The General Iron Works History Page



Attempting to find some kind of website dedicated to the old General Iron Works Company, I found nothing exclusive.
I therefore determined to begin one of my own.






Some History


Vulcan Iron Works at the foot of the Colfax Viaduct, consolidating with Stearns-Roger, and the Dorr Company, became the General Iron Works and moved to 601 West Bates Avenue, Englewood, Colorado, sometime around the early 1900s.

GIW designed and manufactured an enormity of industrial parts for customers that were shipped throughout the United States.

I was employed by the General Iron Works Company from 1979 to 1983. I have fond memories of my job there as a maintenance electrician, and I sure hated to see it eventually demolished.

When I was first employed there, I only heard of Stearns-Roger as being the owner of GIW.

In 1982, Air Products (a leading engineering and construction services company based in Denver, Colorado) acquired Stearns-Roger Corporation (while I was employed there).

Sometime around the new millennium, Barton Supply acquired at least a portion of the plant, and began repairs that had been neglected since the plants' near closure around the 1990s. Just prior and perhaps during the occupation of Barton Supply, I had heard of an operation that restored rail cars using portions of the plant.

In 2000, RTD selected the General Iron Works site in Englewood as the preferred location for their new light rail train maintenance facility. The land was obtained in 2001 and demolition of the General Iron Work structures occurred in early 2002.

There was a foundry on the west side of the plant, that had two electric furnaces with which to pour iron castings. I recall at least one major overhead crane, that was perhaps rated at 25 tons, as well as several side bay overhead cranes. To the west of the foundry, was an outdoor scrapyard, that was managed by a large orange gantry crane (which could be easily seen along the adjacent stretch of South Santa Fe Drive which was further to the West), that rode along train rails the length of the yard. I recall having to cross the catwalk, and strike the trolley pickup wires with a long wooden stick, while leaning over the upper track, to knock off the ice that would collect on them, which would prevent operation in the winter. An operator in the cab would have the controls engaged, so when the pickup shoes made connection to the wires, the trolley and hoist would begin moving, so it was a bit dangerous at times. Anyway, the gantry crane would charge the furnace hoppers with scrap steel, through a set of doors that would slide upward along the roof near the furnaces.

On the East side of the foundry, was the Machine shop, which was among the largest of the buildings, and was partially separated from the foundry by walkways through corridors between them. The machine shop had two major overhead cranes that were rated around 25 tons each, and which could travel the entire span North to South. Every now and then, these cranes, and ones in the Plate shop, would be operated in tandem, due to the size, and weight of some of the products, such as enormous vessels. There were numerous smaller overhead cranes rated about 5 tons each that stretched along both side bays. In the North East corner, was a massive vertical boring mill built by Froriep (German I think), that was so large, that it was sunken below the ground level about 6 feet. The table was at least 15 feet in diameter, and possibly as much as double that. Just to the south, was a Niles planer, that had a table that was I think about 10 feet wide, and 20 feet long (it could have been much larger a well). I was involved in the installation of a very large vertical boring mill on the south end, called the Rafamet, which was made in Poland. Next to it, was a lathe that was perhaps 40 feet long or more. I recall being told, that during World War II, it was used to turn propeller shafts for battleships. I had to rewire the entire control panel for it, when it caught fire once. One of the newest machines was a large Burgmaster mill, that was CNC controlled.

A walkway and railroad tracks stretched the length of a corridor that separated the Machine shop from the buildings just to the East of it, which housed the Forge shop to the south of the Power House, which supplied the electrical power, steam, and compressed air throughout the plant. To the north of the Power House, was a separate building which was the Maintenance shop.

Emblem Decal


Another walkway through a corridor, separated the Plate shop to the East of the Power house. The Plateshop housed two 35 ton overhead cranes, and three 25 ton overhead cranes, and a couple 15 ton overhead crane (if I recall all of them correctly). I recall rewiring one of the smaller cranes as it had been purchased from elsewhere. There were also numerous smaller side bay overhead cranes. The plate shop had a set of doors on the North end, that would allow the larger cranes to travel outdoors. An attached high bay could be seen as a landmark for miles around. At one time I was told, one of the cranes was set on rails along the top of the highbay. I went up the ladder to the top once, and I still have a hard time imagining what it must have been like to work on it then. Working 40 feet above ground would sometimes spook me, but double, or triple that, would downright petrify me. How some guys can do it effortlessly, I'll never know. Anyway, I also recall a set of rolls that would roll at least 4 inch (if not larger) square steel into huge rings. Some of the vessels built in the Plate shop were large enough to drive vehicles through. To the North of the Plate shop, was an annealing oven, which traveled on rails (including it's control room) to open or close. It seems that most of it's problem times, were on freezing cold days.

Connecting the Foundry, Machine Shop, and the Plate shop, was a building that stretched along the south of them all (East-West). It housed a portion of the plate shop on the East end, and the Shipping and Receiving department on the West end.. Two about 15 ton rated cranes spanned this building. It housed a panagraph plasma cutter to the East, and a Wheelabrator (automated shotblast machine) to the West. Just North of this building, starting about the East side of the Machine shop, and stretching to the West side of the Foundry, was an overhead passageway, that paralleled an old conveyor system, and which could overlook operations both in the Machine shop, and Foundry. Connected to this building, and just to the south of it, were the main offices, and the shower rooms.

On the Southern border, and to the West of the Guard Shack at the main gate, stretched the massive main Pattern Storage building. It was filled with what seemed to be miles of passages and shelves containing patterns for the foundry.

Of course the plant was riddled with offices, and storage sheds almost surrounded the perimeters. There was also another Pattern Storage building across the street from the plant to the East. The Personnel offices were across the street from the front gate. Throughout the plant, were radiators, that heated the plant with steam during the winters. I recall the installation of ceiling fans across the top of the Machine shop, to help cool things down in the summer. A dedicated yard locomotive, would manage the movement of all the rail cars that would often be used for shipments and deliveries throughout the plant. To the North of the plant, was a set of smaller buildings, that was called the Tube shop, although owned by Stearns-Roger, was separate from GIW, however we occassionally would work on their hoists. I have an old list of sidebay overhead crane information, that indicates GIW had about 40 of them (not to mention all the hoists, and jib cranes).

One website referring to the old General Iron Works, describes it as a foundry, and a collection of rusty green tin warehouses. Speculation on the author's part is partially true, but it was certainly much more than just a foundry, and although it appeared as just a collection of rusty green tin warehouses, there was far more structure to it than that, and I am sure it was as stout or stronger than most constructed buildings nowadays. Elsewhere, General Iron Works is referred to as a steel mill, although I am not aware of it ever having been a mill.



The General Iron Works Demolition Page        




GIW Before it's Destruction

Aerial View of the Plant A Typical Letter Aerial View of the Plant


Many views and pictures of the plant before it's destruction:


Outdoor Views:

North Side         East Side         West Side         South Side         Corridors

Specific Shop and Building Views:

Guard Shack         Pattern Storage         Pattern Shop         Machine Shop        

Plate Shop         Foundry         Forge Shop         Warehouse





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