I found myself on Anglesey whilst on the hunt for Headstocks last year, so of course I had to pay a visit to Octel as I was down the road!
The History
Background
Life for Octel began in 1940, with the completion of a factory in Northwich to produce Anti Knock Compound (AKC) for aircraft fuel. The Bromine was provided by a plant in Hayle in Cornwall which had a capacity of 2,500 Tons per year.
The site was completed just in time for the Battle of Britain, and it alleviated the need to import AKC from the States. The site was owned by the UK government and operated by ICI. It later became The Associated Ethyl Co Ltd, with the AKC being named Octel Antiknock compound. The company name was soon changed to Associated Octel in order to differentiate itself from the American competitor Ethyl Corporation.
Expansion and Reorganisation
In 1948, efforts were undertaken to increase Bromine production at the Hayle plant with the installation of a booster pump house to increase sea water flow. A Sulphur store was also added on the quay to serve the newly constructed Contact Sulphuric Acid plant. The quality of the Ethylene Dibromide scavenger was also improved through the use of Ethylene derived from Petrochemicals, replacing the need for onsite production from Ethanol.
The output of Hayle wasn't enough to produce the required volumes of Bromine for Octel's new AKC manufacturing facility at Ellesmere Port, whilst also being an extreme distance away. As such, work began on finding a location to establish a new Bromine production site.
Between 1948-49, a coastal survey was carried out by H Fossett and R O Gibson to find a suitable site closer to the new Ellesmere Port facility. It needed to have a sufficient level of Bromine present in the sea water, whilst also having sufficient geography to suit a manufacturing plant. Ideally it would be as close to sea level as possible, with a small tidal range and appropriate ground conditions to support construction, whilst also being as close to Ellesmere Port as possible.
Amlwch was deemed suitable due to meeting all these criteria, with it also having good road and rail connections, and a good supply of local labour.
1950s
Work began on construction of the Amlwch site in 1950, with a Light Railway Order being granted in 1951 to build an extension to the existing Anglesey Central Line into the new Octel site from Amlwch station. This was to be worked by three Ruston diesel shunters, moving wagons between the site and the BR exchange sidings just outside the Amlwch station.
The Works Gates -
The site was completed by 1953, producing it's first Bromine on the 11th November, along with Ethylene Dibromide (EDB). The production rate of Bromine was 10,000 Tons per annum (TPA), with this increasing to 15,000 by 1964. The AKC that was produced with the Bromine at Ellesmere Port was sold under the name 'Octel' with the production beginning in 1954.
Bromine was produced using the 'Acid' process at Amlwch which proved very successful in comparison to the 'Alkali' process used at Hayle. Subsequently, Hayle switched to using the 'Acid' process as well, with conversion work beginning in 1954 and production resuming by 1956 with a doubled Bromine output of 5,000 TPA.
Acid Process
The Acid process collected the Bromine as a solution of Hydrobromic Acid at a 10% concentration. Chlorine was then injected into this solution to produce elemental Bromine and Hydrochloric Acid.
The key difference to the Alkali process is that significantly less Sulphuric Acid is required, but more Chlorine is used. The Acid process at Hayle consumed 16 tons of Chlorine per day as opposed to the 4.5 tons for the Alkali process.
Alkali Process
The Alkali Process consisted of forming an alkaline solution of Sodium Bromate from sea water. The elemental Bromine was recovered by reacting this solution with Sulphuric Acid. At Hayle, the process consumed 30 tons of acid, 4.5 tons of Chlorine and 11 tons of Soda Ash on average per day.
In 1958, a chlorine plant was commissioned at the Ellesmere Port site, allowing Octel to produce Chlorine in house rather than purchasing it from ICI. Chlorine was transported to the Hayle and Amlwch sites via rail tanker.
Operations Expansion at Amlwch
In 1960, investment was made to be able to ship Bromine in bulk forms to high usage customers via either 15 ton rail tankers, or 7.5 ton demountable rail/road tanks. This was to reduce the reliance on the costly and labour intensive process of shipping Bromine in glass bottles, which were shipped with 4 bottles per wooden case, each case holding a paltry 33lbs of Bromine.
In 1963 a Sulphuric Acid plant was built at Amlwch. The plant required 15,600 tons of Sulphur per year, which was landed at the Port of Mostyn and transported 70 miles by rail to Amlwch. This required around 7 consignments per year, with each generating a peak period at the plant as a rapid turnaround of rail hoppers was required.
