At Lock Ridge, iron was produced in the furnaces, but much of the work took place on the surrounding railroad tracks and in nearby outbuildings. At the height of production, three trains operated constantly on the site. A full-size locomotive called the Massasoit carried raw material and pig iron between the furnaces and the main Catasauqua and Fogelsville line. Two smaller donkey engines, the Cinderella and Fairy, ran on narrow gauges in and out of the casting house and back to the slag bank. The three engines were housed in a large engine house that was later disassembled. A number of buildings surrounded the complex, including carpenter and blacksmith shops, where skilled workers labored full time to keep the furnace operating properly. Because iron production was an evolving science requiring trial and error and constant innovation, the workers who repaired and improved the machinery stood at the front lines of that effort. Although most of the outbuildings were demolished, the arched doorways of the carpenter's shop and the foundation of the blacksmith's shop are still visible. Unlike most furnaces of the time, Lock Ridge did not use mules or horses to move materials, making it one of the more modern facilities.
