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Brief History
In 1901, a company called the Franklin Rolling Mill & Foundry Company was organized in Franklin, Pennsylvania. The company, now known as Franklin Industries, is a rail rerolling mill, which means that we 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.
Steel Rolling Process
The furnace used to heat the rails is a Salem, Inc. walking beam furnace; which, as its name implies, "walks" the rails through the furnace. It is capable of heating rail at the rate of 40 tons per hour to a temperature of 2300°F.
The rail is split into three pieces as it passes through the mill. Each piece is rolled through a series of mill stands, which reduce the thickness of the bar while increasing its length and area. It is finally discharged onto a cooling bed, which, as the name implies, cools the bar to approximately 400 °F. It is then sheared or cut to length.
Finishing Process
Once sheared to length, the posts may either be sent to the Highway, Farm, or Merchant Department. Once it enters one of these departments it may be punched using presses varying in pressure from 250 to 800 tons. Then the posts move along to the painting process during which an enamel paint is applied. Our standard paint color is green, but black and brown can also be requested. Also available, is the option to have the posts galvanized or powder coated. Posts may also be sold without holes, paint, or zinc. Please ask about special punchings, lengths, coatings, etc...
