RUSTON HORNSBY STEAM SHOVEL

90 ton steam face shovel, x Fyansford cement works, built 1920s operated today by Philip Hayes at Lake Goldsmith May 2021.

[@mikew8071]

I really appreciate this video - not just for the subject, but for the camera work and quality footage. Thank you for getting on board the steam shovel - great angles. Last of all, thank you for not overlaying music so we could hear the equipment operate! A+

[@kentate435]

Thank you Mike. A marvellous machine and well operated by Phillip Hayes!

[@tootired76]

I like how the photographer showed the inner workings being worked!

[@skunkjobb]

First time I see the operator's view, very nice.

[@SMGJohn]

Truly you had to feel like a proper man commanding a machine like this, ever lever and leaver had to be moved with manpower and feeling the entire clunky Steam machine moving, God what a feeling it is, I only driven a steam tractor but that in itself was an experience I never forget, nowadays machinery is not like the past ones, its just like driving a Toyota Corolla.

[@10minutesusa]

Best video of a skilled man doing what he loves, Running that steam powered monster! I love it!

[@ricke451]

Wonderful piece of history! Thankful for the upkeep of the machinery and great documentation.

[@rand49er]

The books my mom read to me back in the early '50s usually had steam shovels in them. I still call them that, not excavators.

[@asteamyaffair9993]

Thank you Ken SO much for posting this. All of a sudden a visit to a Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally has moved higher up my bucket list!

[@Chantel.Elisabeth]

Being from Lincoln (Boultham Park Road) and not far from the foundry down Coulson Road. I used to see the hundreds of guys on bicycles going in to work for 7.00 am and Home again at 17.00am. It used to take an hour for all the bikes to pass two or three abreast. They made all sorts from trains, diesel shovels, to these steam shovels. The origional Triton 1st WW tanks were made here too.

[@user-lz1hw6bi4j]

Мое уважение тем кто сохранил эту технику в рабочем состоянии.

[@alexshields1520]

So often the videos of these old machines are shown with unskilled operators and the movements are jerky and out of sync. This particular operator did a great job, despite all the numerous lever that had to be moved to complete a task his movements were smooth and his cycle rates were good for a non hydraulic unit such as this one.

[@kentate435]

Phillip handles the machine very skilfully

[@peteacher52]

A dinosaur? By our standards, yes. But think how it eased the lot of labourers on road, rail, mining and agricultural projects in the day. It reminds me of those dreadful problems we had to solve at school about how long it would take so many men with shovels to do an hour's work of one steam navvy!

[@kentate435]

Hi Colin, I agree, what a marvellous machine and still able to work but by modern standards it does look primitive. Like a puppet driven by a puppeteer who pulls the strings to make it work!

[@fx-studio]

@@kentate435 Its primitive, but its rate of working is quite impressive. Aside from the start up time it doesn't look that much slower that modern machinery for the same tonnage. But the break-out force may be different, a hydraulic system can slowly build force without stalling the engine.

[@ricksadler797]

Great video thank you. Very nice shovel there. Great preservation work ❤👍

[@caroleast9636]

Superb machine and, in the right hands, still capable of doing heavy work. Great video camera work, particularly of the works in action. That’s the best part and I would be happy to see more.

[@chrismoody1342]

And this is how the Panama Canal was dug. Steam.

[@vsvnrg3263]

and there is footage of it on yt, some of it colourised.

[@cnote4461]

That is a beautiful machine!

[@Davidjeng049]

Another great video, Ken, of years gone by.

[@kentate435]

Thank you David, I’m putting together the steam powered VW video now!

[@adroen]

Wonderfull , respect to the owner !

[@kentate435]

The shovel is owned and maintained by the club and here operated by Phillip Hayes

[@mikegreco8451]

Very cool machine. Thank you for sharing that

[@fw6797]

Zo mooi deze machine ❤

[@seeker1015]

After watching a bunch of hand held videos where the camera didn't linger any longer than a few seconds, this video is cinema quality in comparison. Congratulations. What a wonderful piece of engineering and smoothly operated by Philip too?

