See Big Muskie Bucket, McConnelsville, Ohio

Add to My List Check Off

Big Muskie was the largest dragline ever built. The 220-cubic-yard, 240-ton bucket is a true engineering marvel. Due to the massive size of the machine, Big Muskie had to be built on site. Starting in 1967, more than 300 railcars and 250 trucks hauled the necessary pieces to Muskingum Mine. It took a team of engineers more than two years to erect Big Muskie. When completed, the massive machine stood 240-feet tall. The behemoth digger worked by dragging its bucket along the ground to strip away layers of soil and rock that covered high-sulfur coal. Big Muskie could lift 325 tons of earth and rock in a single "bite". Between 1969 and 1991, Big Muskie ran 24 hours a day, 364 days a year, moving more than 483 million cubic yards of rock and earth.

5.0 out of 5 Write a Review

No Ratings Yet

Flag as inappropriate ›