July 10, 2007 — Consolidated Engineering Co. reports it has a new contract to build and install a roller-hearth normalizing furnace for Union Tank Car Co., Sheldon, TX. The Houston-area company designs and builds specialized railcars, and plans to add normalizing heat treatment to its in-house operations.

According to Kennesaw, GA-based CEC, the new furnace will be designed to operate at 1,700ºF. It will be outfitted with cast, special-alloy rolls to convey products up to 150 in. wide through the furnace. A heavy-duty roller conveyor will be included, too.

Union Tank Car is a Marmon Group company, and together with that group owns a fleet of approximately 85,000 railcars. It has manufacturing facilities in East Chicago, IN, Alexandria, LA, and Sheldon, and operates a network of repair shops, lining shops, and on-site repair locations.

Following the June 2006 opening of its new plant to manufacture non-pressurized tanks in Alexandria, LA, the expansion in Texas will allow Union Tank to increase its production of pressurized cars.