extreme machine

[Bronzekeg]

on display is all that remains of the world's largest dragline, is the strip mining bucket. known as the big muskie operated by central ohio coal company. it is located in s.e. ohio on scenic state route 78. the stairs in the photo give an idea the scale of the teeth and volume of the bucket. the rest of the equiptment was disassembled and sold as scrap metal. when operational it walked to mine locations.

[1930fordpickup]

That is a big bucket. My house might fit inside of it.

[Roger U]

Wow, that is big. 

[1930fordpickup]

Is that by Perry State forest?

[Zen]

How do you build something that massive? In sections?

[Ace-Garageguy]

It makes me sad to see fantastic machines like this dismantled and sold for scrap, with the remains exhibited as curiosities.

EDIT: Particularly because this country, the US of A, pretty much no longer has the industrial capability to make anything like them. China has DOUBLE the industrial output of the US today, and America's output is primarily motor vehicles, aircraft and aerospace products, and other relatively small things...plus, we buy in a large percentage of materials and parts and subassemblies rather than making the stuff here.

Sure, massive machines may not be useful today for any number or reasons (not all of them rational), but we're in danger of forgetting our heavy-industrial heritage in an age where the perception is increasingly becoming that past generations were backwards and incompetent, and that anything that can't be done from a phone app isn't worth doing.

These industrial artifacts are every bit as worthy of "historical preservation" as any piece of great art or architecture.

A society that has no understanding of its past is likely to fumble its future.

The last 2 (of about 80 built) Hulett ore unloaders, once slated for reassembly and preservation, have been cut up for scrap as well. Designed in the late 1800s, they worked continuously from 1912 up through 1992...and without them (or something similar that made rapid unloading and transfer of huge quantities of iron and other ore possible), much of America as we knew it, the America whose unmatched industrial capacity was largely responsible for saving the rest of the free world in two major global wars, might never have developed.

 

Edited October 11, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy
CLARITY

[Ace-Garageguy]

23 hours ago, Zen said:

How do you build something that massive? In sections?

Yes.

There are multiple massive steel castings, sometimes joined by very special welding processes.

The building of these fantastic machines is fascinating, if you're into that kind of thing.

Note the size of the rest of the machine relative to the size of the bucket in the OP's post (lower right, photo below).

Remember...this thing could move to different work sites under its own power

Edited October 12, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Mike 1017]

I would Luv to see a video about how that thing was made.

Mike

[Matt Bacon]

They weren’t exactly “sprightly”… I watched “Big Geordie” moving when I was a kid, about 50 years ago. It was a big deal taking a “step”!

This 20-minute film is about the largest one in Western Europe:

https://www.yfanefa.com/record/24662

It does show how it was built…

Enjoy!

best,

M.

Edited October 11, 2024 by Matt Bacon

[Ace-Garageguy]

44 minutes ago, Mike 1017 said:

I would Luv to see a video about how that thing was made.

There's no shortage of internet and YT rabbit holes you can go down, eventually leading to the kind of thing you want.

This one isn't so much about building massive machines, but it presents various starting points for more research.

 

[johnyrotten]

One of the machinist I watch on YouTube did a video where he visited this. Abom79.  Absolutely massive machines, he pointed out that the hills around the area are actually the tailings piles. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Understanding how steel is made from ore or scrap is fundamental to understanding how massive machines are made. The casting process for making huge components is also required knowledge to "get it".

The video below, while not great, gives some insight into casting and finishing massive machine parts.

 

[rattle can man]

There is an intact, but retired Bucyrus Erie in KS. If you ever come through, check it out. much more interesting than the World's Largest Ball of Twine.  Big Brutus, Inc. – Dedicated To The Mining Heritage of Southeast Kansas.

But I can't say if it is more interesting than The World' Largest Collection of the Smallest Versions of the Largest Things since I haven't been there yet

[Ace-Garageguy]

7 minutes ago, rattle can man said:

...But I can't say if it is more interesting than The World' Largest Collection of the Smallest Versions of the Largest Things since I haven't been there yet

I do have two 1/87 (HO) scale models of the Hulett ore unloaders.  

