Figured I would put a couple of these pictures on here for the heck of it. This thing is abandoned in pennsylvania where I do some dirt bike riding. To move it uses huge feet that you can see along the bottom in this picture.
Looking through the window of the operators box seen on the corner of the machine in the first pic. The shovel itself is no longer connected, but it sits nearby. Just about big enough to fit a small car in. As usual, every single window has been broken out...
Looking down into the machine from the operators box. Of course the cables that hold the boom are there, but the cables that were connected to the shovel have been cut off at the spool. I imagine scrapped by the company. You can see one of the big electric motors torn apart to the left of the picture. I think they scrapped the copper out of them, all of the big motors were pulled apart. The big gear box things under it are filled with oil. Notice the huge band brakes on the winch spool. I think the small winch in the middle left was probably use to pull the big cable through the boom when changing cables around.
Huge gears on the main winch. Still with grease on them. You can see a small oil line going to the winch spool bearing, I guess the main bearings were pressure fed. There was a big oil reservoir in the back. Also you have a view of the band brakes and linings on the main spool. There was a calendar on the wall from December 1991, so I imagine that's about the last time it was used.
Plate on one of the motors towards the rear. All the electric motors were general electric. Tried to look around for a manufacter date, but I didn't see anything. Someone could probably look up the model and serial number on this motor and get an idea. I haven't looked too hard yet.
Now standing in the back looking forward towards the boom. Bottom right is the oil reservoir I mentioned. Of course you can see the same gear box and disassebled motor in the front. Also back here was some electrical resistors and junk that I didn't take a picture of. Grease all over the floors everywhere. Some probably leaked out of stuff over the past 23 years and tracked around by people like me. Most of it was probably there when it was being used.
In the background here is one of the shovels that they still use, also electric. This one is maybe half again as big as the old one. A big power cable runs down from the machine to where all those green and yellow trees are to the left. Maybe six or seven inches in diameter. Talked to a security guy once and he said something like five people have died trying to steel the cable to sell it for scrap. Guess they chop it off with an ax. If you look real close, half way between the shovel and the left of the picture, you'll notice two poles. The cable runs up and across the poles so they can drive under it with a car and not ruin the cable. There is another smaller abandoned digger nearby too, but I didn't check that one out.
A million dollars from a long time ago nonetheless. Wonder what the scrap value is of it now. Be really fun to torch it all apart, but glad its still there.
Ah yes a scrappers paradise quality materials from a bygone Era where the gears and bolts were made in merica. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on that little line winch but I have to much respect for old tired iron. Rest in peace not pieces.
Ah yes a scrappers paradise quality materials from a bygone Era where the gears and bolts were made in merica. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on that little line winch but I have to much respect for old tired iron. Rest in peace not pieces.
Agree!!
Thunderdivine Veteran Member
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I ride at St. clair PA. It's maybe 20 miles north of pottsville. Reading anthracite company property, you can buy a permit for $125 for a year. They own a lot of land around the area. Some active mining still going on, many areas already mined out. One spot up in the woods there are some old mine shafts. There's all kinds of stuff all over the place, makes you wonder if your gonna fall in somewhere. I stay away from anything that looks like a sink hole...
Yeah you would think they would scrap the rest of the machine, guess it doesn't pay to take it apart.
There's another abandoned dragline in this guys video at about 3:26. That one has been boarded up. I don't even know where this is out there, never saw that area before. Looks like the bucket is still attached to that one though.
Here's a video I took out there a couple weekends back. Skip to 4:48 for the shovel. Look closely to the hand rail across from the door as I walk up the steps. You can see they cut the bars out of the way there to take out the scrap copper easier. At least that's the only thing I can think of. Half an electric motor case lays on the ground nearby.
I found the one in the video this weekend! They welded sheet metal over the windows and all the openings.
The bucket on this one is still attached. Parked the truck in there to show size.
Rollers that the machine turns on.
Better view of the feet than the last one.
Looking through a small hole torched through the size. Looks like they left all the motors intact with the idea of possibly using it again someday. Looks like that was awhile ago. Check out that huge cooling fan.
Subject: 
November 9th 2014, 7:56 pm
