Big Brutis, a stripping shovel. It located in SE Kansas near West Mineral, Ks. There were a few larger shovels made but they were all scrapped.
I worked for a guy who farmed in the area and one day he was showing me his bean field. While riding in his truck I notice the boom off in the distance and asked him what it was, so he drove down to it. We were like two miles away. When we got there it was enclosed with a 6' chain link fence, but the fence had been cut so we could get in to see it.
The size truly is mind boggling. Above the tracks is handrail. On the platform in that area was a pop machine, and it looked like about the size of a soda can! 160' boom, 16 stories tall. They had a crew going along side installing power poles to provide power to it. It went about fifteen miles south then came back north. The farmers saw how much damage was being done to get to the coal they all agreed to not lease any more property to Peabody Coal, and it cause them to shut down.
It sat for years, but was eventually painted and made into a museum. I had gone back before it was declared a museum and was able to walk to the top. My wife went up there also, and when we got to the top it was another "one of those feelings" that you don't get much in life.
Here's some more pictures.
www.tripadvisor.com
I worked for a guy who farmed in the area and one day he was showing me his bean field. While riding in his truck I notice the boom off in the distance and asked him what it was, so he drove down to it. We were like two miles away. When we got there it was enclosed with a 6' chain link fence, but the fence had been cut so we could get in to see it.
The size truly is mind boggling. Above the tracks is handrail. On the platform in that area was a pop machine, and it looked like about the size of a soda can! 160' boom, 16 stories tall. They had a crew going along side installing power poles to provide power to it. It went about fifteen miles south then came back north. The farmers saw how much damage was being done to get to the coal they all agreed to not lease any more property to Peabody Coal, and it cause them to shut down.
It sat for years, but was eventually painted and made into a museum. I had gone back before it was declared a museum and was able to walk to the top. My wife went up there also, and when we got to the top it was another "one of those feelings" that you don't get much in life.
Here's some more pictures.
Big Brutus - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
www.tripadvisor.com
