Proposed Rescue of a Marion 4160 Electric Shovel

摘要

Marion Steam Shovel introduced the 4160 4-yard mine and quarry loading shovel in 1927. It was the first crawler mounted, fully revolving shovel designed specifically for this type of work; until this point, mining shovels were either fully revolving machines used solely for stripping, or partial swing rigs mounted on crawlers or temporary railroad tracks. It weighed 388,000 pounds, with a 34-foot standard boom and 21-foot, 6-inch dipper stick. Bad timing worked against its success, with only 27 built before discontinuance in 1936. Two 4160s were delivered in 1930 to Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting (HBM&S) at its new open-pit copper mine in Saskatchewan, just across the border from Flin Flon, Manitoba. The shovels worked until the ore ran out, then were brought back to the surface. One 4160 is believed scrapped, but the other lives on today and is a candidate for recovery and preservation.