FACTS ABOUT THE MINIATURE BUCYRUS DRAGLINE

 

1

Length of construction was nearly 14 years; from early 1967 until December 1980.

2

Total manhours required to construct; 5000 plus.

3

Total cost to construct is in excess of $20,000.

4

The machine weighs about 150 pounds, consisting of 80% brass, 7% aluminum, 3% steel, and 5% glass, rubber, silver, stainless and copper.

5

Prints for the machine were generated from 5000 photographs, 5000 plus measurements, and hundreds of sketches. An extensive cross reference system was developed for coordinating this data.

6

There are over 10,000 separate parts to the model.

7

Motion speeds and accelerations are governed by flywheels thus duplicating the dynamics of the original lOW.

8

The machine has four sets of brakes, including both normal and emergency.

9

The hoist cable is a 7 x 7 3/64 inch diameter stainless steel aircraft cable while the drag is a 7 X 19 1/16 inch stainless steel cable.

10

All sheaves are fitted with individual ball bearings measuring 1/4 inch O.D. and 1/16 inch I.D..

11

The dragline walks moving 2 3/4 inches with each step. At full speed it can move 27 feet in one hour.

12

The machine is equipped with three separate lighting systems. One for the inside of the house, a second for the outside of the house, and a third for the boom. In all there are 34 lightbulbs on the machine, most of which measure less than 1/8 inch in diameter.

13

All clutches and brakes are electrically operated and are fully adjustable to eliminate sudden abrupt movements.

14

The dragline is powered by a 17 conductor composite cable. This cable measuring 1/8 inch in diameter was made by placing 17 fine gauge conductors in a length of flexible plastic tubing. Each conductor was sized according to its maximum load. The conductors are arranged as follows.

1

22 Ga.

Ground

10

30.Ga.

Hoist Common

2

26 Ga.

Swing & Boom Hoist

11

30 Ga.

Drag Brake

3

26 Ga.

Swing & Boom Hoist

12

30 Ga.

Drag Clutch

4

26 Ga.

Boom Lights

13

30 Ga.

Drag Common

5

26 Ga.

House Lights

14

30 Ga.

Hoist & Drag Drive Motor

6

30 Ga.

Propel

15

30 Ga.

Hoist & Drag Drive Motor

7

30 Ga.

Propel

16

30 Ga.

Cooling Fans

8

30 Ga.

Hoist Brake

17

30 Ga.

Spare

9

30 Ga.

Hoist Clutch

.

.

.

 

15

The machine measures 3 1/2 feet high by 7 feet long by 20 inches wide.

16

When in operation, the model draws less than two amps at 110 volts.

17

The bucket measures five inches by four inches by two inches and handles .00257 cubic yard with each load.

18

Building of the model required the use of a fully equipped machine shop including a milling machine, lathe and drill press, not to mention countless hand tools.

19

The tub has 76 rollers just like the original lOW. Each roller was turned individually on a automatic screw machine.

20

The model has 23 windows all of which have replaceable panes.

21

All five doors on the model are made of solid brass and can be opened and closed.

22

The boom is raised and lowered by means of a electrically operated boom hoist

23

The many castings found on the original dragline were duplicated to scale using a milling machine and Plexiglass for pattern material. The Plexiglass replica (pattern) was then used for making brass castings. In certain instances aircraft aluminum was substituted for Plexiglass.

24

The boom is made of solid brass and weighs a mere five pounds. It's length is 5.6 feet.

25

Duplicating the lOW dragline was made difficult by virtue of the fact that it was located some 40 miles from my home and required in excess of 50 trips to gather data.

26

The scale is 3/8 inch to the foot.

27

A jeweller's welding outfit using acetylene and oxygen was employed when making the many thousands of silver soldered joints.

28

Suggestions and information for building the model were accepted from several hundred people. In addition, photographs of the original machine were secured through the use of a newspaper ad run in the local area where it had worked for over 30 years.

29

The bucket is made of solid brass and weighs about two pounds empty. It is composed of over a dozen separate parts all of which are silver soldered together.

30

The boom has an 18 part main cable measuring 1/32 inch in diameter and a six part safety cable, also1/32 inch in diameter. Both are 7 x 7 stainless steel.

31

The model is of a Bucyrus Monighan lOW originally erected near Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, about 1931. It's serial number is 531.

32

Since completed on December 14, 1980, the machine has run in excess of 500 hours, and has moved several tons of specially prepared top soil. Down time has been minimal.

33

The model is operated in a simulated stripmine measuring 12 foot by 13 foot. This pit is located in the basement of my home and contains over seven tons of specially sized topsoil and lime. To scale, the pit contains in excess of 1/2 million yards of earth.

34

Painting the model was accomplished through the use of an airbrush and three coats of paint. The colors were chosen to closely match those of the original. The boom required the use of a sand blaster for cleaning, prior to painting.

35

The author was 21 years old when he started this project and 35 years old at it's conclusion.

36

Supplies for the model were secured from over 250 vendors located in more than 25 states. The miniature lightbulbs for example came from a firm located in the Empire State Building, while castings came from Florida.

37

The model can be disassembled and packed into three special cases for shipment.

38

Spare parts for the machine are maintained and if combined would weigh more than the machine itself. Numerous motors, bearings, castings and the like are just a part of this inventory.

39

The model is not for sale

40

In all i have traveled in excess of 5000 miles gathering information and material for this replica.

41

Although the original lOW was a diesel machine, the model is electric and sounds much like the modern electric machines of today.

42

During the course of construction, the two questions most frequently asked of the author were, what made you build a dragline?' and 'what do you intend to do with it when it's finished?'. My answer is; I believe everyone is capable of doing something special in their field of interest. To me it's a dragline. To someone else it might be building a sportscar or writing a song. Regardless of the end product, I suspect we all share the same feeling of accomplishment when we reach our goal, and goals are special in that unlike material things that can be taken away at the slightest whim, goals are the permanent indelible property of the beholder. As to what I intend to do with the model, well, I do not intend to sell it as some have suggested. Instead,I would much rather donate it to a museum for others to enjoy. After all, it was a trip to the model room at the Smithsonian Institution as a little boy that gave me the inspiration to take on this project, which has in turn given me 14 years of enjoyment.

 

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