In July an accident ended the sites 6 year, 6 month run of no accidents resulting in lost man hours.
The Amlwch site had significantly lower power and transport costs compared to Hayle, so by 1964 efforts were undertaken to improve the economics of Hayle. More bulk distribution equipment was purchased, and it was decided that surplus Bromine from the plant should be sold directly to customers.
Sales improved steadily but it wasn't enough to keep the Hayle site open, with EDB production ceasing in 1968. It soldiered on producing only Bromine until 1973, when the costs of replacing ageing equipment was deemed to not be worthwhile, with the plant closing. It was demolished by 1974.
Throughout the 60s the amount of Bromine shipped from Amlwch via rail increased steadily. The branch line was closed to passenger traffic under the Beeching Axe on 5th December 1964, with it remaining open as a freight line only. All passing loops and sidings were removed with the exception of the marshalling yard for Octel freight, which moved 70,000 tons annually.
Between 1968-69 a new recirculation unit (Unit 2A) was built and commissioned at Amlwch, along with a new sea water intake and pump house, which increased Bromine output to 20,000 TPA.
1970s
In March 1970 during the construction of Units 2B and 2C, the sea water intake for Unit 2A was blocked by shingle and small rocks which had been excavated for construction. It was washed around the coast during stormy weather, and was removed with equipment brought over from the mainland by Messrs Pochin, the contractors for the Unit 2B and 2C construction.
On the 23rd of May 1970, the Britannia rail bridge went up in flames and had to be closed to rail traffic whilst repairs were undertaken. As a result, chemicals were transported to and from Amlwch via road haulage, with tanks being mounted on flat bed lorries.
Sulphur was still brought in by rail, with the Sulphur being landed at Holyhead instead. Modified coal hoppers were rope hauled across the damaged bridge so that they could be used to transport it.
In January 1971, the 2B unit was commissioned, increasing Bromine capacity to 25,000 TPA. Unit 2C followed a year later, increasing production further still to 30,000 TPA. The Britannia Bridge also reopened at this time, restoring the rail link to the mainland.
The Associated Octel engine lab at Bletchley were working on developing a Lead trap for cars as the amount of Lead in exhaust fumes was becoming a major environmental issue, and the production of AKC for leaded fuel was their bread and butter.
The Octel shunters had continuously worked the light rail section of line throughout the plant's life, but BR took over in 1972, using a Hunslet 0-4-0 DH to run between the Works gates and the exchange sidings. BR locos were not allowed to enter the works themselves, so a new spur was built outside the gates to facilitate rail movements. Octel Staff were required to operate the level crossing gates.
By 1974, the engine lab had developed a Lead trap that could reduce emissions by 70%. Octel also sold the undeveloped North East section of the site to Shell, who built an oil terminal capable of discharging 500,000 tonne tankers from a single mooring buoy.
In 1978 a Facility Agreement was signed between Octel and BR Stoke Division, the first agreement of its kind between BR and a freight customer. It gave Octel a Modus Operandi to have sole use of the line from Gaerwen, with the company contributing to the high costs of keeping the branch line open, whilst having a guarantee that the facility would remain available for the duration of the agreement.
Business Diversification
In the mid-late 80s, further expansion took place at the Amlwch site, allowing Octel to have more revenue streams. A Bromine Liquids Recovery facility was built and commissioned in 1986 in order to recover Bromine from other companies Brominated Products recycle streams.
In 1987, a Hydrogen Bromide plant was also added, producing gas and liquid HBr which was sold to customers in cylinders and drums. In 1989, another plant was added which was used to create Bromochloromethane and Dibromethane by brominating Dichloromethane, with these products being sold to other chemical intermediate producers.
In the early 80s, a liquid sulphur plant had been built in Runcorn which imported sulphur from Canada and Poland. Octel replaced the rail delivered solid sulphur they had relied on for many years with liquid sulphur delivery daily by road from 1988.
The Octel business was purchased in 1989 by Great Lakes (Europe), the European subsidiary of Great Lakes Chemical Corporation, an American company. They specialised in bromine chemistry unlike Octel, which had always kept the production of AKC central to it's business operations. They immediately started looking to improve efficiency, building a large pilot plant to study the factors affecting the efficient extraction of Bromine from sea water.
The study produced results, and it was found that PVC structured packing was beneficial. A £6m investment was made to replace the packing in the blowout towers to improve production.
