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Featuring a superbly restored Number Four shovel rigged as a grab. Plus a 19RB dragline and many other restored machines at events around England. Fascinating colour and silent black white archive film, show some of the largest excavating machines in the world.

In volume five the viewer is taken back to the early 1900's when Bucyrus Erie and Ruston Bucyrus were pioneering the manufacturing of steam and then diesel powered excavators.

Renowned as manufactures of the largest mobile earth moving machines in the world. Bucyrus International (Formerly Bucyrus Erie) is today possibly the only company still producing giant rope operated mining shovels and draglines. The company history is one of firsts in many fields of mining and quarrying and earthmoving around the world. Excavating 225 million cubic yards of dirt on the Panama Canal, with Seventy-seven 90 ton Bucyrus shovels and one Bucyrus dredger. Twenty-four Marion Power Shovel machines also helped in the effort. Marion is now owned by Bucyrus. Designing and building Big Muskie the largest mobile earthmoving machine in the world are possibly the best-known milestones in the company history.

In 1882 the first excavator from the Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company was shipped to the Northern Pacific Railroad, ever since the company has been associated with innovative products designed for the worlds toughest applications.

Joseph Ruston joins the farm equipment manufactures Burton and Proctor as a partner and in 1874 purchases the manufacturing rights of a Scottish engineer James Dunbar, the firm produces the first Ruston-Dunbar steam "Navvy". Seventy Ruston-Dunbar Navvies were used to dig the Manchester Ship Canal.

In 1918 the firm joins forces with Hornsby creating one of the biggest industrial groups in the country. After four years of negotiations Ruston Bucyrus is formed and 47 machines are manufactured at Lincoln.

Ruston Bucyrus face shovels, draglines and cranes became market leaders around the world in mining, quarrying and construction they were a product that emphasised British-built quality.

Part one uses mainly black and white silent film, (I have purposely not added any commentary or music as I feel it portrays the feeling of the era). But it does start with a snappy short colour sound film from Bucyrus Erie that gives an overview of what is to come.

My grateful thanks to Timothy Sullivan, CEO of Bucyrus International, for allowing me to use archive material. This is the start of a special series of videos about these two remarkable companies.

Approx running time 75 minutes.

Code No. 010182