I am reading David McCullough's Path Between the Seas, the story of construction of the Panama Canal. I am curious if there is any group or individual actively preserving large steam shovels and the like?

Thanks,

Wesley

One of the steam shovels from the Panama Cannal construction is now at the Nederland Mining Museum in Nederland, Colorado. The History Channel did a Mega Movers segment on its recovery and transportation to the Museum.

The Southeast Threshers group in Denton, NC has an open house every summer, and they have a 1916 Type B Erie steam shovel which operates-go to this link, then scroll to the bottom for a picture:
http://www.threshers.com/farmpark/seotr_demo.html

They also run the "Handy Dandy Railroad", which has an 0-4-0, former saddlletanker, now a tender engine, which runs every year.

I believe the Rough & Tumble steam thresher assn. near Kinzers/Strasburg, Pa. has some, and I'm sure I've seen others scattered here and there, though not necessarily operational.....

Two of the big panama shovels, the rail mounted kind are in pieces at the home of a private individual in Silver Star, Montana. The bucket from one of them was on display at the Smithsonian.

Wesley,

You may find some answers on line at "Steam Shovel Register": http://dsmdonaldson.tripod.com/id59.htm

Alan Maples

The 1925 Erie B is very much operational at Rough and Tumble. While it is not as large as the big Marions that worked the " Big Ditch ", owner Ray Fleetwood will let you have a turn at the sticks ( better have a good breakfast that day ). Firing it is also a ' hang on for dear life' while keeping an eye on the water and fire.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=steam%20shovel%20rough%20tumble&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbs=vid:1&source=og&sa=N&tab=wv&fp=edfd6dca592817ae

http://www.roughandtumble.org/

I recently visited the Minnesota Museum of Mining in Chisholm and they have a 1910 Atlantic class 45 steam shovel in very good condition. Apparently it's a former railroad shovel that was converted by Oliver Iron Mining into its present configuration, then donated by them and moved to the museum during the 1950s. The interior is open for inspection. The museum has GREAT exhibits and is well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Near the shovel is DM&IR 2-8-0 347, although my daughter was more interested in playing in the grass than hearing about how great the Duluth, Missabe & Northern Consolidations were!

Jeff Terry

For steam machinery in general, including several shovels, a Porter 0-6-0T, and ex-Monongahela Ry. caboose 64, I recommend the National Pike Steam, Gas & Horse Assn, just off US 40 several miles west of Brownsville, PA. Unfortunately their annual show has already happened this year, but there is activity of some sort every weekend. They have an incredible collection of all sort of old machines, well worth the visit.

The Willow Springs Club
http://www.willowspringspark.com
in Millardsville, Pa. does have a steam shovel with upright boiler and 4 rollers in the bottom of its swimming and diving lake since 1929. There's also some narrow gauge track and switches, a 3 lever switch tender's house, and an ex-New Haven RR ConRail caboose.

David,
Does that Porter 0-6-0T run? How much track do they have?
Kevin

As of my most recent visit (August 2009) the Porter 0-6-0T was not operational, nor did it appear that any significant work in that direction was in progress. The amount of track was very limited at that time, altho I've been told in the past that a loop is possible. The loco is said to have come from a WWI government chemical plant in Morgantown, WV and was more recently owned by a private collector at Fairchance, PA.

I belive that the largest assemblage of operating steam shovels is at Rollag, Minnisoooota...the big steam show is labor day weekend. You know, as much as some in the RR community shy bricks at them, the traction engine crowd has preserved and operated much more steam than we have thought about, and while they don't have to deal with the vagaries of the FRA, in most states their boilers are inspected by the state.

Dont know if it really counts as "preserved", but its been sitting around for decades and seems somewhat cared for..I believe it still belongs to the Quarry..
easily visible from a public road near Leroy, NY.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Ste ... ew_York%29

Legend has it it worked on the Panama canal.

It used to sit with an 0-4-0 saddletanker that also worked the quarry:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~thecat/critters/shovl_1.jpg

the switcher now resides near Syracuse, NY.


Scot

The Souris Valley Museum at Estevan, Saskatchewan, is said to have a Bucyrus Erie 50B Shovel, a BE 5W Dragline, and an Alco diesel, among other mining artifacts of the Bienfait-Estevan coal-mining area. Unfortunately, the museum doesn't seem to have a website, and Google searching for any photos of the machinery came up empty.

Some great old shovel photos here on GoogleBooks http://tinyurl.com/2ajmqfo.

Jim Tatum.