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Showing posts from August, 2016

From Excelsior Needle Co. to Timken: The Rise and Fall of Torrington's Standard Plant

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The Standard Plant and a Century of Making Things It was a hot May week in 2023, and J and I were already sweating through our shirts before we even made it to the entrance. We turned into the driveway off North Elm Street and passed a large Caterpillar backhoe holding up the red, white, and blue at the top of the arm. Patriotic machinery. Only in Connecticut. We moved toward the back of the complex with our eyes open, scanning for any sign of people or activity. We found cameras instead. A few of them, well-positioned across one of the buildings and up on an electrical pole, covering angles that made our original entry plan useless. We backed off, found a Plan B, and stepped into a dark room washed in tinted green light, then took the stairs down to ground level. The former Standard Plant sits along North Elm Street at a sunken grade, one story, with another building rising over the roadway to the far right when you're standing in front of it from North Street. It's the kind o...
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Abandoned Rails Over Highway

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This short exploration video contains an abandoned railway line stuck between two properties abutting a major highway in the northeast. The line crosses three city street blocks on one side and one street block situated over a river into another neighborhood. You can almost say that the train line divides the poor from the rich.  I wish I could have crossed it without causing unwanted attention from the highway patrol. Maybe I will cross it one night sometime later in the year when no one is around. A short but satisfying exploration involving two abandoned properties and a rail line. 
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Abandoned Railroad Unloading Facility

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Upon driving along the winding road heading to my designated parking address, this behemoth stands out like a fallen giant. A black rusting heap of metal. It just sticks out like a sore thumb. If you were an eagle you could spot this facility with ease. Once so full of energy and endearing to the men who once worked there. This railroad facility is no longer able to unload huge tons of black gold. Getting onto the property was very easy. Getting there was the hardest part due to the long walk. After getting onsite, all my tired worries were washed away as I stood at the beginning of the tracks looking towards the belly of the beast. She was beautiful in every way. Sadly, history and time have not been kind to her. All the old mechanical parts were still there as it was on the last day. The wooden track beams were cracking, splitting, and weathered. The landing zone for the train cars was still there but the side rail shoot was no longer a part of it any...
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Abandoned Paterson Hinchliffe Stadium | Urban Exploration

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Explored two stadiums in one day. This was the first one I explored out of the two and the second abandoned place of the day earlier in July 2016. Upon entering, tall weeds and bushes dominated the framed crowd control columns seen at the beginning of the episode. This stadium was larger than the other football stadium. Instead of one sweeping stadium seating, this one was more oval and more designed for the immersion of the crowd towards the action in the center. The concession stand, bathrooms, and commentator’s box were all neatly located behind the seating area. This was once a grand stadium when it was open. It’s rare you can explore an empty stadium once teeming with screaming supportive fans, fresh beer, and juicy hot dogs. A few still remain in the United States in Detroit and Ohio. Although, the one in Detroit is to be demolished soon or is already fallen to the demolition crew. This stadium once hosted local football and baseball games but f...
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Popular posts from this blog

Ball & Socket Manufacturing Co. | From Civil War Buttons to an Arts Complex

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This one stings a little. Not every location hands you a story worth telling and then slams the door before you can photograph it, but the Ball & Socket factory had other plans for J and me that day. The cold was the first thing I remember. A sharp Connecticut chill that had absolutely no interest in our ambitions. We worked our way into the inner courtyard, feeling reasonably optimistic, and then hit a wall literally. Locked doors on every side. No entry points that weren't either sealed or watched. The only building we managed to get inside looked less like a historic factory and more like a very long parking garage that had given up on itself. Even the boiler house was off the table. We circled, debated, and eventually made the call that every explorer has to make when a site is still secured and possibly still monitored: we walked. Some days you document. Some days the building wins. We never went back, and before we got a second crack at it, word came down that the complex...
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From Excelsior Needle Co. to Timken: The Rise and Fall of Torrington's Standard Plant

Image
The Standard Plant and a Century of Making Things It was a hot May week in 2023, and J and I were already sweating through our shirts before we even made it to the entrance. We turned into the driveway off North Elm Street and passed a large Caterpillar backhoe holding up the red, white, and blue at the top of the arm. Patriotic machinery. Only in Connecticut. We moved toward the back of the complex with our eyes open, scanning for any sign of people or activity. We found cameras instead. A few of them, well-positioned across one of the buildings and up on an electrical pole, covering angles that made our original entry plan useless. We backed off, found a Plan B, and stepped into a dark room washed in tinted green light, then took the stairs down to ground level. The former Standard Plant sits along North Elm Street at a sunken grade, one story, with another building rising over the roadway to the far right when you're standing in front of it from North Street. It's the kind o...
Read more

Inside the Abandoned Horsman Doll Factory in Trenton

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  You’ve got to move when the chance is right. That’s something I keep telling myself—but just as often, I forget it. Or ignore it. And then I end up learning the same lesson all over again. It happened on a quiet afternoon when I pulled up to the old Horsman Doll factory. The place has long been abandoned, but it still holds stories—ones I try to capture through my lens. The main gate was slightly ajar. Not wide open, but just enough for me to slip through with my gear. It was one of those rare opportunities. But across the street, half-hidden behind a rundown house, a group of men sat drinking and shouting over each other. The kind of scene you don't want to get caught up in—especially alone, carrying expensive camera equipment. I hesitated. I debated. I bailed. My gut told me to walk away, so I did. I figured I could find another way in. I circled the block, hoping for a back entrance or even a broken window low enough to climb through. I found one window that looked possible—bu...
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Diner Dreams and Declines: The Kullman Dining Car Company

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  While exploring the area for a different site, I stumbled upon this abandoned property, marked by a large pile of household refuse and debris from commercial demolitions, improperly discarded. As night began to fall, I hesitated to venture inside alone. This caution might have been fortuitous, for on a subsequent visit to Newark, New Jersey, I discovered a makeshift bed crafted from an oversized couch. It seemed someone might be using this as a makeshift sleeping area, unwittingly inhaling potentially lethal chemicals not meant for human respiration. The entry to this forsaken place was through a semi-open truck loading dock, obstructed by a concrete barrier, presumably to halt further looting of the structure or to deter unethical contractors from dumping their illegal waste under the veil of night. Once an industrial site, this property was marred by environmental pollutants such as metals, paint, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Ninety-one years ago, it was operational before fa...
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Exploring the Abandoned Aerosol Techniques Factory in Milford, CT (Photos)

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When I arrived at the former Aerosol Techniques factory, I was filled with a mix of anticipation and curiosity. Meeting a group of new friends for a day of urban exploration in Connecticut, we had a lineup of intriguing abandoned sites on our agenda. Our itinerary included the hauntingly beautiful Seaside Sanatorium, a former hospital, along with a few other potential spots that we were less certain about. We chose the factory as our starting point, mainly because it offered easy access and was conveniently situated next to a Lowe's hardware store. Walking along a well-trodden path, our group made a seamless transition onto the property. The sense of camaraderie was palpable as we embarked on our adventure with eager enthusiasm. The factory grounds, long deserted, were a canvas for countless graffiti artists. Every inch of the building was adorned with vibrant and eclectic street art, each piece telling its own story. This rich color and creativity set the perfect stage for our imp...
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