It’s not every day a GEM boilermaker gets to work on a historic boiler that was built for the first World’s Fair, the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia. GEM Boilermaker Superintendent Steve Ginley from the 91Ď㽶app Northeast Ohio office, recently had that honor.
Ginley, along with other members of Boilermakers Local 744 in Akron, dismantled the 150-horsepower water-tube Babcock & Wilcox boiler so it could be transported to the new International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Headquarters and Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. B&W donated the artifact to the museum earlier this year.
“As a Boilermaker, it was exciting to work on this historically significant boiler,” Ginley said. “It’s an honor to be a part of this project and to have it displayed at our international headquarters.” The boiler, which was powered by a 600-ton Corliss steam engine, established B&W as the world’s pre-eminent industrial and utility boiler maker in the world.