It's been decades since hot metal cars rolled through Youngstown on a daily basis.
"We have a very rich manufacturing heritage. Over the last 30 years when the steel mills shut down, most of that [heritage] is gone," Youngstown Steel Heritage President Rick Rowlands said.
But as Youngstown's steel heyday becomes a distant memory, the Youngstown Steel Heritage Association is hoping to preserve the history.
"By saving some of this equipment and bringing it back and putting it on display, we hope to at least hold onto some of that heritage and remind future generations that this is something we used to do here," Rowlands said.
So far they've acquired around eight pieces, equalling more than 1.3 million pounds of old steel equipment. All of the pieces at the museum, including a 260,000 ton steam engine, were made or used right here in the Mahoning Valley.
A hot metal car was built by Youngstown's William B. Pollock Company during World War II and made its way to Duquesne, Pa. Thursday the group brought it back home. The group plans to put it with the other equipment they have acquired.
"All of our families profited from working in the steel mills. And we were sister cities with Pittsburgh. It was the livlihood here in the area," project volunteer Charles Hughes said.
"At one time this was the third largest steel making center of the country. And there was nothing that we couldn't do here in the Mahoning Valley," Rowlands said.
The group hopes to open a steel museum by next summer.
