Marion Power Shovel Co. began as Marion Steam Shovel Dredge Co. in 1884. It spent 113 years in the steam shovel and dragline industry before Bucyrus International acquired it in 1997. At its prime, it was the second largest dragline and excavator manufacturer in the world and was responsible for the first long-boom revolving stripping shovel to be produced in North America.
The Marion Power Shovel Co.contributed to many significant construction projects such as the Panama Canal, the Hoover Dam, and the Holland Tunnel.
Before it was acquired by its rival of more than a hundred years, Bucyrus, it employed 2,500 people and was commissioned by NASA to produce crawlers for their spacecraft launch pads.[1]
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[edit] History
With the help of George W. King and Edward Huber, Henry M. Barnhart patented his Marion steam shovel and founded the Marion Steam Shovel Co. in 1884 in Marion, Ohio.
[edit] Building the Panama Canal
The company was very popular upon its foundation as railroads were being built throughout North America and contractors depended heavily on steam shovels. Marion’s steam shovels played an important role in constructing the Panama Canal in 1903, and its namesake base became known as the “city that built the Panama Canal.”[2]
[edit] The Stripping Shovel
The first long-boom revolving stripping shovel was produced by Marion in 1911. It weighed in at 150 tons and consisted of a three-and-a-half cubic yard (2.7 m3) dipper. The shovel was steam powered and mounted on a rail.[3]
[edit] Shifting Marion's Identity
In the 1960s, Marion ceased production on hydraulic shovels for the mining industry and decided to turn its focus to draglines and shovels. This led to its subsequent name change from the Marion Steam Shovel Co. to the Marion Steam Power Co. shortly after the Second World War. It was around this time as well that Marion acquired Osgood Co., a manufacturer of small power shovels, in 1955.
[edit] Profits in Mining
With the onslaught of off-highway trucks in the 1960s, the shovel business began to grow tremendously. Because manufacturers were getting on board with the trend of purchasing the largest off-highway trucks for the mining industry, they would usually pair up this purchase with an upgrade of a shovel. Marion took advantage of this trend to move deeper into mines and purchased the 191-M, a 10-cubic yard (7.6 m3) dipper machine, produced in 1951. Another model designed to fill this demand was the 301-M, which was produced in response to off-highway trucks that weighed as much as 240 tons.
The Marion 6360 was also produced in response to the overwhelming demand for larger shovels. The 6360, produced in 1965, consisted of a 180-cubic yard (137.6 m3) bucket dipper and weigh 14,000 tons and it remains the heaviest land mobile machine for land ever built. Marion was also successful in building some of the largest draglines of its time.[4]
Marion acquired prominent Ohio-based shovel manufacturer, Osgood Co., in 1955.
[edit] The Company Today
Bucyrus International claimed Marion in 1997, ending a rivalry of 113 years. When Bucyrus acquired Marion, it introduced more than 120 draglines to its already massive set. Marion machines continue to be produced but under the Bucyrus name. Equipment that previously appeared under the Marion name, such as the 351M became 595B.[5]
[edit] Equipment List
[edit] References
- ↑ Marion Steam Shove. The Ohio Channel. 2008-09-22.
- ↑ Marion Steam Shovel Company. Ohio History Central. 2008-09-22.
- ↑ Haddock, Keith. Bucyrus: Making the Earth Move for 125 Years. Motorbooks: 2005.
- ↑ Marion. Bucyrus. 2008-09-22.
- ↑ Marion. Bucyrus. 2008-09-22.
