Watching historic steam shovels in action, a childhood dream!

[@robertelwell4417]

I too got to read Mike Mulligan a bunch of times,, having been born in the town where the book was written, by Virginia Lee Burton. Another classic book (Katy and the big snow,) was written in the same small town,,,,I believe in the winter of 1946. Katy and the big snow was in fact true,, in the sense that Katy was a large Cletrac dozer fitted with chainfall operated vee plow, sitting unused in the town equipment shed,,, until the wicked winter that year, just about destroyed all the plow trucks in town,, so Katy was fired up, and the rest was history,, at least according to Miss Burton. My family, at the time,, was living across Main street from a side street filled with drifted snow. My dad called me to the front door,, and there,,, coming very slowly thru the drifted snow was Katy,, coming straight at us,, ground shaking,, teardrop headlights shaking like crazy, and orange flame shooting straight up out of her stack,,,and six or seven feet of snow being moved like it had no choice. For a little boy who just loved trucks, fire engines tractors and bulldozer,, all things strong and powerful,,, that image is as vivid as it was over 70 years ago. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@lifeafterourloss]

The two most prized and loved books of my childhood! What an amazing scene it must have been to whitness firsthand. Then remembered in a timeless book. Thank you so much for sharing your story and thank you for watching!

[@EMJ31]

You should be writing books like those! Well written!

[@hawgdawg843]

Katy! Thank you! I loved that book!

[@hawgdawg843]

Mary Ann was Mikes?

[@abstract1dea]

That was one of my favorite books as a child. Katy and the Big Snow was good too. This video brings back a lot of memories.

[@carlinshowalter1806]

Love anything steam powered!

[@garc0113]

Love that book

[@lifeafterourloss]

It's a classic. 😊

[@levidarling5107]

Oh the steam shovels are just beautiful when they’re on n action.

[@lifeafterourloss]

Yes they are! 😊 Thanks for watching.

[@anthonyhitchings1051]

Yup - one of my favorite books.

[@moobaz8675]

Thats cool.

[@williamworth2746]

its amazing how much a children's book can make an impact i now operate Excavators for a plumbing company in PA

[@lifeafterourloss]

I definitely know the feeling! 👍

[@steven8417]

Plenty of folks have said this about locomotives, but these old steam shovels really do seem to be alive.

[@lifeafterourloss]

They have personalities!

[@arthouston7361]

I’m almost 71 years old…..and I remember reading that book several times.

[@Rick-S-6063]

Even Henry B. Swap would be impressed at this performance.

[@JRCinKY]

I had a Toy shovel like that when I was a kid 65 years ago

[@Panda-gs5lt]

That is great to see these mechanical machines spitting smoke and steam … just awesome

[@soozikins]

The power of steam, that thing is hardly even breaking a sweat.

[@lifeafterourloss]

It was amazing how quiet they are! Thanks for watching!

[@australiantruckspotting8883]

Love seeing these old machines still going

[@jean-paul7251]

I love that story too in the 70s UK! Love steam shovels

[@David-ei1fs]

Mike Mulligan! Thanks for the memory. I knew as soon as I saw the title thats what inspired this. One of my own favorite childhood books.

[@chaseman113]

I adore every motion has build up, momentum and inertia as opposed to the “on/off” of hydraulics and electrics.

[@bartonstano9327]

This machine is quieter than modern diesels. Thank for the video.

[@lifeafterourloss]

I was most surprised about how quiet they really are. Thank you for watching!

[@curthenry9398]

The end of Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, Mike is sitting in front of Mary Anne in the basement of the new courthouse, drinking coffee and smoking a pipe. I said to myself I want that job. I got a boiler license and lived the good life.

[@paulgrieger8182]

My grandfather was chief engineer at Koering, Harnischfeger (later P&H) and The Marion Works from the 1920's until his death in 1945. If you search patents, you can find his work - the power shovels are direct descendants of these. His name was Holger L Mitchell.

[@lifeafterourloss]

I will check it out. They used to have a P&H crane in McMurdo, Antarctica where I worked. It was long gone before my time, but I remember seeing the books. Thanks for watching!

[@JimmyFoxhound]

Oh my gosh that's so cool! When I saw the machine in the thumbnail it def brought back memories of reading Mike Mulligan when I was a kid! When the machine drops the load of dirt and the bottom of the shovel is hanging open it really does look like a big dinosaur! There is something so special about old steam powered equipment like this, it almost seems alive.

