon your videos recently and I have not been able to stop watching! It is so mesmerizing to see all of these places you explore. I'm also thankful that you don't overdramatize like some other channels do or push people to like or subscribe. As a side note: Michael, has anyone ever told you that you sound a little like T.J. Miller? Cheers and keep up the great work!

  • @bersl2
    @bersl2 2 года назад +2

    Those "NOT ASBESTOS" stickers at 20:38 look pretty rad and useful.

  • @nancysantamarialatica1141
    @nancysantamarialatica1141 2 года назад +12

    Always never let me down. These crazy locations . History !
    So proud fellas

  • @GLING17
    @GLING17 2 года назад +3

    Wow, I was just thinking about how long I’ve been subscribed to your channel today and this video popped up! Your channel was one of the first I ever subbed to when I first started using RUclips a lot. One of the very best on RUclips. 👍

  • @CBRracer08
    @CBRracer08 2 года назад +2

    What a great video and a great building. Workmanship was different back then, people took pride in their work and actually cared about their profession.

  • @Thorsten369
    @Thorsten369 Год назад

    At 21:29 it brings back a lot of memories, did work with oscilloscopes from the 80's till beginning of 2000. Used those for my work for P.A. (audio) systems and later on for repairing PC mainboards. Great video.