Bucyrus 95 Ton Steam Shovel Part # TNP061027, O Gauge

Presented here is the 1:48th scale (O Guage) Bucyrus 95 Ton Steam Shovel which has been produced for Toy Trucker & Contractor.  The incredible level of detail throughout shows the shear amount of research that must have gone into producing such an exquisite masterpiece.

The undercarriage features authentic sprung loaded suspension on the twin bogies with an individually linked drive chain connected to the drive gearing which is fully working by inserting and turning the supplied winding key. The track section supplied with the model has realistic looking wooden sleepers and metal track beams measuring 16" long. The roof mounted exhaust stack needs connecting to the model and has four small metal stays that keep the stack vertical just like on the real steam shovel.

The working end of the model has swing out stabilisers which are pinned into the working position using the separate pins and locking bars. The pad can then be raised / lowered by turning the handle on each stabiliser and two simulated wooden blocks are supplied in the box which can be used to keep the model steady. The controls used to operate the shovel can be seen by opening the side window and the levers actually move back and forth.

The rear end of the model has a swing up door and drop down platform which is kept in place by the side mounted chains. The metal support poles are then used to keep the door in the raised position giving access to the boiler which features an opening coal door. The side opening window panels can be raised to show the internal boiler detailing, complete with authentic rivet pattern and a ladder is fitted to the back panel for access to the roof.

The bucket fitted to the dipper has four teeth and opening rear door, complete with release mechanism connected to a rope which is tied off on the operator platform. The bucket surface has the rivet heads clearly defined showing where the individual parts are joined. This is another example of the shear level of detail present on the model.

The dipper is connected to the lift drum by a metal chain which runs over the pulleys and through the centre of the swing plate. The boom rotation is achieved using rope connected to the large ring at the base which connects to the drum located inside the main body. The dipper can be extended / retracted by turning the mechanism on the boom which in turn rotates the gears that locate with the teeth on the underside of the dipper. There is a ladder fitted to the side of the boom giving acces to the entire length for maintenance purposes and the gear wheels have a metal cover to prevent damage to the teeth..

Opening the two large sliding doors on each side of the model reveal the winding and swinging mechanisms where the supplied winding keys are connected. What is amazing on this model is that the pistons actually move in and out as the winding key is turned which is something very unexpected and shows the level of engineering that has gone into producing this model.

The paint finish on the model is top notch and the model is protected in a polystyrene box wit cardboard outer box, printed with pictures of the 95 Ton steam shovel while a booklet is provided in the box which details the history of the 95 Ton steam shovel and the origins of the Bucyrus company..

Model Dimensions

Height: 8.25" / 210mmm
Width: 5.25" / 133mmm
 

Until the 21st century, there had been no large heavy-duty equipment available to create any waterway through the Central American jungle and mountains. When President Theodore Roosevelt created a political probability for a canal, the U.S. steam shovel company Bucyrus engineered machines that would create the mechanical probability for a canal.

Between 1904 and 1908, Bucyrus built 77 of the 102 steam shovels that cut a pathway in the small country of Panama and changed world shipping and travel before World War I began.

Large steam rail shovels had been used for strip mining, but the most were partial-swing shovels mounted on standard-gauge railroad tracks. By 1890, Bucyrus had built several large dipper dredges, elevator dredges and hydraulic dredges, and their equipment had been used for the Chicago Drainage Canal and the New York State Barge Canal.

The Bucyrus reputation was at a level that they were contracted to build steam rail shovels for use in digging the 51-mile long Panama Canal. The first order was for one 70-ton and two 95-ton shovels in 1904. The Isthmanian Canal Commission continued the orders for the steam rail shovels.

Five men were needed to operate a steam shovel—a craneman, a main operator, a fireman and two wheelmen. The sixth person in the system was the mechanic. The shovel could rotate 180 degrees. Approximately 90 cubic meters of material could be excavated in an eight-hour day. Railroad cars (4,000 wagons) ran continually on a double track, and 160 locomotives were used to pull the cars. the material excavated was used to build the Charges Dam. All total, there were 300 million cubic yards of material moved in the project.

Moving the amount of material that was done with the steam rail shovels has been the most famous application of this machine. This very prestigious endeavor shoved Bucyrus into the world market.

When the Canal was complete, the steam shovels were sent to Montana, Ohio, Alaska, Spain and Costa Rica to work in the mining fields.