Bucyrus Mod. 50-B

[tamrock]

This old steam powered beast sits at the Mining Museum in Nederland, Colorado. A true survivor that once had a hand in one the greatest construction project of the 20th century.

 

[Mudflap]

Neat pic and info! Years ago watched a steam shovel at work at the National Pike Steam Gas and Horse Association in PA. Couldn't get over how quiet they were. With the steam engine all you heard was the shovel scraping the dirt and up close the water boiling in the boiler.

 

[creskol]

That's a big 'un!! Very cool post..Thanks for that!

 

[Mattock]

Cool piece of history there I like seeing them and the old dredges..

 

[Jim in Idaho]

I think of the awesome skill required to know which cable drum operated which part of the assembly. Much more skill than operating a modern backhoe, or shovel. Also, I imagine they operated a lot slower than hydraulic excavators.
Jim

 

[tamrock]

I think of the awesome skill required to know which cable drum operated which part of the assembly. Much more skill than operating a modern backhoe, or shovel. Also, I imagine they operated a lot slower than hydraulic excavators.
Jim

Around the summer of 1973, I worked as a helper for a small pipeline contractor in Iowa and they dug the trench with a Unit Mfg.excavator. Indeed that operator was a busy fella yanking those levers. I remember he'd take the outer break shoes often to be re-lined down to some shop in Des Moines every now and then. At the mine I worked at we used what's called slushers which is basically a drag line without a mast to muck out the draw points. They re-lined the shoes on those in a shop onsite....

 

[A2coins]

Now thats a dinasour