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  1. #1
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    Default World's Largest Round Vault Door

    Did a job there a couple of days ago and found a couple pictures I hadn't seen before. Doug
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails VaultDoor002.jpg   VaultDoor004.jpg  

  2. #2
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    How thick is that door? 3 ft? 4?

  3. #3
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    Is it 5 feet?

    If Doug's right on the doorstep in Cleveland and gets to work there (lucky lucky man!) then he's got to know for sure-

    I spent ages researching a few years back- there's not that many pics on the net. Although it was de-commissioned a while back and it's open to 'tourist' visits, I get the impression that they still won't allow any photography at all, as apart from a couple of 'official' color pics the majority are old black and white shots from the 40s and 50s.

    I also found the facts and figures varied quite a bit- I think the FRB's official site puts the door at 5 feet thick and about 100 tons in total, with the hinges. Other sites say 47 tons for the hinge and 40 tons for the door casting prior to machining, which leaves a big question mark, as how 'hollowed' was the casting in order to allow for the in-fill of the laminations and barrier materials they typically used- And, how much additional weight would they add etc. Plus, most vault doors (or strongrooms as they tend to be called here in the UK) are usually given as overall weight including the frame, so again there's massive scope for variation.

    Anyway, looking forward to Doug's answer, and in the meantime I discovered this picture appeared on the net only days ago-
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails CFRB door closed.jpg  

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    Huw Eastwood's Avatar
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    And while on the subject of the 'World's Largest Round Vault Door', is this the 'World's Smallest Version of the World's Largest Round Vault Door'? Lol
    Doesn't get worn very often, but on days of Maximum Vaultage I occasionally hang it around me neck
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails P8100070.JPG  

  5. #5
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    Oh, I can see you are going to be very popular on here, at least with some of us. The door plug is 4 feet and 5 feet overall. Just the emergency door, hinge and jamb is 100 tons and I think I have a photo of that. I believe the main door, hinge and jamb is 300 tons in total. It seems every time I do a job there I forget my camera, but I don't foresee any problems of getting some photos. It is a very impressive door in person. Doug

  6. #6
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    Here's a construction image and most of the related text from a book "Monuments to Money" which is a history of bank architecture.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    (You may need to save the image and view it outside your browser's attempt to show it, to get the best readability and image quality).

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug MacQueen View Post
    Just the emergency door, hinge and jamb is 100 tons and I think I have a photo of that.
    A photo of the emergency door would be very nice. I've never found one in books or on the Web.

  8. #8
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    A 1950 16mm movie about the Cleveland Fed is on YouTube in two parts:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IqpCFTDo_M

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPl8uf8Q-w8

    After the introduction, the first part shows the vault door being opened. At the end of the second part, the door is shown being closed.

    Note that the combination locks are mounted to the door frame rather than the door, which was a hallmark of Remington & Sherman. This is a York door, suggesting it was built after York acquired R&S.
    Last edited by wylk; 10-08-13 at 08:28 PM. Reason: Added description of closing at end of second part.

  9. #9
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    That is really a HUGE vault door! Is this one the same:

    Max, I would kill for that necklace :D
    Mind if I post that in a jewellery forum? With your permission.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 001.Huge Vault Door.jpg  

  10. #10
    Huw Eastwood's Avatar
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    Great stuff guys!

    This just keeps getting better.................

    Thanks for confirming the door thickness Doug- I'd often wondered if the reputed 5 foot was 'overall' thickness, or just the 'slab' or protective 'plug' thickness.

    I've attached a few pics- First ones often said to be the Cleveland FRB Emergency door, but although it all looks right I'm not 100% certain. I've seen it included with pics of a main door which is very similar to the CFRB, but slightly different pattern.

    NB: Check out the number of fixing studs on the top hinge carriage of any pics you find- the Cleveland door has 10, whereas there are several similar, but slightly thinner doors with 8. They are still massive doors, and look identical, it's only when you get picky with the details that the differences become apparent.

    The second pic is of what again is supposedly the CFRB door being machined at York's on the vertical turret lathe. From this shot it looks spot-on for the door in question, but it could be one of the other similar, slightly thinner doors.

    Third pic is probably right- when closed the crane hinge covers the bottom carriage fixings and obscures them from view.

    Dicey- that side-on pic of the door is awesome- really puts it all in perspective!

    Wylk- Going over to Utube now to look at those vids- Look's like Christmas has come early for me this year..............

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cleveland FRB Emergency Door.jpg   Cleveland FRB on Turret Mill.jpg   Cleveland door at factory.jpg  

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