The General Iron Works History Page

Some History

Tommy,

I worked for Stearns-Roger from 1975 to 1985 with the manufacturing group and was involved directly with General Iron Works (GIW). We did a lot of projects over the years that were unique. GIW had the largest manufacturing capability west of the Mississippi until you reached the west coast. We were able to pour up to 100,000# iron castings. In the machine shop our Pit Lathe, which was dug into the ground, could machine a 14' dia x 40' long part. We had one of the best rotary dryer design on the market, because we would put the whole unit into that pit lathe and machine all the running surfaces in one set-up. The Froreip had a 22' rotary table and could turn up to a 25' diameter part. The Niles Planner mill at the north end of the machine shop was big enough to machine the top, sides and ends of a bus in one set-up. We also had our own Pattern Shop to make all the wood patterns for the parts that were poured in the foundry.

		A 100 ton crane in the Plate Shop, we have shipped 200 ton vessels out of there too.
		Shop was certified to build vessels to the following code - ASME Section VIII, Section III, Section I, and qualified under - NAVSHIPS, ANSI, API, AWWA, PFI, Nuclear and more.
		We built the Boving Circulating Water Pumps for the reactors at the domestic nuclear plants, which were approximately 150,000 GPM in size.
		In the Tube Shop as it was called, we built the nuclear fuel handling equipment that would move the fuel rods to and from the reactor. It was set up in a whole different area from the rest of the plant, because all the equipment had to be stainless steel and couldn't be contaminated by contact with carbon steel or iron materials. When the property was sold to RTD they put the state of the art rail maintenance facility on that site, and also some other light rail maintenance buildings.
		We built much of the process equipment used at the beet sugar plants in the USA, with Stearns being involved in the design of them.
		We have rotary dryers and other process equipment operating in industries like - sugar, corn, foods, power, minerals, mining, metallurgical, steel, pharmaceutical, aerospace, waste management, fuels & materials, gas processing, nuclear, wood, pulp & paper, site clean-up, pollution abatement, and many more. At some point in time, we have probably been involved in some way with almost every manufacturing industry.

There is such a vast history in GIW and Stearns-Roger that it boggles the mind, and it was a tragedy that it was closed down by Air Products & Chemicals, for no real good reason, other than internal politics on their part, it was in need of upgrades to the plant to meet new manufacturing industry standards, but with it's unique capability, it could have withstood the costs associated with making those improvements.

Photos included within the previous letter, were contributed by Roger.

GIW designed and manufactured an enormity of industrial parts for customers.

I ( Tom Fleet ) 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. Just to the south, was a Niles planer, that had a table that was I think about 10 feet wide (or more), 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. Besides the previously mentioned 100 Ton overhead crane, the Plateshop housed perhaps a 35 ton overhead crane, 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.

GIW Before it's Destruction

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