BUCYRUS STEAM SHOVEL

65 ton BUCYRUS steam shovel x Fyansford cement works now restored and operated at Lake Goldsmith in Victoria Australia. When it came to Lake Goldsmith the bucket and rack were missing. These were manufactured by volunteers. Filming when the machine is operating is difficult. In the video the RUSTON HORNSBY steam shovel as seen. It is shown in a previous video. Many larger models of the BUCYRUS were employed in digging the Panama canal.

[@markmark2080]

Hello from Colorado, an amazing machine in it's day, I well remember as a little child in the early '50s the term 'steam shovel' was still the standard term for any power shovel... I just stumbled onto your channel and see your love for live steam, and subscribed... Over 30 years ago, near Boulder, Colorado, there was an old timer who had a couple acre 1/4 scale railroad with an almost perfect 4-8-8-4 Big Boy he had built from scratch. This gem was some 34 feet long overall and 4 feet high, running on salvaged mine track spaced 15 inches. I stopped by once and he showed me everything, his roundhouse, machine shop, different engines and the awesome Big Boy. I didn't get to see it run as he only ran it once a month. Shortly after my visit he passed away and the next time I came by everything was gone. Someone once said the engine went to the Smithsonian, if it did it'll never be seen again locked in a warehouse, but no one I've asked really knows. It's strange that something so big and wonderful should just disappear, I'm going to have to hunt down some old timers and see if anyone knows anything, google searches have been fruitless...Cheers

[@kentate435]

That loco sounds amazing. I hope it’s still around.

[@greghelms4458]

Loved these since I was a kid. Mike Mulligan and Maryanne!

[@JLange642]

My favorite book as a child, loved reading it to my 2 boys (now 31 and 22) and it is on a shelf within arms reach as I type!

[@tomshepherd4901]

Love it! What an amazing piece of machinery....

[@kentate435]

Yes. A total credit to the chaps that restored it. Still some work to go but rebuilding the bucket alone was a Hugh task. Hot riveted 1 inch steel plate, and then the historic locomotive boiler enclosed!

[@Davidjeng049]

Hi Ken, another great video, It's sad but when all us older folk pass, there won't be the skills left to restore and build trains as the young generation don't care and none are doing trades.

[@wesbrackmanthercenthusiast4695]

If it makes you feel better I'm 23 and trying to start a horse drawn equipment shop and I have a 1888 size 0 circlemill that I'm using for funds I even intend on running off a steam tractor after I either buy one or scratch build one I also have the blueprints for several 7 1/2 inch gauge logging locomotives I intend on increasing in size to 15in gauge

[@XDHwilks]

I'd like to say that some of us younger kids who care are out there!! I've been doing metalworking & engineering as a class and currently volunteer at a miniature railway, with an application in at a heritage railway. I'm not old enough to be on the footplate of a steamie just yet but I'm instead interested in doing maintenance work, and that's what I currently do at the miniature railway as well (taught by the regular maintenance guy). I've thought about volunteering at lake goldsmith but it's too far away for me without my full drivers license. TL;DR - young people who care and wish to develop the skills exist, but people like you need to teach us those skills in the first place!

[@kevinburk7861]

We had a very similar shovel that was on tracks and was said to have worked on the Suez Canal. It was at our local stone quarry.

[@kentate435]

I guess it was one of the larger ones

[@XDHwilks]

Beautiful machine, glad we have one from Fyansford saved! By any chance, do you happen to know what boiler is being used in it? I've heard that it could be from a VR T, M or F class.

[@kentate435]

It’s in the video. An early r class