Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Here is a short video of the giant steam shovel that I learned to fire at the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion in Rollag MN. This was Sept. 1, 2024. It is a Bucyrus Erie 2 yd. shovel.
There are three 2 cylinder engines on this shovel, one for the main hoist, one for the crowd (dipper) and one for swing.  The hoisting engine had 2 separate cylinders, one on each side of the main shaft.  The video shows one of the hoist cylinders in operation.  There are no governors on the engines, they are strictly hand throttle controlled, which keeps the operator very busy.  The noise is deafening.
The boiler is locomotive style and sits cross wise in the back of the house.  The fire door is in the side of the firebox as shown.  There is no insulation on the boiler, and the house gets extremely hot.  I watched and spoke with the firemen for a good part of the day, learning firing sequence and feed water control. The firebox door cannot be opened when hoisting as the exhaust steam draft in the stack is intense and makes the fire pretty wild.  When the dipper is up and the swing starts, they can open the door.  They let me start firing late in the afternoon, and after about 20 minutes, the heat got to me and I had to stop.  Definitely a young man’s game.
It was a great experience; I can now check that box on the bucket list.
Link to the you tube video:

https://youtu.be/RmeiH4SmZ_U

Thanks for posting that, very interesting.