#The captain shovel series#

In 1955, MPS acquired its cross town rival, the Osgood Company which manufactured shovels under the Marion-Osgood and Osgood brand names. First fitted to the Model 204-M with a 27 cuyd dipper. In 1974 they introduced the Super front Shovel design that utilised a modifid dipper design that could have a 66% bigger bucket on the machine. With an estimated weight of 15,000 tons (13,600 tonnes), this machine still holds the record as the heaviest mobile land machine ever built. The 6360 at the Captain Mine, Illinois, operated with a 180 cubic yard (138 cubic meter) dipper bucket. Marion’s succession of giant shovels, many breaking world size records, culminated in the world’s largest in 1965, the Marion 6360. Marion built its first walking dragline in 1939 and became a key player in providing giant stripping shovels to the coal industry, being the first to put a long-boom revolving stripping shovel to work in North America in 1911. In April 1946, the company changed its name to the Marion Power Shovel Company ( MPS) to more closely reflect its products. (Competitor Bucyrus Steam Shovel was founded 15 miles (24 km) from Marion in nearby Bucyrus, Ohio the company relocated soon thereafter to Milwaukee, Wisconsin after Bucyrus city officials refused to approve expansion plans for the company.)

#The captain shovel series#

Marion was most successful with the Model 20 series contractors shovels (see steam shovel).ĭuring the project Marion Shovels broke world records in amount of cubic earth moved within a given time frame (1908) and greatest amount (8-ton) lifted by a single bucket (1911).īy 1911 90% of all large bucket steam shovels and draglines were produced in Marion Ohio, which was also the headquarters of Osgood Steam Shovel, Fairbanks Steam Shovel and General Excavating Corporation. Marion built large and small steam shovels for building contractors, railroads and the US Army Corps of Engineers who were building the Panama Canal at the time. This machine set the record in July 1908 for moving 53,000 cubic yards (41,000 m³) of earth in 25 eight-hour days after American project management began of the Panama canal project. One element of Barnhart's design was the use of solid iron rods (hog rings) to support the boom of the shovel, which was stronger than simple chain. Barnhart and Huber patented Barnhart's changes under United States Patent No. While steam shovels had been made prior to this date in the United States, Barnhart persueded Huber to financially back his design which incorporated a stronger bucket support than other makes. The Marion Steam Shovel Company was established by Henry Barnhart, George W. History Marion Steam Shovel and Dredge Company 1.1 Marion Steam Shovel and Dredge Company.