Fig. 46 shows the several mills for shaping railroad or street-car rails. These are three-high mills.

Fig. 46. - Rail Mill.

The blooming mill first breaks the ingot down to about 8 x 8 inches, the hydraulic shears cuts off the discard at the ends, and the ramainder of the bloom is then rolled by the mills shown in the view.

Quick handling and several mills are necessary to get the rail shaped before it loses its redness, as it is shaped completely without reheating. The bloom passes back and forth through one set of rolls five times, is carried along the roller table to another set, which it passes through five times and then it passes once through the finishing rolls which merely smooth its surface.

These rolls are held the same distance apart throughout the entire operation, and the passes in them give the desired shape to the rail. When the ingot is rolled out into a rail it is something over 165 feet long - 5 rails of 33 feet each. This length is sawed hot by steel circular saws, shown at 8 in Fig. 46, so that when each rail is cold it measures 33 feet in length.