The rise and fall of the two biggest draglines ever built

Michael Allan McCrae | July 23, 2011 | 10:48 pm Energy Coal 

Watch this documentary about two of the biggest draglines ever built.

The Captain was the first of the big draglines, built by Marion Power Shovel for the Captain Mine in Illinois. It was then rivalled by the Big Muskie, owned by the Central Ohio Coal Company.

Big Muskie operated from the ’60s to the ’90s, and was retired when the operating cost became too expensive.

The Captain quit operating after suffering fire damage, and repairs proved too costly.

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2 Comments

  • John

    Two awesome machines! However, the Captain was a stripping shovel, not a dragline.

  • Michael Richter

    The captain was not a dragline ,if you’re going to write an article please know the terminology the captain was a stripping shovel they work completely differently ! But it was a engineering masterpiece

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