[@CriticoolHit]

When I was a young kid (like 5-6) there was a children's book I had about a steam shovel that worked so hard to dig the basement for a new building faster than his newer hydraulic competitors (yes I'm kinda old) that he couldn't get out and they made him into the boiler for the new building. I remember being both horrified and amazed. While I can't remember the title of the book I'll never forget that haunting-but-supposed-to-be-sweet final illustration.

[@lifeafterourloss]

The books is, Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel (MaryAnne). It had the same impression on me! 😊 Thanks for watching!

[@CriticoolHit]

@@lifeafterourloss Oh goodness I see all the comments now. Seems my memory is well shared! (albeit a bit foggy) Great video thanks for the trip back in time.

[@Thomas-pq4ys]

Old guy here.... As a kid, I loved watching equipment run, could watch it for hours. I just bought a compact backhoe of my own. I'm like a kid again... pushing, digging dirt. My mom would say to her friends. "Give the boy a block of wood and a pile of dirt, I could forget him for an hour." Thanks for this.

[@CCM2361-]

Amazing that these fantastic machines survived

[@doctorfloc]

My Dad always loved running any steam powered equipment. He said they were much smoother then any of the "new stuff". I miss that generation...thanks for the video.

[@lifeafterourloss]

Thank you for watching!

[@johnhart4872]

An excellent video! Great camera work, and no annoying music or chatter to block out the sounds of these magnificent machines at work. Thank you!

[@lifeafterourloss]

Thank you for watching!

[@Gerald_Hunker]

Same opinion here. Thank you very much!

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

They look alive, with steam puffing out in different places with the sequences of motions. Beautiful machines.

[@avalanche9026]

Good for you man. Your dream came true. !!! Grown men naw. Excellent

[@lifeafterourloss]

😊

[@jirihamersky6152]

I love these machines. Thanks for the nice video.

[@lifeafterourloss]

Thank you for watching!

[@whiskeyonmyach6220]

Just the way they move is so unlike anything you would normally see today.

[@michaelschulz6204]

Great video! I grew up reading Mike Mulligan too. When my kids were about 4 and 5, I happened to find at a big box store, Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel was still in print, so they got to here it and read it hundreds of times! That was 25 years ago.

[@leolauzon9205]

I'm gigglingly like a little kid watching this

[@lifeafterourloss]

😂 👍

[@sasquatchhadarock968]

I always associated these with the Panama Canal because of the black-and-white photos of them, seeing one moving in full sound and color is a treat.

[@Hail_Full_of_Grace]

That is one of the coolest things ive ever seen , great video !!

[@ArmoredBuckeye]

What a beautiful beast of steal and steam!

[@terrygorman5810]

No F-ing way!!! I was just talking to a grade school teacher today about Mike Mulligan being one of my favorite childhood books.

[@Graham-b5n]

Thanks for posting the video. I remember my dad stopping the car when I was little so I could watch a "real" steam roller at work, the first and last time I ever saw live steam being used for construction. I agree the operators must really be great to run those shovels.

[@lifeafterourloss]

Thank you for watching!

[@kirkdavenport7185]

I first read that book in about 1963. Still holds a place in my heart. Thank you for this content.

[@Ondrej_E_]

Very interesting can to see such machines in action, thanks!

[@andycap6786]

Really don't know what it is about a steam shovel, but they look, and sound, magical. I could watch one working all day! Thanks for posting.

[@lifeafterourloss]

Thank you for watching!

[@tm502010]

Bless you. This was so sweet. I immediately subscribed after I saw why you created this channel. Besides… it’s MIKE! 😍

[@lifeafterourloss]

Thank you for the kind words! 😊

[@akman45304]

Thank you for not f'ing it up with senseless music or pointless narration.

[@lifeafterourloss]

My pleasure!

[@chuck8664]

There are steam shovels and all sorts of other ancient machines at the Gallupville Gas-Up, held every June in eastern NY. It's free too.

[@Pro1er]

That was awesome. I wish I still had my Mike Mulligan book. I actually had some nice educational books too that were geared toward children but still fun to read as an adult. The only childhood book I still have is Little Black Sambo.

[@alm5992]

It's funny how many books and cartoons represented these not even that long ago, when they had been out of service for decades. Very cool! I didn't know the forward scooping arm could slide back and forwards, too, I thought it was just a pivot!

