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landmark shovel

xkvator

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will, digger, electra_glide, & any other w. pennsylvanians.....
do you know where this shovel is?
 

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digger242j

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Is this a quiz? :) In other words, do you know the answer, and are gonna tell us if we guess wrong, or are you trying to find out yourself?

It looks awfully familiar. Maybe somewhere down 51, well south of Pittsburgh?

If that's not right, don't tell the answer yet. I may have to think about it some more...
 

xkvator

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pa.
no quiz :p ...just checking to see if you guys venture out of the city :D

your memory is pretty good...it is on 51, just north of uniontown. it has only been moved off that location once back in the 50's.

a friend of mine bought the property and the 1951 Koehring shovel came with it...and it runs. the previous owner moved it and set the boom down so they could paint it. he's greased/started/moved it every year. cable was recently changed. he said he paid $83k for it new...that included +$8k for the Cat engine option.

i was there the other day augering post holes along the frontage and people were stopping and asking what we were going to do with the shovel & "please don't move it away...it's been here as long as i remember"
Even a state cop stopped and said they use it as a reference point.

he said he's had offers for it...from the National Pike steam, gas, horse assoc.
and from someone in Cranberry.
 

digger242j

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your memory is pretty good...


:)

Wow! I'm even impressed with me! (Now, if I could just remember stuff like which three things my wife asked me to buy at the grocery store on the way home...)

The last time I was down that way was probably between 5 and 10 years ago.

I'm sure everybody would love to see more pics, and hear more of the story, like what it was used for. Even better, it would be *so* cool to run it...
 
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Electra_Glide

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Aug 25, 2004
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Western Pennsylvania
digger242j said:
It looks awfully familiar. Maybe somewhere down 51, well south of Pittsburgh?

That's what I was going to say...... :wink2

Like digger, I haven't been down that way in a loooong time (I spend almost all of my time north and west of the city), but if I remember right, it sits on the right-hand side of 51 as you're coming north out of Uniontown, right?

Joe
 

xkvator

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Messages
258
Location
pa.
Electra_Glide said:
... but if I remember right, it sits on the right-hand side of 51 as you're coming north out of Uniontown, right? Joe
that's exactly where it's at...it's been that color for as long as i can remember.....the white graffiti was just sprayed on sunday night.
 

xkvator

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pa.
was down there Sunday digging septic test holes and burning off the tops of steel posts we put in & holes for steel cable.
i'm just a little smaller
 

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norrodbh

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SWestern PA
Oh, I'v seen it, just couldn't remember where :)

Even had the Harley out last weekend and rode through Uniontown, but we were on Rt-40.

I'll have to go back down this this weekend.
 

digger242j

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:mad:


I don't usually bump nine year old threads, but I just heard about this today, and I'm kinda PO'ed about it:


http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/6195629-74/shovel-steam-county#axzz39LT4XmXd

Massung's plans were put on hold almost seven months ago when the towering arm of the graffiti-ridden behemoth was cut off under order of the former owner, who said he forgot about selling it.

The metal was going to be sold for scrap, although the Koehring model 1005 that has been on the property for decades is probably one of the last of its kind in the country, experts said. ...

.....The former owner, Ron Piccolomini, 83, of Connellsville, said he had forgotten that he sold the steam shovel when he told his cousin, Donald Stash, to start cutting it up in December. Stash did not return calls seeking comment.

So he "forgot." Why take the torch to it before looking for somebody to restore it? :rolleyes:
 

72hayes

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Kelowna B.C.
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road builder
this really burns my ass! I hope they throw the book at the cousin. he had to know that that the old guy had sold the property, so by not asking the new owner for permission to access the machine
he is a thief and a vandal!
Doug
 

FSERVICE

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Apr 2, 2009
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indiana
this really burns my ass! I hope they throw the book at the cousin. he had to know that that the old guy had sold the property, so by not asking the new owner for permission to access the machine
he is a thief and a vandal!
Doug

my thoughts was to throw something harder than a book at the former owner for telling a family member to go cut something up that he didn't own!!! how do you for get someone paying you 1000s of dollars for something!! & YES YOU CAN HIT OLD PEOPLE;) SOMETIMES THEY DESERVE IT!!!!
 

lantraxco

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Elsewhen
Sad, this kind of thing happens every day now with scrap prices up and respect all but gone everywhere. The guy with the torch may well have been told everything was legit, go ahead and scrap the poor old girl, so I ain't throwing stones at anybody just yet. This proves one thing though, if you own anything you want to hang onto, keep a close eye on it and keep your Winchester loaded!
 

old-iron-habit

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Moose Lake, MN
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I'm sure his liability insurance is on par with most scrappers. Hopefully there is some recourse someway, although monetary damages will not bring the classic back.
 

stinkycat

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Oct 19, 2009
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Ohio
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retired, disabled vet
Old Iron

20140705_120919_1.jpgHere is a beauty that the scrappers won't get
 

stinkycat

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Oct 19, 2009
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Ohio
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retired, disabled vet
More Old Iron

July 5 2014 Outville, Ohio, I couldn't any information on the Wabco Scrapers
 

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