The Final Years
The last trains from Octel ran in 1993, with all future transport being via road haulage. The line was mothballed, and remains in situ in it's entirety today, albeit very overgrown and waterlogged in places.
The plants fortunes took a significant downturn throughout the 90s, with a blaze at the BOT2 facility causing significant damage on the 15th July 1995. Firefighters battled the fire for 2 days, with two blowout towers in one bank being completely destroyed, and a third heavily damaged. The other bank of towers escaped unscathed.
Octel expected to be able to repair the damaged tower within a month, but the mishap caused £6m in damages and an estimated £4m in business losses. The Works manager was keen to stress that it was a fire on a construction site rather than at a chemical plant, as the unit hadn't been operational for 6 weeks due to undergoing a major maintenance programme.
In 1997, a chemical release occured at the plant, resulting in 5 injuries and local residents being confined indoors. Investigations by the HSE and the Environment Agency found that parts of the plant were not using the 'best available techniques not entailing excessive costs' (BANTEEC) as required by their environmental permits. As a result, Octel were charged with breaching sections 2 and 3 of HASAWA and section 23 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, being fined £180,000 and costs of £80,000.
Moving into the new millennium saw the removal of leaded fuel from petrol forecourts, and a complete shutdown of the Octel plant over fears of damage that could be caused by the Millennium Bug.
In 2003, Great Lakes announced it's intention to cease operations at its Newton-Aycliffe and Amlwch plants. Initially Amlwch was given a reprieve, but in September it was announced that they had entered into a long term strategic sourcing agreement with Dead Sea Bromine Ltd in Israel.
Bromine production was far more economic from the Dead Sea due to Bromine being present at around 14,000ppm compared to the 65ppm at Amlwch. Great Lakes announced the closure of the Amlwch plant in October, with closure taking place in March 2004.
Decommissioning took 9 months, and the site was left derelict. It was sold to Canatxx who intended to build a Liquefied Natural Gas storage facility on the site, but this has never come to fruition.
The site is now part of a new Enterprise Zone that has been established in the north of Anglesey in the hopes of accessing government funding, and to improve the desirability of the site for redevelopment.
The Explore
Had a quick look at the old windmill with the drone before I starting looking for an access point. Found one of what I'm assuming is numerous holes and started looking around a workshop, quickly bumping into a couple of other explorers.
I then decided to head down towards the bottom of the site so I could work my way back up towards the exit. The large pipework is interesting to stroll into.
Continued down past the the lovely coloured water coming down from the hillside to the coast where the BOT Recirculation Fans remain in situ along with far too many seagulls. To say they were making a racket is an understatement, and how on earth I escaped without being shat on I really don't know 😂
Exterior of the BOT Recirculation Fans -
No Entry -
Moved on towards what I believe is the remains of the Main Sea Water Intake. I wanted to get inside the building overlooking it, but it was a sketchy as fuck climb to get anywhere near it due to the bridge being demolished, and there being no easy way down to the lower levels, so I grabbed what shots I could from a distance and moved on.
Was a bit of a walk to the next building as it was the other side of a dividing wall, so I had to find a way past that.
I believe this building was responsible for pumping sea water into the BOTs from the main sea water intake. It still retains the control panels, albeit utterly trashed, along with a gantry crane.
Control Panel -
BOT Water Pumps in situ -
The Remains -
Gauges -
Fuse -
Moved on to the switchgear rooms, which are still full of stripped out cabinets, along with a curious contraption.
Switchroom Layout Diagram -
The contraption, a vintage proving unit for electrical testing -
Last tested in 1977 -
I then found my way into a maintenance office of some sort, which was absolutely full of documents and manuals for many different machines and processes which made for an interesting flick through.
Files -
Instrumentation -
Great Lakes Policy -
Next up is the remains of the Process Laboratory, which still has numerous machines for the testing of products, and some interesting paperwork and signage dotted around too. Prior to closure this was staffed by 3 lab technicians and a laboratory manager.
A lot of decay and destruction in this section, but the machines make it well worth the look.
Nitrogen -
Toxic -
Decaying Test Chamber -
Test Procedure -
Emergency Procedures -
Finished up with the adminstration and staff areas, finding some railway remnants on my way over.
These areas haven't fared as well as other parts of the site unfortunately, they're completely trashed with signs of fire all over the place. I didn't spend long here, found the locker rooms and decided to call it a day.
Lockers -
Abandoned PPE -
I decided to send the drone over from the car, but only grabbed a couple of quick shots as I was very concerned with the lovely flock of seagulls mentioned earlier potentially attacking it. Looks like there's so little left from a distance.
