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  1. #1
    judderman62 Guest

    Arrow Oddball - A Bucyrus Erie Walking Dragline

    So yesterday I was asked to go work on relief at our Leeds office. So I headed to the wrong side of the pennines with no time for inoculations or to pick up a phrase book.

    It was pretty quiet so I did a bit of surfing for stuff to see that wasn't far from Leeds and I found this (not so) Little beauty. A quick search On Google maps revealed I would be able to get to it in approx 20 minutes from our office. Nice one Nights getting lighter now so a visit here before going home was on the cards. Come 1630 I was told "you might as well get off" (I was intending leaving around 1700 ish) One look outside with sun shinning and this baby to go shoot and I did not argue.

    So what is a walking dragline I hear you ask (I said I hear you ask ...go on ask !!!)

    Well it is a massive machine used in the surface mining industry. So a little about "Oddball" and Bucyrus Erie.

    Bucyrus Erie (or Bucyrus International inc as they are now called) were founded in 1880 in Bucyrus Ohio and in 1893 moved their headquarters to it's current location in South Milwaukee.

    Oddball was built in 1948 and served for four years in her native US. Then she was dismantled and shipped to the UK where she was reassembled like some giant meccano set - after you with that allen key please.

    She was dismantled and reassembled in this manner 4 times in her lifespan and in the UK worked in Pontyprid in south Wales , then in Cannock, staffordshire before finally coming to St. Aidans near Leeds where she currently resides all restored and maintained.

    She weighs a rather impressive 1200 tons, has a bucket capacity of some 25 cubic yards and is the size of 60 double decker buses. As hinted at by their name these monsters actually move around by walking !!! at a speed of , I believe, it was either 0.2 MPH or KPH per hour.

    If anyone is interested they have open days where you can get right up to her, have a good mooch round and even sit in the drivers seat !!! The next date for an open day is on Saturday April 17th - see here so if anyone is interested Silent and I intend going so would be great to have an UEF meet anyone up for it ?

    so on with the Images:



    oops ... I better not climb over that there wooden fence had I ?



















    I have to say this thing impressed the feck out of me

    hope ya enjoyed y'all

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Oddball - A Bucyrus Erie Walking Dragline

    I went to the heritage open day last year, and can heartily recommend it, it's a massive piece of engineering. Unfortunately, it's unlikely to move again as the pikies have nicked all the copper from the electrical gubbins.

    Take a wide angle lens of you want to photograph it - seriously. Most of these were taken on a 14mm lens on a full frame camera.....









    You can even have a go in the drivers seat:


    More on flickr

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