[@lifeafterourloss]

They made a huge impact on popular culture for sure! I know they made an impact on me and my career choice. My grandfather also called them a "dipper stick" or "front shovel." Although he never operated the steam shovels he did have experience with the newer diesel shovels. Thanks for the comment and for watching!

[@sammytheface8821]

WOW...Those things are FAR COOLER than I imagined....Seen old photos, and grainy old film. THANK YOU for showing those incredible machines. What years were those machines made?

[@lifeafterourloss]

Most were Bucyrus Erie, made in the early 1920's. Thanks for watching!

[@jazzerbyte]

Having the steam come out at the end of the boom gives them the look of a living thing!

[@leokimvideo]

So much character and soul in this steam machine. The Australian TV show Mr Squiggle had a character called Bill Steam Shovel, all of the steam, bells and whistles on Bill can be seen here.

[@DarkElfDiva]

Reminds me of a movie I saw as a kid, about an American kid living in Australia. He had a bike that could go on railroad tracks and there was a monster in a lake that turned out to be an old steam shovel covered in seaweed.

[@normandiebryant6989]

Bill had the added feature that he could puff out smoke (talcum powder?) from his nose when he laughed at his own crappy dad-jokes, and had blinds and a TV antenna.

[@Cold-Blooded-Jay]

Wow, I'd forgotten about that book, but now I remember how I used to call every single bulldozer and backhoe that I saw a steam shovel as a kid. Never seen one working in real life. That really is a neat piece of machinery.

[@nightrider6769]

Just came across this channel and the old steam shovel got my attention it's amazing how these things operate and the skilled people that ran them I mean you can't have somebody that doesn't know what they're doing because if they don't know what they're doing bad things happen these guys I have so much respect for what they did back then The conditions that they worked in I mean you saw in one of the shovels operating the guy was standing he wasn't sitting he had no windows around him you know you're working in the rain the cold there is no environment control like in the new stuff nowadays I mean they sit in nice plush seats air ride and they got air conditioning they got heat they got a radio they got it made in the new equipment of today but back then there was none of that. Definitely enjoyed the video.

[@lifeafterourloss]

Things have definayely changed for operators. I remember asking my grandfather for a radio in one machine. Has reply was that I was lucky to have a cab! Thanks for watching.

[@rp1645]

Thank you for showing those neat old girls. I can just think of how tired a steam shovel operator had too be at end of the Day.

[@ricksadler797]

Awesome 👏

[@markmark2080]

I'm old enough to remember when power shovels were called "steam shovels" although I don't ever remember seeing one in operation, so this video was a real treat, I could identify with your opening words...Can you imagine the heat and dust some operators endured...

[@lifeafterourloss]

Probably made for a long day, but still better than a shovel. The heat would be the worst part. Thanks for watching!

[@hiker64]

So very cool! I love these old iron workhorses - So strange seeing them in super-sharp video and listening to the steam and gears and klinking and klanking.

[@lifeafterourloss]

I was very surprised how quiet they really are. Thanks for watching! 👍

[@ronm3245]

The third one at 10:34 sounds exactly like a nesting jay around my house when a cat or hawk is around. This morning I saw a hawk grab a chick and fly off. Anyway, maybe we can ship these things to Panama and get that canal finished up eventually.

[@robertelwell4417]

Another memory from Mike Mulligan and Katy's time was born on the hill,,on the road which ran past Grampa's farm in the back part of town. The road down the hill was bordered on both sides by high banks, topped by stone walls. This winter. the plow trucks could not keep up with the blowing, drifting snow, and the road was plugged solid. The next day, the ground began to shake, and there came Katy to the top of the hill, tearing along at all of five miles an hour, and not slacking off a bit, Katy plunged down the hill into the drifted snow,,two men on the back running board furiously tending the chainfall-operated wings as she went down the hill. And from a voice somewhere, to this little boy, came the words,,"that's how it's done, when Katy comes out"

[@lifeafterourloss]

👍 I love the story of Katy and the big snow! Virginia Lee Burton books had a very lasting impact on me as a child! ❤️

[@123Shel12]

I know you aren’t a documentary filmmaker but I would really like to see a portion where an operator explains the controls.

[@lifeafterourloss]

I will try to make it happen! I am just an armature enthusiast. Thanks for watching!

[@SearTrip]

Wow, thanks for that! That’s what it sounded like when the Panama Canal was being built, amazing.

[@hovanti]

If you ever get East, as in Pennsylvania, we would be glad to have you at Rough & Tumble Engineers Historical Ass'n. in Kinzers, PA. Many stationary, indoor steam engines, an outdoor area for construction equipment just like in this video, plus many vintage farm tractors, including steam traction engines.