Thanks for looking.
The History
Background
Life for Octel began in 1940, with the completion of a factory in Northwich to produce Anti Knock Compound (AKC) for aircraft fuel. The Bromine was provided by a plant in Hayle in Cornwall which had a capacity of 2,500 Tons per year.
The site was completed just in time for the Battle of Britain, and it alleviated the need to import AKC from the States. The site was owned by the UK government and operated by ICI. It later became The Associated Ethyl Co Ltd, with the AKC being named Octel Antiknock compound. The company name was soon changed to Associated Octel in order to differentiate itself from the American competitor Ethyl Corporation.
Expansion and Reorganisation
In 1948, efforts were undertaken to increase Bromine production at the Hayle plant with the installation of a booster pump house to increase sea water flow. A Sulphur store was also added on the quay to serve the newly constructed Contact Sulphuric Acid plant. The quality of the Ethylene Dibromide scavenger was also improved through the use of Ethylene derived from Petrochemicals, replacing the need for onsite production from Ethanol.
The output of Hayle wasn't enough to produce the required volumes of Bromine for Octel's new AKC manufacturing facility at Ellesmere Port, whilst also being an extreme distance away. As such, work began on finding a location to establish a new Bromine production site.
Between 1948-49, a coastal survey was carried out by H Fossett and R O Gibson to find a suitable site closer to the new Ellesmere Port facility. It needed to have a sufficient level of Bromine present in the sea water, whilst also having sufficient geography to suit a manufacturing plant. Ideally it would be as close to sea level as possible, with a small tidal range and appropriate ground conditions to support construction, whilst also being as close to Ellesmere Port as possible.
Amlwch was deemed suitable due to meeting all these criteria, with it also having good road and rail connections, and a good supply of local labour.
1950s
Work began on construction of the Amlwch site in 1950, with a Light Railway Order being granted in 1951 to build an extension to the existing Anglesey Central Line into the new Octel site from Amlwch station. This was to be worked by three Ruston diesel shunters, moving wagons between the site and the BR exchange sidings just outside the Amlwch station.
The Works Gates -
The site was completed by 1953, producing it's first Bromine on the 11th November, along with Ethylene Dibromide (EDB). The production rate of Bromine was 10,000 Tons per annum (TPA), with this increasing to 15,000 by 1964. The AKC that was produced with the Bromine at Ellesmere Port was sold under the name 'Octel' with the production beginning in 1954.
Bromine was produced using the 'Acid' process at Amlwch which proved very successful in comparison to the 'Alkali' process used at Hayle. Subsequently, Hayle switched to using the 'Acid' process as well, with conversion work beginning in 1954 and production resuming by 1956 with a doubled Bromine output of 5,000 TPA.
Acid Process
The Acid process collected the Bromine as a solution of Hydrobromic Acid at a 10% concentration. Chlorine was then injected into this solution to produce elemental Bromine and Hydrochloric Acid.
The key difference to the Alkali process is that significantly less Sulphuric Acid is required, but more Chlorine is used. The Acid process at Hayle consumed 16 tons of Chlorine per day as opposed to the 4.5 tons for the Alkali process.
Alkali Process
The Alkali Process consisted of forming an alkaline solution of Sodium Bromate from sea water. The elemental Bromine was recovered by reacting this solution with Sulphuric Acid. At Hayle, the process consumed 30 tons of acid, 4.5 tons of Chlorine and 11 tons of Soda Ash on average per day.
In 1958, a chlorine plant was commissioned at the Ellesmere Port site, allowing Octel to produce Chlorine in house rather than purchasing it from ICI. Chlorine was transported to the Hayle and Amlwch sites via rail tanker.
Operations Expansion at Amlwch
In 1960, investment was made to be able to ship Bromine in bulk forms to high usage customers via either 15 ton rail tankers, or 7.5 ton demountable rail/road tanks. This was to reduce the reliance on the costly and labour intensive process of shipping Bromine in glass bottles, which were shipped with 4 bottles per wooden case, each case holding a paltry 33lbs of Bromine.
In 1963 a Sulphuric Acid plant was built at Amlwch. The plant required 15,600 tons of Sulphur per year, which was landed at the Port of Mostyn and transported 70 miles by rail to Amlwch. This required around 7 consignments per year, with each generating a peak period at the plant as a rapid turnaround of rail hoppers was required.
In July an accident ended the sites 6 year, 6 month run of no accidents resulting in lost man hours.
