Control Room S (Dusty en Rusty Factory), Belgium

Control Room S lies within a Dusty en Rusty Factory, Belgium. We visited this location just before sunset, during the July 2017 tour of Belgium. I have been unable to pin down exactly when this location closed, but it seems likely it have been closed for between 10 and 15 years.

History of Dusty en Rusty Factory

The areas in my photos are part of a much larger complex, which goes by many names. A common name for this place is Dusty en Rusty Factory. This once part of Belgium’s immense steel industry, this plant produced steel rollers and other components. Primarily these were used in steel mills for processing and rolling steel . Customers would include the rail industry as well as the military.

The Belgium steel industry collapsed in the early 21st Century. Factories were consolidated with other premises, or closed down. As the steel industry faltered, the manufacturing components this factory produced were no longer in demand. As a result this location began to scale back. Eventually the plant closed, likely during the mid-2000s, and so Dusty En Rusty Factory came into existence.

Inside the decaying Dusty & Rusty Factory

The main hall was once filled with machines, but these were removed long before our visit. A few years ago there were part such as steel rollers stored in the large hall, but even those were now gone. The site appears to be in the process of clearing, perhaps before planned demolition. Smashed and crumbling concrete litters the floor, and we had to use ladders to make our way across the room.

The first vintage control room overlooks this Dusty En Rusty Factory; this appears to be the oldest of the three control rooms we explored. The cabin is long and narrow, and a single bank of control panels stand under the window that looks out across the factory floor. The dusty dials would have displayed ampages of connected systems and below these are various mechanical switches and levers.

At the opposite end of the long hall, is the second and most modern control room of the trio. This one features more modern style shiny metal control panels. The control panels feature backlit buttons, in red, blue, yellow and green. There are also computers in this cabin, controlled with mouse and keyboard.

Control Room S – Vintage Control room of an abandoned factory

Control Room S was the highlight of this location. There are two brown wooden consoles in the middle of the room, which remind me instantly of Steampunk Commander control room which we visited earlier in this tour. The walls are a mustard yellow colour, and a large skylight floods the room with natural light.

More recent Damage to the control room

In photos from 2020, there is now clear damage to Control Room S. The black control panel on the wall has been stripped out. Some of the control panels at the side of the room have been smashed, and there are numbers written in yellow spray paint. It appears this may be related to clearing work, rather than acts of vandalism.