Industrial Brick Production III – Tilting the Clay Wagon

Brick production was of great importance in the Lippe area in Germany. The Brick Factory Beerman in Sylbach was one of the many production sites in the area. Opened in 1909 the factory did not introduce machines for industrial brick production until 1922. However, after the factory had changed from coal to oil as energy source, oil prices went up within the oil crisis. The factory had to close in 1979.
By 2001 the former factory has been bought, restored and turned into a museum by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen Lippe. Today the historic machines of the brick factory Beermann are running once more. The industrial process of making bricks can be explored during special presentations at the museum. These presentations include all processes within industrial brick production – from clay mining and transport over rolling and pressing to drying of the blanks and firing. This recording was made during such a public presentation of industrial brick production.
When the clay-filled wagons have arrived on the second floor of the brick factory, they have to be tilted to put the clay into the box feeder. From the box feeder the clay moves downwards onto a conveyor belt and into the edge runner where it is rolled. In this recording you can hear two employees from the museum tilt the wagon and shovel the clay into the box feeder.

Sound: Lukas Rabl (The University of Applied Sciences Dortmund)
Photo/Video: Kathinka Engels