Franklin
Franklin Rolling Mill
In 1901, Franklin Rolling Mill & Foundry Company was founded in Franklin, PA. Right in the middle of Steel Country.
The company, now known as Franklin Industries, is a rail rerolling mill, which means that they reroll used rails from the railroad and heat them to roll a wide variety of products. Rail steel is a high quality steel due to the exacting chemical and physical specifications under which the original railroad rail was produced.
FRANKLIN IND. GETS FEATURED IN THE MARCH ’23 ISSUE OF TRAINS
The article highlights how Franklin Industries transforms old railroad steel into products for everyday use. An overview of the milling process is also included in the article.
*https://franklinindustriesco.com/franklin-ind-featured-in-mar-23-trains-issue/
Image photography
By Viktor Macha in 2005.
Plant facts and figures
The plant have an annual capacity of 500000 tons.
The following processes are conducted in the plant:
- Rolling mill
This plant produces the following type of products:
- Billets
- Slabs
Full description
Not far from Oil City (Pennsylvania), where the first commercial oil in the USA was discovered in 1859, a sleepy town called Franklin can be found. What makes it special is without any doubts local rolling mill. Former “Franklin Rolling Mill & Foundry Company” was founded in 1901, today one of very few rail rerolling companies worldwide.
After cutting an old rail into three pieces the hot steel is rolled simultaneously side by side in three 12 Inch mills driven by exotic driving engine “Crocker Wheeler”. The final products are rods and highway or utility signs.