Bessemer in Pueblo in Pueblo County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Rail Manufacturing
| — | Steelworks Center of the West | — |
Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 11, 2025
1. Rail Manufacturing Marker
During the steelmaking process, manganese, carbon and other elements are added to scrap steel which is heated in a brick lined ladle to around 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit by an intense electrical current. From there, the molten metal flows into molds that cast the steel into long continuous blocks known as blooms. Acetylene torches cut the blooms into manageable 10 foot lengths which by this point have cooled significantly. A crane then transfers the blooms to a reheating furnace where the bloom is reheated, softening the steel for future shaping.
The hot bloom, now soft and malleable, enters a rolling mill consisting of large rollers that press and squeeze the steel as it passes back and forth several times. The intense pressure from the rollers elongates the bloom, quadrupling its original length. In the 1970s, blooms were passed through rolling machines as many as 28 times.
For the final shaping into a railway rail, each bloom enters a new set of rollers that form the sides and head of the steel into a recognizable T-shaped rail. A large shear cuts about 11 inches off the end of the rail to remove any
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The rail section, manufacturer, and rolling date are then stamped into one side of the rail. Controlled cooling of the newly formed rail is conducted over several hours. After cooling, the rails are run through a rail roller straightener. After the rail straightener process, the rail is then inspected one final time and shipped to the customer.
Since the mid-1970s, the Pueblo steel mill has made around one million tons of steel each year entirely from recycled scrap steel, making the facility the largest recycler in Colorado.
Citations
Top: Blooms are rolled in a rolling mill to the desired dimensions and cooled with water sprays, 1921.
Bottom: Rails straightened using high pressure conditions, ca 1960s.
Funded by the Levert W. Hoag Foundation, artifacts provided by Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel
Erected by Steelworks Center of the West.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1921.
Location. 38° 14.312′ N,
Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 11, 2025
2. Rail Manufacturing Marker
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley and in the Front Range. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Comanchería and also the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: 1950s Allen Mine (a few steps from this marker); The Colorado Fuel & Iron Company (a few steps from this marker); Ore Carts (a few steps from this marker); 130 Ton Ladle (a few steps from this marker); 10 Ton Ladle (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of YMCA #2 (within shouting distance of this marker); Karymor (within shouting distance of this marker); The Mormon Battalion (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pueblo.
Also see . . . Steelworks Park. (Submitted on August 13, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 96 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 13, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
