Fascination with big machines?

[CigarStone]

John @jfields and I have been marveling at the sheer monstrosity of these dragline machines. I told John that we would often come upon one of these while rabbit hunting out in the woods of western Pa. in the 80's. These were simply abandoned because of how much it would cost to move or dismantle them.

The "Big Muskie" was the biggest one ever built and it weighed 27 million pounds, was 22 stories high, it's bucket weighed 220 tons and was big enough to fit two Greyhound buses parked side by side. It moved twice as much earth as was moved for the Panama Canal over it's 22 year life.

This is a satellite view of one in particular where we hunted, I was stunned to find out that it was not removed until circa 2014, this view is from 2012.


Here are some pics of a couple that were abandoned which we used to hunt rabbits around.



This is my son standing in the back of the bucket of one.


Here is a link to the history of the Big Muskie. While working, Big Muskie used the equivalent of the power for 27,500 homes!

Big Muskie link<<<<<

 

[mjolnir01]

That's a big boy for sure.

The draglines used to dot the landscape of Wyoming when I grew up there. Dad was an open-pit coal miner right along side of them, but principally operated dozers.

 

[CBoukal]

That's really cool, thanks for the info!! I enjoyed reading it.

 

[dawgie34203]

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

 

[thinde]

That's awesome! Would love to see something like that in person.

 

[CigarStone]

That's awesome! Would love to see something like that in person.

Come for a visit, maybe we can find one still sitting in the woods?

 

[thinde]

Come for a visit, maybe we can find one still sitting in the woods?

I'm retiring next fall so that's a distinct possibility!

 

[CBoukal]

Come for a visit, maybe we can wander around the woods with no pants on and try to "find one"

@thinde you've been on the boards long enough to know this is a terrible idea..

 

[thinde]

@thinde you've been on the boards long enough to know this is a terrible idea..

In every life, a little debauchery there must be! Only way to stay sane and feel alive.....IMHO

 

[CigarStone]

@thinde you've been on the boards long enough to know this is a terrible idea..

Hey!

I have hosted many CP brothers and aside from a guy @jfields with numb feet burning his toes by resting them in a fire for 20 minutes, a few hang-overs, several burnt tongues, and a few guys getting lost in the woods, fun was had by all!

 

[CigarStone]

In every life, a little debauchery there must be! Only way to stay sane and feel alive.....IMHO

Thanks Tom, it's nice to see there are still a few sane people left.

 

[jfields]

I saw someone on Reddit post a picture of a large gear. There was a man standing in it and the gear was something like 12 times taller than him. Got me to wondering if it was intended for something like a huge drawbridge, or a monster Industrial Revolution era dragline. I remembered Jeff showing me old pictures of somewhat more modern ones before. That led me down a cool rabbit hole. Walkers, tracks, electric, diesels, turbines. Some so large they had little condos in them for the crew.

 

[jfields]

In every life, a little debauchery there must be! Only way to stay sane and feel alive.....IMHO

I keep coming back for more, so.....

 

[CigarStone]

I saw someone on Reddit post a picture of a large gear. There was a man standing in it and the gear was something like 12 times taller than him. Got me to wondering if it was intended for something like a huge drawbridge, or a monster Industrial Revolution era dragline. I remembered Jeff showing me old pictures of somewhat more modern ones before. That led me down a cool rabbit hole. Walkers, tracks, electric, diesels, turbines. Some so large they had little condos in them for the crew.
View attachment 77554

The big draglines in Pa. had to be assembled somewhere that trucks and trains could deliver the parts and then driven to the remote mining site. Since they move at .1 MPH, they took days and weeks to get to the site. This meant building roads which could handle the massive weight, temporarily cutting power lines because of how tall they were, closing the occasional paved roads and rebuilding that road after the machine had crossed it, building sub-stations which could provide the required electricity and the machine would fill in ponds and depressions along the way so it could take a more direct route during the move. It could take three weeks to move the machine ten miles.

I have seen these machines literally change the topography of many square miles by eating away massive hills/mountains and filling ponds or depressions.

 

[kann]

Did you post about these before? Seems familiar. Must be crazy to come upon that in the middle of nowhere. Especially in the dark!

 

[CigarStone]

Did you post about these before? Seems familiar. Must be crazy to come upon that in the middle of nowhere. Especially in the dark!

Post about what? Just kidding Nick, you know me, I have the memory of a fly!

 

[tomthirtysix]

Hey!

I have hosted many CP brothers and aside from a guy @jfields with numb feet burning his toes by resting them in a fire for 20 minutes, a few hang-overs, several burnt tongues, and a few guys getting lost in the woods, fun was had by all!

One of the first times I met up with people from CP (definitely the first time that wasn't at a restaurant or somewhere else "public") was meeting up with Jeff and a couple other guys in another state and getting on a boat with them all. My wife thought I was insane (and this was before location sharing was so easy) and can confirm, fun was had by all. I had a lobster roll that changed my life that day.

 

[Pugman1943]

Very much enjoyed seeing this. Saw drafter like this in Alaska, not that big. You should look up,the special,crane that had to be Imported from Europe to assemble the " Sphere " in Las Vegas. Needed to lift 1 piece weighing 171 ton.

 

[Pugman1943]

Thought this photo fits this thread. This is the main feed pipe from the inlets at Hoover dam, measures 34 feet diameter. We were at Hoover in 2012 when the lake was past full and the overflow was in operation. We took a special tour which included going into the inspection tunnel where this monster pipe was exposed. The sound was deafening.

 

[jfields]

One of the first times I met up with people from CP (definitely the first time that wasn't at a restaurant or somewhere else "public") was meeting up with Jeff and a couple other guys in another state and getting on a boat with them all. My wife thought I was insane (and this was before location sharing was so easy) and can confirm, fun was had by all. I had a lobster roll that changed my life that day.

That wasn't the only roll you all had that day I heard.