There were a lot of vehicles and people needed to keep a strip mining machine like the "Big Muskie" mining shovel operating. The Caterpillar D9L and D9H bulldozers are custom built models that represent two of the dozers that used to work around this enormous machine. The D9H is based on the First Gear International TD25 and the D9L is based on Norscot's D9T. The Ford F-700 dump is a kitbash of an Athearn Ford and a Boley dump bed. The Ford F-100 pickup is not prototypical to this era but is included in the display because every purchaser of a Big Muskie model got this commemorative vehicle from Classic Construction Models with their Muskie model serial number engraved into the bed.

Posted June 20, 2010