Bethlehem in Northampton County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Charging Machine
What is it?
| | Machine Bio | |
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 30, 2024
1. Charging Machine Marker
Loaded open hearth and electric arc furnaces with scrap metal to be melted down into steel
Who made it?
Wellman Engineering Co., circa early 1940's
Who used it?
Built for use in the Bethlehem Plant's No. 1 Open Hearth Shop,
later renamed the Electric Furnace Melting Department in 1955
What did it do?
This type of machine ran on rails parallel to a row of furnaces and picked up boxes of scrap, alloys, and slag-making materials from the narrow gauge railroad. It features a long arm that travels forward and rotates to empty the boxes into the furnace. It would repeat this process until the furnace was full.
Donated by Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Erected by National Museum of Industrial History.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1955.
Location. 40° 36.771′ N, 75° 22.194′ W. Marker is in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in Northampton County. It is at the intersection of 3rd Street and Pierce Street, on the left when traveling east on 3rd Street. Marker is in Foundry Park, near the National Museum of Industrial History. Touch for map.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Lehigh Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Steel Production (here, next to this marker); Hoisting Engine No. 1 (here, next to this marker); Electric Arc Furnace (here, next to this marker); Bending Press (here, next to this marker); Ladles (here, next to this marker); Ingot Mold (a few steps from this marker); "Dinky" Locomotive (a few steps from this marker); Forging & Finished Products (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bethlehem.
Also see . . . National Museum of Industrial History. (Submitted on July 11, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 30, 2024
2. Charging Machine and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 194 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 11, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
