Viva gas turbines! Atki Pete Lynch is back on Biglorryblog to say: "G'day Brian, these pictures were amongst the ones from Dave Webster showing that 'minor problem' they had with the gas-turbine powered Euclid. I didn't really think it was possible to run over a grader....but the Euclid seems to have come off OK!"
Meanwhile, click through here for the full story of that err....'minor' problem from Dave!
Mr Webster duly writes: "I see BLB has a gas turbine section...the attached photos show a Euclid 210-tonne gas turbine which was supposed to replace the original 105 tonne trucks at Bougainville copper."
Dave continues: "Unfortunately sometime into the proving tests it had a flame out, which also burnt some wiring and she got out of control heading downhill and aiming at the pit workshop! Luckily she bounced off the blade of a parked D9 and then ran over the Cat 16 grader and various other items of plant before grinding to a halt..." Phew is all BLB can say.
"And the reason these trucks had duals on the front was that no one built a big enough tyre to run single on the front, cheers, Dave."
Incredible photos Pete!
Great stuff Pete these Terex truck where one of the biggest artic steered ever made and Pangonna was extreme jsut like our man Jerry has as his every day.. I know a fella who was a fitter onthe island back in those days. This is the job that put Hal Morgan's Morgan Eqipment on the map and moved him from a small time Californain Terex dealer to planet size big time trader. Caterpillar sold a big package of D8H dozers along with trucks graders and gen sets etc..all to be trashed in sepretist riots when this island became a war zone. Kennedy transport had Atkison's and F model Mack's hauling into the mountains all the things to keep the mine in action now thats a story in it self.
Digging us outta debt
Ray Jay
Just found your web site when looking for info on Euclid trucks. I am the son of a man named Tony Colosi who worked for Euclid for about 38 years and traveled the world over to many remote sites in an engineering capacity to help reassemble the trucks at their destination. He had assignments in Bouganville (sp?), Australia, South Africa just to name a few. Tony passed away a couple weeks ago and I was just wondering whether anyone who visits this site worked with him or remembers him. He loved his job and the Euc's and was buried with a Euclid lapel pin and many pictures of the trucks around him. Great site, I enjoy seeing his life's work in action.