[@lifeafterourloss]

I would love to stop by for a visit, just need my calendar to free up at some point. I will put it on my agenda for the future. Thanks for watching!

[@1956vern]

Awesome, when I was young there were a lot of demonstrations of steam powered equipment but never seen a steam shovel! What a rig! Thank you! My dad loved steam! Seen a railroad Steam Derek! Appreciate you putting this on KZbin for steam enthusiast! 👏:)

[@lifeafterourloss]

Thank you for watching!

[@BolexH8]

I would love to see a video focusing on the operators inside this machine!

[@WMAJ6]

Amazing machines from a different time. Bucyrus - Erie machines dug the Panama Canal. Real work horses. Thanks for posting this!

[@v8snail]

Nice. 11:40 the Entuckian even has a built in crib room and sleeper...

[@12Q46HPRN]

Outstanding video! Thank you so much. I am also a life-long fan of Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne. At 55 years old, as I am watching the 2nd steam shovel swing around and see "Marion" on the back - I wonder if that is where the name "Mary Anne" came from - a homophone for "Marion" (sound-alike).

[@lifeafterourloss]

It very well could have. It definayely crossed my mind as well. Thank you so much for watching!

[@WojciechP915]

Thats so cool. These things just look so rickety and magical.

[@abloogywoogywoo]

In the event of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), I'm happy to say these brilliant machines will still be working as if nothing happened.

[@lifeafterourloss]

Very true!

[@samanli-tw3id]

Then why don’t we have steam tanks?

[@BolexH8]

I would love to see a video of the operators at work inside these machines!

[@lifeafterourloss]

I will see what I can do!

[@bishopcorva]

I remember that book, it was one of my favorites from a time when I was so young. But no one else could recall it to the point that I was thinking that maybe I had made it up, but I can still see the illustrations in my head. The red house of the shovel, the digging of the corners so square. The promise to dig the foundation basement in a single day but forgetting to leave a ramp out. Mike living with his shovel in the basement, it as the boiler for the building. I'm glad to hear that someone else really enjoyed the book too. And here to be where you are, spectacular for sure.

[@dfirth224]

I read it also. Checked it out of the local library. Kids today have no idea what they were or how they worked. Can you imagine going from horse drawn equipment to this around 1900?

[@mikemullay5622]

I think I still have a copy of Mike Mulligan some where in the house. I read the covers off of my original copy when I was a kid 65 years ago.

[@larrycurran8036]

I watched it again the other day on KZbin. 🐱

[@rancidmilk8824]

Watching this makes me want to own one.

[@aaronmcconnell7358]

I live in the northern panhandle of west virginia and the traces of these machines are everywhere along the hillsides and when the steam shovel left they brought in massive drag lines the one that sat on a hilltop near my house was so big we parked two cj7's in the bucket and had plenty of room the cab was bigger than most two story houses.

[@FrenchMcBaldus-hk5ud]

That is a beast! It looks so badass

[@lifeafterourloss]

It absolutely is. I have another video inside of it.

[@ArchTeryx00]

VERY skilled operator on that 50B. Note how he saws the dipper with the crowd mechanism. Compared to the electric monsters that followed them, these steamers weren't enormously powerful, but they did the job and with a good operator, they did it well. And while dwarfed by what followed, they were an amazing technological advance for their time. How many man-hours would go into filling just one stroke of the dipper?

[@randbarrett8706]

The previous technology for this kind of job was the enslaved person, so one might say it took zero man hours to do same job

[@johnstaton5524]

Its not that difficult. Kids do this there all the time that is if you have the right name of course. Lots of old money funding the place. Very clicky too.

[@michaelpelley5483]

Sorry you feel that way

[@joyceleadbetter2600]

They were used to build the Panama canal, load dirt onto rail gondola cars to unload elsewhere.

[@lifeafterourloss]

They are an amazing sight to see.

[@vitalitimofejev6086]

Очень круто, сохранить, восстановить и показать всем как это было!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 👌👌👌👌👌👌✌️

[@macherbie]

Really cool, I too always wanted to see one in action. Kind of reminds me of the movie "Wild, Wild, West" and the bad guy Dr Loveless's steam-powered gadgets.

[@lifeafterourloss]

Yeah, it kinda does 🙂

[@hughezzell10000]

That was an awesome video. Thanks a million

[@GunnerAsch1]

Way cool! I enjoyed this video!

