Sullivan C: Carlisle, IN: Peabody's Bear Run Coal Mine and B-E 2550+2570

(Flickr; Satellite)

Dragline North: (Satellite, as of Dec 2024)

Dragline South: (Satellite, as of Dec 2024)

The 2570 is known as Old Ben. [Griffin Sr. post below]

PeabodyEnergy
Bear Run Mine began production in 2010 and is the largest surface mine in the eastern United States. 
Bear Run has 240 million tons of provable and probable reserves. 

 

Jim Evans posted
Robert Dyar: 2550 at Bear Run would have it dusted out and idled.

Brian Love commented on a post
I work with her sister [Big Kate] up at bear run

 

Dustin Cox commented on a post

 

Jim Pearson Photography posted
Sitting this morning at bear Run Min at Dugger, Indiana waiting for an Indiana Railroad coal train to start loading.

 

SteelRails posted
On August 26, 2023, the Indiana Railroad's INRD 7004 EMD SD70M locomotive loading a 14-car coal train at the Bear Run Coal Mine in Dugger, Indiana.
Brandon Lee Chattin: The customer they go to can't handle very many at one time we give them to csx at terre haute they give them to the brc and I think they end up in Wisconsin somewhere.
SteelRails shared

Jim Pearson Photography posted

A short Indiana Railroad coal train, EHWBR (Empty Hiawatha to Bear Run) loads at Bear Run Mine, at Dugger, Indiana, on August 26th, 2023. The short load of 14 cars is destined to a customer somewhere in Wisconsin.

According to Wikipedia: The Indiana Railroad (reporting mark INRD) is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of 155 miles (249 km). This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road’s Indianapolis Subdivision, comprises most of the former IC/ICG line from Indianapolis to Effingham, Illinois; Illinois Central successor Canadian National Railway retains the portion from Newton to Effingham.

The company was formed in 1986 by entrepreneur Thomas Hoback, who retired as president and chief executive officer in 2015. CSX Transportation now owns a majority interest in the parent company. The company's executive and administrative offices are in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 180.

https://fineartamerica.com/.../indiana-railroad-coal...

Worldwide Railfan Productions shared

B-E 2570

David Owens Flickr

"The dragline began its 18-mile "walk" from Farmersburg Indiana Mine earlier this month.

"The walk will continue 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at a pace of less than one-tenth of a mile an hour, explains a Peabody Energy press release.

"One of the most massive machines in the world, the Bucyrus-Erie 2570-W dragline will cross the countryside and two Indiana state highways during its month-long journey to Bear Run.

"At 13-million pounds, the 2570 weighs more than 150 Boeing 737-700 jetliners. It towers 220-feet high and swings a 335-foot boom with a maximum operating radius of 300 feet, the length of a football field, adds the press release. This boom carries a 115-cubic-yard bucket capable of moving a 335,000 pound payload. The machine sits on a tub spanning 80 feet in diameter and walks with two 'shoes' measuring 72 feet in length by 14 feet in width. The size is necessary to lift and advance the dragline's massive frame.

"To relocate the dragline, a crew of up to 20 staff will support the machine's operators, including maintenance personnel and electricians responsible for the 22,900-volt cabling that powers the dragline's progress.

(new window) Matt Booe posted
Not a good vid. From a cell phone and trying to fly at the same time. But here it is anyway.
Charles Jones I didn't think Peabody wanted them "windmilling" the draglines??????
Matt Booe They do it a lot.
Mitch Rabe Charles Jones they windmill both. I rode on the 2550 while they were doing it.
Charles Jones When I was working at Lynnville Mine, the time study engineer tried to tell me that it was inefficient. Terry Traylor told us dragline operators not to do it. I had to get rid of a lot of mud, so I windmilled with the 1150. We were reopening an old shovel pit that had set there since 1943. The 3rd shift Pit Foreman said I had mud going back 5 to 6 spoils back in the old shovel spoils. Traylor practically lost his mind. Had to get rid of it somehow!!!!! I heard when Peabody Energy open Farmersburg Mine that they discouraged windmilling with the 2570.

Todd Springer commented on Matt's post

The dragline appears to be at the end of a swath.

Satellite

Satellite, full satellite resolution

Since the post talks about a 2550 and a 2570, this second operation must also be part of Bear Run Mine.

Satellite

Both operations are preparing to blast.

