1942 Northwest 78D

[Red Rob]

Managed to save this dragline from the muskeg up at Rainbow Lake, Ab. quite a few years ago now. It's currently resting safely near Manning, Ab; awaiting some love. It has a 60 ft boom with a dredge bucket and a Murphy motor.
Cannot find any info on the 78's, does anyone have any thoughts as to where I might look??
Thanks,
Robert.

 

[72hayes]

I sent you a PM with a couple of names to try in Alberta.
Also check out the HCEA, they sell some great books on Northwest by Folsom and Torres.
Is it a runner?
Doug

 

[Red Rob]

Sorry Doug, did not receive any PM on this end.
I've posted questions a few times over the years on the HCEA site with little success I'm afraid.
Yes, the old girl runs well and she almost climbed out of the peat bog she was in on her own, despite having sunk to the table. Quite an amazing sight to see, just a little tug with a bed truck was all that was needed to get her up and level again.
I'm told a pair of these went up to the Snare River dam project north of Yellowknife in the early 40's, one was sold afterwards and this one was kept to dredge behind the dam as needed.
Not much else in known.
Thanks for your response, perhaps try that PM again??
Regards,
Robert.

 

[kshansen]

I know modern equipment has many advantages over those 1942's machines but I really doubt anyone will be starting a 2015 machine in 2088 and walking it out of a peat bog.

 

[Buckethead]

Cannot find any info on the 78's, does anyone have any thoughts as to where I might look??
Thanks,
Robert.

http://gerhartmachinery.com/ They still rebuild Northwests, if anyone would know information or have parts for your Northwest, it's them. Also try Historical Construction Equipment Association. http://www.hcea.net/

 

[old-iron-habit]

I know modern equipment has many advantages over those 1942's machines but I really doubt anyone will be starting a 2015 machine in 2088 and walking it out of a peat bog.

I agree. Chances are they will all have burned up from electrical fires and there won't be any to even try.

 

[digger242j]

Sorry Doug, did not receive any PM on this end.

Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums, Red Rob.

You need to get past the "probationary member" stage to use the PM system. Just make one more post, and the software will promote you to full membership status.

And good luck with that machine. We'd love to see some pictures.

 

[Red Rob]

Many thanks to all for your thoughts and information, it's comforting to know there are like minded souls out there to help keep these dinosaurs alive.
The old Northwest has a younger stablemate, a 1952 Link Belt-Speeder LS 68 which I use once in a while to dredge dug-outs.
I get a tickle when folks in their cars park along the roadsides to watch the old girl swing back and forth, gently doing her thing. Some just can't understand how a bucket dangling on the end of a rope can dig hole.
The brighter souls know to just sit quietly, watch and learn.
It's a beautiful thing....

 

[Tugger]

Glad to see your preserving these great old pieces of iron Red Rob.I like the coments about the new stuff in 2088,somecomputer hacker will probly shut them down before then.Ive got a 25B 22B 15B and 2 10B s the hackers will never get them.Hopefully they wont ban diesel fuel in our lifetime.Lets keep this stuff going

 

[KohalaIronWerx]

Old Iron

Aloha, I'm probably a probationary member, but I love Old Iron & had a chance @ operating some pre-hydraulic machines
here in the Islands. I have a love for old dipper shovels which have disappeared here on the Big Island. The last 2 runners were
1 @ Hamakua Sugar in the quarry & the other up @ Kulani Honor Camp used in the cinder pit. Such a crying shame that the Dept.
of Corrections sent her out for scrap. The 1 @ KHC was a Northwest 25 & she ran...all of her rope was still good...clutches were solid...
I worked in the Garage on the Welding Crew when I was incarcerated. We did all the heavy equipment repairs & were sometimes
used as operators... Sure gonna miss that old girl!!! Been out for over 20 years now...a free man...never went back!!!
Aloha,
Keone

 

[Red Rob]

Hi Keone, thanks for your comments and glad to hear you kept to the right side of the fence.
Quite a few cable machines were cut up and sent to Vietnam from here through the late 90's and since.
The buyers came in with their own crews and just cut the machines in every direction indiscriminately as if they were for scrap. They left the engines behind and pushed it all into sea cans and slammed the doors.
6 months later they were back for more units with pictures of the last machines taken which were now welded back together and rebuilt in Vietnam by skilled labor at .75 cents an hour into "as new" condition with Asian power plants.
After seeing how they cut the track frames and tables, I could never trust the structural integrity of what they did no mater how good it looked.
The Vietnamese are still here looking for more but there are not many cable machines left now. The market has changed too and buyers have moved on to early hydraulic excavators and wheel loaders, anything without a computer.
It's quite a little business they have going on actually. They bring granite for kitchen counter tops in our fancy new homes and other things like ornamental iron gates from Vietnam and take our old equipment back to Asia.
Global trade based on cheap oil. When the price of bunker oil and interest rates start to climb and the western economy goes into real recession, we'll see our Vietnamese friends no more.