The Marion 5600: World's Largest Shovel in 1929

In 1929, the Marion Steam Shovel Company built the 5600, by far the largest shovel ever assembled at the time. It weighed some 1550 tons and could work its 15-cubic-yard bucket 80-90 feet in the air. It was entirely electric in operation, with some 4500hp on tap. Only a single example of the 5600 was built, for the United Electric Coal Company of Illinois. A company with extensive strip-mining operations, its most productive site was Fidelity No. 11, 6 miles west of DuQuoin, Ill. The 5600 worked one of the three pits there. It was a number of years before a larger shovel was built. Better engineering and materials made it possible to build smaller shovels with greater capacity than the 5600. Don't miss the shot (at about 5:50) when the shovel nearly picks up the camera and cameraman! If anybody knows what became of Marion 5600 or United Electric Coal's Fidelity No. 11, leave me a comment.