[Matt Bacon]

There is this, of course:

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-08813-bucket-wheel-excavator-schaufelradbagger-289--178045

...you might have to do a bit of forced perspective on that corner of your layout, but it would be pretty dramatic background scenery...

I can only assume that back in the day, Revell Germany was either contracted to produce promotional models of this beast, or bought the tooling from someone who was. It kinda makes sense with this: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-08803-off-shore-oilrig-north-cormorant--939870

best,

M.

Edited October 11, 2024 by Matt Bacon

[slusher]

23 hours ago, Bronzekeg said:

on display is all that remains of the world's largest dragline, is the strip mining bucket. known as the big muskie operated by central ohio coal company. it is located in s.e. ohio on scenic state route 78. the stairs in the photo give an idea the scale of the teeth and volume of the bucket. the rest of the equiptment was disassembled and sold as scrap metal. when operational it walked to mine locations.

Amazing, would love too see in person..

[Bronzekeg]

I got to see it operate in the 60's. usually it was off limits to the public along with the haul roads because of tnt blasting zones. their used to be miles of coal conveyer belts that ran to the power house that has since been demolished. after big muskie was demolished they ran 2 ninety nine coal car trains per day to the power house. it's all just a memory now, shame.

[Bronzekeg]

On 10/11/2024 at 1:51 AM, 1930fordpickup said:

Is that by Perry State forest?

no, it sits between Caldwell and McConnelsville on rt.78 off of I77. it is now AEP recreational lands.

[1930fordpickup]

Thanks for that info. 

We road 3 wheelers in the old strip mine at Perry State Forest.  Road for 2 days and only repeated trails we liked. That is a large area to rides also. This was in summer of 1985. 

.

[rattle can man]

Riding in old mining areas can be dangerous. I grew up in a coal mining region in PA. between drownings in old strip-mining pits and people, vehicles, and even homes disappearing into abandoned mineshafts a lot of people have died.

[Bronzekeg]

21 hours ago, rattle can man said:

Riding in old mining areas can be dangerous. I grew up in a coal mining region in PA. between drownings in old strip-mining pits and people, vehicles, and even homes disappearing into abandoned mineshafts a lot of people have died.

they had to drain the old strip pits with high walls because of drownings. it's a shame the fishing used to be great.

[rattle can man]

And to make things worse, they buried hazardous chemicals in the pits as backfill or just dumped them down old mine shafts. But it is of the unmapped, unknown old mine shafts with timber supports from almost two centuries ago that are the scariest. you never know when and where a collapse might happen.

[Bugatti Fan]

Large engineering projects.   The Industrial Revolution started in Victorian Gt Britain and the industrial might of the USA followed on shortly after.   Now it is the Chinese who are an industrial manufacturing force to be reckoned with with an expanding military to go with it.

Just heard that the Chinese have a train that is capable of 300mph coming into service between Beijing and Shanghai.

Over here in jolly old England we are building another high speed train line between London an the North of the country, with people still arguing the toss about will it terminate at London Euston or a few miles out, and some of the more northerly projected part of it past Birmingham postponed due to rising costs and delays.  What a farce ! Postponement only means that it will be ludicrously more expensive when it is decided to do the northern sections again. It beggars belief !

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

28 minutes ago, Bugatti Fan said:

...Over here in jolly old England we are building another high speed train line between London an the North of the country, with people still arguing the toss about will it terminate at London Euston or a few miles out, and some of the more northerly projected part of it past Birmingham postponed due to rising costs and delays.  What a farce ! Postponement only means that it will be ludicrously more expensive when it is decided to do the northern sections again. It beggars belief !

Between the NIMBYs and the politicos and the graft and the grifters, it's amazing anything ever gets done anymore.

Oh wait...not much actually does.  

[Big John]

I've always wanted to go to  the Mine Expo show here in the states. Really want to do the setup and see how they get these beasts into the expo hall.