A trip down to the train yard to check out the steam crane.

[nickleone]

I worked at a pipe making facility. 108 inch diameter 20ft long cement lined pipe. They would put the metal liner with the bell and spigot ends on a form that was 20 ft high. Then surround it with an outer form and pour concrete into the form. When everything was set up and dry the rail mounted crane (converted from steam to diesel electric) would come buy and slings would attach to the outer form. The operator would have to jerk the outer off the concrete. One day I look over and the operator jerks it and the boom bends over the top of the form. 60 ft of boom gone and not a sound from it. Previous to this the operator lifted a 20 ton load off a flat bed and when he swung 45 degrees to the truck the crane fell over. Outriggers were not down.
Nick

[TheSilverBuick]

How about the one of red lights? As for Wendover, I'm hoping the season drys out for the salt flats. I've seen it pretty wet going into July and the flats look good in August, but this year we are WAAAY above average rain fall, three or four times average.

Welcome everyone

[DanStokes]

Good stuff, Randal! Hoping I can make it to Ely some day and will anticipate a personal guided tour. We can skip Madam LaBamba's House of Blue Lights - I wouldn't get my money's worth.

See you in Wendover
Dan

[mustang13]

I'm speachless. WOW, awesome photos Randel. Growing up around a big rig towing business, I always thought those old railroad cranes were cool.

Thanks for sharing!

[SSChevyManiac]

Thanks guys I think I may try and make it down.

[LORENSWIFE]

Loren and I both love the steam stuff!
On Discovery Channel a while back they had videos of those in action, what a hard days work all that would have been.
Diggin that yellow train!
~gail

[Schtauffer]

Rough & Tumble is wicked cool. Everyone should make it there at least once a year. The Thresherman's Reunion in August which Bruab is attending is the best event of the year.

[BigDad]

A+ thread !

You sure live in a interesting area

<--- jealous

[Brian Lohnes]

Here ya go!

http://www.roughandtumble.org/reunions/2011/2011_promo.asp

[SSChevyManiac]

Hey Brian, got any more info on that PA event? Machines are cool.

[SuperBuickGuy]

MSHA is the Industrial No Fun Police

I got in trouble for not tying off my harness on a CAT D9 dozer when I had to go back up on the track to retrieve something that was left on the machine, But I did have my hard hat, safety glasses, orange vest, and harness on thou and I was working outdoors on top of a mountain where the only thing that could land on me was a passing airplane

you have no idea how many troubles they have with airplanes

[BOOOGHAR]

.....You think OSHA is bad, it wouldn't get any where near compliant with modern MSHA standards.....

MSHA is the Industrial No Fun Police

I got in trouble for not tying off my harness on a CAT D9 dozer when I had to go back up on the track to retrieve something that was left on the machine, But I did have my hard hat, safety glasses, orange vest, and harness on thou and I was working outdoors on top of a mountain where the only thing that could land on me was a passing airplane

[Brian Lohnes]

This thing didn't have a seat, I'm not sure if the steam shovels did either.

Most of the really old steam shovels I have seen do not have a seat either. I always thought it was because the engineer needed all the leverage/strength he could muster to pull the levers and handles.

This August the Lohnes clan is headed to Pennsylvania to the Rough and Tumble Thresherman's reunion. Gene is going to be my tour guide! It is chock-a-block full of stuff like the steam crane, there are huge stationary engines and junk too. Any other BS'ers into this old stuff should swing down too!

Brian

[SuperBuickGuy]

My guess is he's a volunteer, and OSHA only gets involved if someone is getting paid to work. but I'm not a lawyer!

ringing my bell again? OSHA (or NOSHA?) is involved in any industrial location. Doesn't matter whether they volunteer or not. As that is a working railyard, there is also another agency that deals with railyard accidents - and because of that, I'm sure they tell OSHA (or NOSHA - the state agency) to go away (legalese = preemption)

Of course, simply because one agency has more power then another doesn't bode well for the poor volunteer..... just means they have more red tape and more obscure rules.

[TheSilverBuick]

Yes he's a volunteer. That bar going across the front of the big gear is a safety device, it serves no other purpose

You think OSHA is bad, it wouldn't get any where near compliant with modern MSHA standards.

They didn't let us up in the cab =/ but apparently looking through the levers is where the operator checks to see how the coupler is orientated to hook each function up to the steam drive. Each function has a C shaped coupler that locks into the C shaped coupler of the steam engine. So when changing functions (like from swing to unwinding cable) the steam engine coupler has to be rotated to line up with the new functions coupler. A fine dance it is to operate one of those! We figured the steam shovels operated on the same set up.

Scoop dirt, uncouple, line up coupler with swing, swing over ore cart, pull bucket release to drop dirt, swing back, uncouple, line up coupler with bucket swing, swing low to close the bottom of the bucket, swing up to scoop dirt, repeat. This thing didn't have a seat, I'm not sure if the steam shovels did either.