Putting industry on video - an archive for the future
Draglines I
Mining History, Compilation No.48
Draglines I
Mining History, Compilation No.48
Background
On a foggy Sunday morning in January 1999, the Bucyrus Erie BE 1150B walking dragline 'Oddball' walked 49 metres to its final resting place to become probably the only such machine preserved anywhere in the world. The structure was brought to life by Beeby Plant Repairs, after it had lain idle for over 10 years. The first part of this compilation is a detailed record of the move, including views deep inside the machinery.
The rest of the compilation covers a tour of two opencast coal mines in Northumberland, showing enormous walking draglines in use, digging and walking; with views inside the driver's cabs, the machinery rooms and high up on the boom. Other examples of the massive plant needed for modern mining, such as RH200 face shovels and CAT 789 dump trucks are also seen at work.
Stobswood site near Morpeth is the biggest single opencast operation in England, producing 20,500 tonnes of coal per week. Appropriately, it uses the largest dragline in Western Europe, the 4000 tonne, 11.7 MegaWatt Harnischfeger P&H 757, the famous "Ace of Spades".
At the nearby Maidens Hall opencast site, 'Chevington Collier', a Bucyrus-Erie BE 1260W walking dragline weighing 3,500 tonnes excavates 43 tonnes at a time with its 32 cubic metre bucket suspended from a 54m high boom.
The images on this page are taken from the video.