[@fridtjovruden5225]

Awesome. Regards from Norway

[@mykelbaurle5758]

How many steam engines does it, 4? One on the boom, one for rotating, one for turning the cable drums and one for the tracts?

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

*AMAZING.*

[@jirihamersky6152]

A well made video. What is the volume of the excavator spoon, I was surprised how big it is. Thanks.

[@kentate435]

Thank you. I believe that bucket holds 4.5 cubic yards or approx 3.5 cubic meters.

[@jirihamersky6152]

@@kentate435 Thank you.

[@ray8304]

AMAZING 👍🤩

[@paulsheahan1092]

Impressive!

[@kentate435]

Wouldn’t you love one!

[@justt_a_catt2519]

i love old machinery

[@A3Kr0n]

I wonder how many operators got scalded by that steam line breaking next to them?

[@SteamCrane]

Good operator!

[@RJ1999x]

Fred Dibnah would approve

[@kentate435]

Yes and what a character he was! Loved the steam side of him but was very anxious seeing him climb up chimneys with no safety gear!

[@RJ1999x]

@@kentate435 didn't seem to bother him

[@kentate435]

@@RJ1999x I know and don’t understand it! I would be terrified!

[@RJ1999x]

@@kentate435 you wouldn't catch me doing it

[@isaacwatanabe9599]

Rustons have some very unique designs compared to marion or bucyrus shovels

[@kentate435]

Amazing old machine

[@marceloacosta1742]

@@kentate435 Estos bichos los solía ver mucho en caricaturas antiguas y al fin los veo funcionando en la vida real😍

[@ronaldrussell5481]

Assuming something similar used in construction of Panama Canal.

[@kentate435]

I’m about to put a video on the bucyrus steam powered face shovel at lake goldsmith. Bigger ones of these were used there

[@John-ff6pn]

Megacool 😊

[@dirtycraneoperator]

I want this

[@jonathonrossebo1783]

I wonder if those machines had much of a risk of explosion since they're steam powered.

[@skunkjobb]

In the early years of steam power, explosions did occur now and then. I'm a Swede and don't know how it was in the US but safety standards and inspections of steam boilers began here in the 1890's. Since the machine we see here is from the 1920's I think it was quite safely built. At least when it was new, I would not like to take a 100 years old boiler up to max pressure.

[@jonathonrossebo1783]

@@skunkjobb all the more reasons why pressure relief valves are important for safety. Without them boilers are essentially a bomb💣.

[@SMGJohn]

@@jonathonrossebo1783 If its proper built and proper utilised it wont explode, most boiler explosions happened and still happen because of neglect and ignorance in its working, no sane engineer would put the boiler at max pressure even if its brand new, they ran mostly at 80 to 90% pressure depending on the load, some boilers were designed with 60% pressure in mind, flash boilers are magnitude safer as they only produce super heated steam when needed but came too late to change much, the diesel engine and electric motors had already surpassed Steam power when flash boilers were a thing.

[@samanli-tw3id]

Well, we rode steam powered ships across oceans.

[@paradiselost9946]

big girl... just begs to be put to actual paying work. damn i would love to see one of these poking away next to the old roller a local company uses...

[@reedplayer1981]

What’s that huge red steam shovel on the railroad tracks?

[@kentate435]

The red machine is a Bucyrus face shovel. Larger versions built the Panamax canal.Again it was thought that it would never operate again as the boom and bucket were missing. These were rebuilt from original drawings by members. I will do a video of it later,

[@kentate435]

I’m about to do a video of it operating

[@dirtycraneoperator]

Where can I find this relic?

[@kentate435]

Its at Lake Goldsmith in central Victoria Australia, just south of Beaufort

[@sharkusvelarde]

Well you're definitely not going to work hung over operating that! If you wanna live.

[@spravodlivy]

Bery nice to see it. But ten hours schift must be funny...