Largest dragline left may become a park centerpiece

[CEwriter]

A group called the Harrison Coal and Reclamation Heritage Park is negotiating with Consol Energy to get the 7,000-ton Bucyrus-Erie 1950-B dragline called the Silver Spade and some defunct strip-mine acres for an interpretive park. The object is to showcase the group's collection of old mining equipment and show future generations how significant coal mining has been to Harrison County, OH.

Pretty interesting stuff. Particularly the point about a similar park built in West Mineral, Kan., around another giant stripping shovel called Big Brutus. They say that park attracts 40,000 visitors a year!

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06260/722539-85.stm

L

[digger242j]

It's really odd that this should come up...

Yesterday, I was taliking to a fellow who was telling me about the equipment shows in Brownsville PA that are put on by the National Pike, Steam, Gas and Horse Association. I took a look at their website:http://www.nationalpike.com/. They are affiliated somehow with the HCEA--the Historic Construction Equipment Association. And the HCEA Ohio Valley Chapter is associated with the Harrison Coal and Reclamation Historical Park:
http://www.nesys.org/HCEA/hceaovc.html#news

Thye're the group that's trying to save the Silver Spade. I usually don't buy the newspaper, but I did buy the Post Gazette yesterday, before I had the conversation about the equipment show, but I didn't read it until later, when I read the article CE Writer linked to.

Yesterday morning, I'd never heard of the Silver Spade. By this evening, it's been brought to my attention by three different paths, all totally unrelated. That's just odd... :confused:

I hope they're successful with their museum. :thumbsup

BTW, Ive already penciled in the dates of the Brownsville show on my calendar for next year. That's gotta be way cool... :yup

[Dozerboy]

That's cool

[norrodbh]

Cool !

See that massive extension cord on the Silver Spade ?



I'll have to check out that Brownsville Show. For many years, I have had a standing date where I would meet up with my father at the Pioneer Steam & Gas Engine show up in Crawford County (Meadville)

http://www.little-mountain.com/pioneer/

[CEwriter]

Here's a Toledo paper's short report from yesterday about the HCEA's big digfest over the weekend

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060918/NEWS17/609180361

[CEwriter]

Kieth Haddock's story about the Silver Spade with some interesting statistics, and photos showing the monster at work.

"The behemoth shovel was served by a 7,200-volt trailing cable weighing 20 pounds per foot. On board, AC main driving motors totaling 9,000 horsepower drove DC generators for the shovel's main motions — hoist (8 motors), swing (4 motors) and crowd (2 motors)."

http://www.constructionequipment.com/article/CA6366010.html?text=silver+spade

[345cl]

heres a few pics of the spade,,check out the website for this machine at
www.stripmine.org

[Dusty]

THE BIG OLD IRON is dieing off due to not meeting clean air requirments and to not being PC enough to try to fix
i hope they save it for the future kids to see and relise how it was once done most kids dont even know what a mine is and where power comes from

[MVFD]

THE BIG OLD IRON is dieing off due to not meeting clean air requirments and to not being PC enough to try to fix
i hope they save it for the future kids to see and relise how it was once done most kids dont even know what a mine is and where power comes from


The silver spade was electric...

"The behemoth shovel was served by a 7,200-volt trailing cable weighing 20 pounds per foot. On board, AC main driving motors totaling 9,000 horsepower drove DC generators for the shovel's main motions — hoist (8 motors), swing (4 motors) and crowd (2 motors). The massive weight of the machine was supported on eight crawler track assemblies, each with its own DC motor."

So theres no "emissions" or "clean air" requirements for that machine...

Altho it probley used more power then they could make :lmao

[Dusty]

u know i saw a show on it and forgot that it was plug and play thanks for the info

[MVFD]

not a problem

[CEwriter]

Altho it probley used more power then they could make :lmao

You know, like biodiesel.

Did . . . did I say that out loud? :nono

L

[Dozerboy]

You guys should check out the pic Gallery #9 is of a drag line falling off a highwall and they a several pic of them on there sides. I would have never guessed that there is a rollover risk running a few mil ton drag line...:eek:

[MetalDragon_boy]

The Spade isnt a drag line, shes a strippingshovel... btw I thougt "The Captain" is the largest if the stripping shovels left... has he been scrapped to now?

[CEwriter]

The Spade isnt a drag line, shes a strippingshovel... btw I thougt "The Captain" is the largest if the stripping shovels left... has he been scrapped to now?

Right you are. I apologize for my misuse of the term.

Here's a site I found with lots of information and several photos of The Captain -- http://www.stripmine.org/captain.htm

L

[MetalDragon_boy]

Yes I have seen the stripmine.org, very good site!

[Deas Plant]

Hi, Folks.
The Captain, mentioned above, was a stripping shovel, similar to but MUCH larger than the Silver Spade. At 14,800 tons, it was for some years the largest self-propelled earthmoving machine around. It swung a 110 cu Yd shovel bucket It was destroyed quite a few years ago by a fire that started in its hydraulics.

Next heaviest was Big Muskie at 14,200 tons. Big Muskie was a dragline and many people think of it as the biggest because it swung a 184 Cu yd bucket. Big Muskie was sadly demolished for scrap last year.