The Amlwch site had significantly lower power and transport costs compared to Hayle, so by 1964 efforts were undertaken to improve the economics of Hayle. More bulk distribution equipment was purchased, and it was decided that surplus Bromine from the plant should be sold directly to customers.
Sales improved steadily but it wasn't enough to keep the Hayle site open, with EDB production ceasing in 1968. It soldiered on producing only Bromine until 1973, when the costs of replacing ageing equipment was deemed to not be worthwhile, with the plant closing. It was demolished by 1974.
Throughout the 60s the amount of Bromine shipped from Amlwch via rail increased steadily. The branch line was closed to passenger traffic under the Beeching Axe on 5th December 1964, with it remaining open as a freight line only. All passing loops and sidings were removed with the exception of the marshalling yard for Octel freight, which moved 70,000 tons annually.
Between 1968-69 a new recirculation unit (Unit 2A) was built and commissioned at Amlwch, along with a new sea water intake and pump house, which increased Bromine output to 20,000 TPA.
1970s
In March 1970 during the construction of Units 2B and 2C, the sea water intake for Unit 2A was blocked by shingle and small rocks which had been excavated for construction. It was washed around the coast during stormy weather, and was removed with equipment brought over from the mainland by Messrs Pochin, the contractors for the Unit 2B and 2C construction.
On the 23rd of May 1970, the Britannia rail bridge went up in flames and had to be closed to rail traffic whilst repairs were undertaken. As a result, chemicals were transported to and from Amlwch via road haulage, with tanks being mounted on flat bed lorries.
Sulphur was still brought in by rail, with the Sulphur being landed at Holyhead instead. Modified coal hoppers were rope hauled across the damaged bridge so that they could be used to transport it.
In January 1971, the 2B unit was commissioned, increasing Bromine capacity to 25,000 TPA. Unit 2C followed a year later, increasing production further still to 30,000 TPA. The Britannia Bridge also reopened at this time, restoring the rail link to the mainland.
The Associated Octel engine lab at Bletchley were working on developing a Lead trap for cars as the amount of Lead in exhaust fumes was becoming a major environmental issue, and the production of AKC for leaded fuel was their bread and butter.
The Octel shunters had continuously worked the light rail section of line throughout the plant's life, but BR took over in 1972, using a Hunslet 0-4-0 DH to run between the Works gates and the exchange sidings. BR locos were not allowed to enter the works themselves, so a new spur was built outside the gates to facilitate rail movements. Octel Staff were required to operate the level crossing gates.
By 1974, the engine lab had developed a Lead trap that could reduce emissions by 70%. Octel also sold the undeveloped North East section of the site to Shell, who built an oil terminal capable of discharging 500,000 tonne tankers from a single mooring buoy.
In 1978 a Facility Agreement was signed between Octel and BR Stoke Division, the first agreement of its kind between BR and a freight customer. It gave Octel a Modus Operandi to have sole use of the line from Gaerwen, with the company contributing to the high costs of keeping the branch line open, whilst having a guarantee that the facility would remain available for the duration of the agreement.
Business Diversification
In the mid-late 80s, further expansion took place at the Amlwch site, allowing Octel to have more revenue streams. A Bromine Liquids Recovery facility was built and commissioned in 1986 in order to recover Bromine from other companies Brominated Products recycle streams.
In 1987, a Hydrogen Bromide plant was also added, producing gas and liquid HBr which was sold to customers in cylinders and drums. In 1989, another plant was added which was used to create Bromochloromethane and Dibromethane by brominating Dichloromethane, with these products being sold to other chemical intermediate producers.
In the early 80s, a liquid sulphur plant had been built in Runcorn which imported sulphur from Canada and Poland. Octel replaced the rail delivered solid sulphur they had relied on for many years with liquid sulphur delivery daily by road from 1988.
The Octel business was purchased in 1989 by Great Lakes (Europe), the European subsidiary of Great Lakes Chemical Corporation, an American company. They specialised in bromine chemistry unlike Octel, which had always kept the production of AKC central to it's business operations. They immediately started looking to improve efficiency, building a large pilot plant to study the factors affecting the efficient extraction of Bromine from sea water.
The study produced results, and it was found that PVC structured packing was beneficial. A £6m investment was made to replace the packing in the blowout towers to improve production.
The Final Years
The last trains from Octel ran in 1993, with all future transport being via road haulage. The line was mothballed, and remains in situ in it's entirety today, albeit very overgrown and waterlogged in places.