[@victormurski112]

Wow thats the first time for me to see a steam shovel that really took some engineering to build such a machine i can only imagine the skill it takes to operate it these machines had to be a real work horse in its time thanks for sharing

[@jeffclark2725]

Just found this channel, wow, What a machine, just seeing it operate, thanks for the ride along

[@mikeabbott2396]

Thanks for doing this video, cool stuff. The only bad part is all of those engine driven cable shovels etc, drop down one level on the cool list.

[@lifeafterourloss]

Part 2 will be out on the 20th of September. It will be more detailed look of the Bucyrus Erie model 50B. Including views inside and of from the operators station. 👍

[@maxon-m3c]

Picked up jargon from my depression era parents, I still call them steam shovels while watching them spue their diesel exhaust! Off to the "ice box" for a beer!

[@lifeafterourloss]

😂, better stop at the root celler for some pickled eggs. 😁

[@deanow3631]

That is great! Went to a steam shovel show in PA back in the 90's. Had an old Erie, unsure of the model-but it had the wooden boiler house on it. Gentleman working it looked to be as old. It and he, worked great together!

[@rainbowrailroadcrossing7798]

Such an amazing mechanical marvel! My obsession with machinery was fulfilled when I worked with my towns DPW over the summer and seeing the ginormous landscaping machinery. The engineer is a highly skilled man at work!

[@larrycurran8036]

Yes, I agree,a childhood dream indeed. 🐱

[@trappenweisseguy27]

Interesting, I wasn’t expecting the steam coming out of the end of the boom. The guy operating The Kentuckian wasn’t very good.

[@paulhare662]

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to do fireman duty on a half scale Shay locomotive once. The Engineer's name was Mike. Met his girlfriend later in the day, MaryAnn. True story.

[@lifeafterourloss]

A match made in heaven! Thanks for watching!

[@paulhare662]

@@lifeafterourloss Thanks for the video. Old machines fascinate me. I had the opportunity to fly in a 1941 Stearman PT-17 last Saturday, what a thrill.

[@lifeafterourloss]

I'm the same way, fascinated by history. Especially mechanial history. That Steerman ride must have been an amazing experience!

[@paulhare662]

@@lifeafterourloss It was. Not sure what was better, the open cockpit or the 72 year old radial engine powering it.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Very entertaining video of steam shovels in action. Thanks for sharing! One other thing, you have to admit they don't sound as noisy as their gas or diesel counterparts.

[@humphrey4976]

Reminds me of Howls Moving Castle

[@barryphillips7327]

We have a similar Steam shovel not far from where i live it is not in running condition, and would take a lot of work to get her running but maybe oneday.

[@dfirth224]

The railroads had steam powered "Big Hooks" that were used to clean up wrecks. These were used up until about 1960.

[@mark-wn5ek]

They used them later that that! I hired on the Chessie System in 77 and they still had a 250 ton Big Hook at Russell, KY until up in the 80’s. Thing hardly made any sound and the steam engine that drove it was rather small.

[@nunyabuziness8421]

Hard to believe the panama canal was dug with these slow weak machines

[@SMGJohn]

Steam truly changed our life but to imagine that ancient men were drawing machinery to dig soul a thousand years before Steam, is impressive in how imaginative humanity was even before the advent of engines.

[@trainsmachineryldegmtrains3509]

Great old steam machine in action! MEGA LIKE & Subscribe Greetings from Romania Andrew

[@Troublemaker1022-r9c]

These must have been the first upgrade from the Fred Flintstone brontosaurus style excavator.

[@theoldbigmoose]

Poetry in motion. The Bucyrus Erie was da bomb!

[@ronernst3991]

Look at that baby. Nice.

[@danquinnell3502]

These are mostly just moving piles from one place to another. I assume they also excavated? I’m sure that would be a bit more complicated to demonstrate but would love to see it.

[@lifeafterourloss]

Me too! I think they want to be gentile with the old giants! Thanks for watching!

[@danquinnell3502]

I found some online footage of building the Panama Canal. Lots of steam shovels working.

[@Lethgar_Smith]

Here is some historic footage of them digging the Panama Canal. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6rNY4imf7anpbs This was brand new advanced technology at the time.

[@73DiamondReo]

never got into steam but ive got a small collection of gas and diesel shovels

[@raymondschiebel9993]

Would love to show this video at field day of the past in Virginia. Would make a great addition to the annual event.