[MVFD]

Hi, Folks.
The Captain, mentioned above, was a stripping shovel, similar to but MUCH larger than the Silver Spade. At 14,800 tons, it was for some years the largest self-propelled earthmoving machine around. It swung a 110 cu Yd shovel bucket It was destroyed quite a few years ago by a fire that started in its hydraulics.

Next heaviest was Big Muskie at 14,200 tons. Big Muskie was a dragline and many people think of it as the biggest because it swung a 184 Cu yd bucket. Big Muskie was sadly demolished for scrap last year.


I think you mean to say... The captian swung a 180 Cu Yd bucket
And big muskie has a bucket capacity of 220 Cu yd

[MetalDragon_boy]

And atm the largest is the MAN Takraf RB293 at more than 13,000 metric tons.

http://lkw-stefan.de/galerie/tagebau/Scan000151a.jpg

[Deas Plant]

Hello. MVFD.
With all due respect, what you think I meant to say and what I meant to say are two entirely different things. I meant to say exactly what I said in my previous post. The fact that I said it does not automatically make it right and I am always open to correction - without getting uptight about being shown to be wrong. And I thank you for the correction.

My EX-wife thought she knew better than me what I meant to say, or what I ought to be saying, or how I ought to behave, or who my friends should be. THAT is why she IS my EX-wife.

Hi, MetalDragon Boy.
13,000 metric tonnes converts to 14,330 U.S. tons which would still give the record to The Captain at 14,800 U.S. tons but as you said, 'atm' which I am guessing stands for 'at the moment'. And that is still a pretty fair piece of hardware in any man's language. Thanks for the link.

[MetalDragon_boy]

The machine op weight is over 13000 met tons. Dont know the exact number.

And yes, ATM means "at the moment.

[MVFD]

Hello. MVFD.
With all due respect, what you think I meant to say and what I meant to say are two entirely different things. I meant to say exactly what I said in my previous post. The fact that I said it does not automatically make it right and I am always open to correction - without getting uptight about being shown to be wrong. And I thank you for the correction.

My EX-wife thought she knew better than me what I meant to say, or what I ought to be saying, or how I ought to behave, or who my friends should be. THAT is why she IS my EX-wife.

Hi, MetalDragon Boy.
13,000 metric tonnes converts to 14,330 U.S. tons which would still give the record to The Captain at 14,800 U.S. tons but as you said, 'atm' which I am guessing stands for 'at the moment'. And that is still a pretty fair piece of hardware in any man's language. Thanks for the link.


I wasnt trying to offend you or "know better then you" just trying to correct you. I had watched both machines on Mega Machines on tv one night and thought that your numbers may be a little low. so I started looking for the specs on the machines. it's all good no worries. and Im sorry if it came across a bit offensive.

If you put The Captain beside Big Muskie, the captain would looks small beside BM with out a doubt. the captain just happens to be a smaller heavy weight then BM.

But then they are two completly diffferent machines as well. no doubt they are both monsters!!! in any terms.

[MetalDragon_boy]

Hmm she didnt make it.. they are scrapping the Silver Spade this week. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

From Don Campbell model (http://www.doncampbellmodels.com/index.html) site:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/375573858_fb38b435e0_o.jpg

"Here is the last picture Steve Netta took last year of the working Silver Spade. A couple months later it broke down and Consol Energy decided to pull the plug and scrap it.
Steve is a member of the ( HCRHP), Harrison Coal Reclamation and Historical Park . They have restored several old mining machines over the years. They tried to buy the Silver Spade and the bank approved the funds for just under 3/4 of a million dollars. But Consol Energy came back and decided the reclamation of the ground around it and the scrap value of the steel was $2.5 Million.
They did get to buy the 105 yd bucket and they think they will get to buy the cab. Hopefully they will also get to buy one of the crawlers.

The first of this week the demolition crew cut the 105 yard bucket off it. By the end of this week they are supposed to use explosives on the gantry and bring down the massive boom. Steve said they did their best to try to purchase it and said it is very sad to see it get cut up."

[345cl]

well we all new it was coming,,i seen the first picture of her today,,,very sad site to see
picture from stripmine.org

[Ross]

EDIT ... Check out the date ... My Bad .. :beatsme

[1570BEGrdman]

You guys should check out the pic Gallery #9 is of a drag line falling off a highwall and they a several pic of them on there sides. I would have never guessed that there is a rollover risk running a few mil ton drag line...:eek:

I run the bench dozer for a 4000 ton 1570 BE dragline, and I've seen it slide around just like a car on ice. If a little bit of mud gets under the tub it'll spiin real easy. It'll walk over mud no prolem, but you need to give yourself walking room to drag the mud off of the tub before digging. You do that by skimming the mud off the bench about a 100ft before u get to your dig face. The bench that dragline was on was not sloping away from the highwall like need be. They don't slide uphill. ;);)

[Digger Dan]

The machine op weight is over 13000 met tons. Dont know the exact number.

And yes, ATM means "at the moment.

Is that with the operator:D