The plants fortunes took a significant downturn throughout the 90s, with a blaze at the BOT2 facility causing significant damage on the 15th July 1995. Firefighters battled the fire for 2 days, with two blowout towers in one bank being completely destroyed, and a third heavily damaged. The other bank of towers escaped unscathed.
Octel expected to be able to repair the damaged tower within a month, but the mishap caused £6m in damages and an estimated £4m in business losses. The Works manager was keen to stress that it was a fire on a construction site rather than at a chemical plant, as the unit hadn't been operational for 6 weeks due to undergoing a major maintenance programme.
In 1997, a chemical release occured at the plant, resulting in 5 injuries and local residents being confined indoors. Investigations by the HSE and the Environment Agency found that parts of the plant were not using the 'best available techniques not entailing excessive costs' (BANTEEC) as required by their environmental permits. As a result, Octel were charged with breaching sections 2 and 3 of HASAWA and section 23 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, being fined £180,000 and costs of £80,000.
Moving into the new millennium saw the removal of leaded fuel from petrol forecourts, and a complete shutdown of the Octel plant over fears of damage that could be caused by the Millennium Bug.
In 2003, Great Lakes announced it's intention to cease operations at its Newton-Aycliffe and Amlwch plants. Initially Amlwch was given a reprieve, but in September it was announced that they had entered into a long term strategic sourcing agreement with Dead Sea Bromine Ltd in Israel.
Bromine production was far more economic from the Dead Sea due to Bromine being present at around 14,000ppm compared to the 65ppm at Amlwch. Great Lakes announced the closure of the Amlwch plant in October, with closure taking place in March 2004.
Decommissioning took 9 months, and the site was left derelict. It was sold to Canatxx who intended to build a Liquefied Natural Gas storage facility on the site, but this has never come to fruition.
The site is now part of a new Enterprise Zone that has been established in the north of Anglesey in the hopes of accessing government funding, and to improve the desirability of the site for redevelopment.
The Explore
Had a quick look at the old windmill with the drone before I starting looking for an access point. Found one of what I'm assuming is numerous holes and started looking around a workshop, quickly bumping into a couple of other explorers.
I then decided to head down towards the bottom of the site so I could work my way back up towards the exit. The large pipework is interesting to stroll into.
Continued down past the the lovely coloured water coming down from the hillside to the coast where the BOT Recirculation Fans remain in situ along with far too many seagulls. To say they were making a racket is an understatement, and how on earth I escaped without being shat on I really don't know 😂
No Entry -
Moved on towards what I believe is the remains of the Main Sea Water Intake. I wanted to get inside the building overlooking it, but it was a sketchy as fuck climb to get anywhere near it due to the bridge being demolished, and there being no easy way down to the lower levels, so I grabbed what shots I could from a distance and moved on.
Was a bit of a walk to the next building as it was the other side of a dividing wall, so I had to find a way past that.
I believe this building was responsible for pumping sea water into the BOTs from the main sea water intake. It still retains the control panels, albeit utterly trashed, along with a gantry crane.
Control Panel -
BOT Water Pumps in situ -
The Remains -
Gauges -
Fuse -
Moved on to the switchgear rooms, which are still full of stripped out cabinets, along with a curious contraption.
Switchroom Layout Diagram -
The contraption, a vintage proving unit for electrical testing -
Last tested in 1977 -
I then found my way into a maintenance office of some sort, which was absolutely full of documents and manuals for many different machines and processes which made for an interesting flick through.
Files -
Instrumentation -
Great Lakes Policy -
Next up is the remains of the Process Laboratory, which still has numerous machines for the testing of products, and some interesting paperwork and signage dotted around too. Prior to closure this was staffed by 3 lab technicians and a laboratory manager.
A lot of decay and destruction in this section, but the machines make it well worth the look.
Nitrogen -
Toxic -
Decaying Test Chamber -
Test Procedure -
Emergency Procedures -
Finished up with the adminstration and staff areas, finding some railway remnants on my way over.
These areas haven't fared as well as other parts of the site unfortunately, they're completely trashed with signs of fire all over the place. I didn't spend long here, found the locker rooms and decided to call it a day.
Lockers -
Abandoned PPE -
I decided to send the drone over from the car, but only grabbed a couple of quick shots as I was very concerned with the lovely flock of seagulls mentioned earlier potentially attacking it. Looks like there's so little left from a distance.
Thanks for looking.