Satellite, North

Satellite, South

The mine being opened up in 2010 explains why the railroad to it does not show up in my 2005 SPV Map. Tracing their spur north, it comes off a track just southeast of Dugger, IN. So the mine is served by INRD/IC.

The mine was developed at an estimated cost of $400m, and it is expected to generate $6b in revenue. They have 17 year contracts with a couple of electric companies. "It produces high-sulphur coal from three seams namely Danville No7 and Hymera No5 and No6. The sulphur content varies from 3lb to 6lb." This source says it has two Bucyrus-Erie 2570-W draglines, one of which was moved from the Farmersburg Mine in Oct 2010. [mining-technology]

It produces 8-12 million tons per year. [InIndianaWater] Although those numbers are going down. It produced 6.9mtpy in 2018. [InsideIndianaBusiness]

Photo courtesy of Peabody via InsideIndianaBusiness
Nov 6, 2019: Peabody is laying off 35 workers or 7% of the work force at Bear Run.

Jim Pearson Photography posted

July 21, 2020 - The old and the new sit in contrast to each other at the Bear Run Mine in Dugger, Indiana, as Indiana Railroad locomotive 9011 loads CBRME (Coal Bear Run to Merom Power plant), as it creeps along while picking up another load of coal for the Merom Power Plant outside Sullivan, Indiana.

This Bucyrus-Erie 2570W dragline was used at Peabody’s now closed Hawthorn Mine which todays Bear Run Mine borders. The old Hawthorn Mine was served by Conrail and Soo back in the day.

According to what I've found online at one time Bear Run mine officials said this dragline hasn’t been used in many years, but there are no plans to scrap it. So it is in long term storage on a secure site just in case it is needed again. From the looks of things, I'd say it's doubtful!

Bucyrus-Erie was an American surface and underground mining equipment company. It was founded as Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company in Bucyrus, Ohio in 1880. Bucyrus moved its headquarters to South Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1893. In 1927, Bucyrus merged with the Erie Steam Shovel Company to form Bucyrus-Erie.

Renamed Bucyrus International, Inc. in 1997, it was purchased by Caterpillar in a $7.6 billion ($8.6 billion including net debt) transaction that closed on July 8, 2011. At the time of its acquisition, the Bucyrus product line included a range of material removal and material handling products used in both surface and underground mining.

Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, Nikkor 70-300 @ 115mm, f/4.8, 1/1250, ISO 110.
Ryan Hubble Thats the newest machine on bear run properties I work on the 2570 and the 2550 that machine is totally gutted last number I heard was 100million to make her swing again i remember when the lowered the boom on this machine
[A strong argument that punctuation helps.]
Bob Smith That dragline is a monster. A shame technology has not figured a way for coal to burn as clean as natural gas. I hate auto correct.
Ward Jeffery What happened to all of that clean coal technology we were promised a decade ago?
Bob Smith Ward Jeffery too costly.
Susan Nichols That thing is huge when you compare the huge size of the locomotive!
Jake Longanecker I remember back in the early 2000’s, there was a dragline moved from towards St Louis (if I’m recalling correctly) to this mining area. I remember at the time, I worked for MCI and we had a fiber optic cable in a decommissioned ammonia pipeline that we had to drop in elevation and stabilize all the ground around where he dragline was going to cross it in order to keep from crushing and cutting the cable. Maybe someone on here might recall things better than I.
Michael Davis That dragline is basically a NAPA parts store for the two draglines running.
Matt Booe It’s pretty much gutted. And it would need a new boom if it was brought back to life. Too many cycles on that one. Several years ago they looked into rebuilding it. The cost would be the same as a new one. The difference being that the new one would be of a Marion type design, so there would be no parts interchangeability between it and the others, and a new one would take a year longer to get. Iirc, at that time they would have rebuilt the old one.
Rick Hood Those are (were) outstanding, amazing machines. Curious how much coal it could scoop up at one time?
Alex Taylor Rick Hood that dragline has a 360' boom and 90-95 cy bucket to dig around 140 tons of rock per bucket.
Ray Bonhomme Yeah used to be junction outside of sandborn Indiana to where the track used to go to the hawthorn mine off the old conrail track and now as Indiana southern track now that goes to the edwardsport power plant!!!

Bob Ciminel shared
Dave Rage A lot of bits have been robbed off that 2570 over the years to keep others going.+
Matt Weyand Dave Rage yes, it’s a “parts” 2570.
Bruce Brown We used to get all sorts of parts off it to keep our two 2570's at narm going. Warehouse stock is not what it used to be these days. No one wants to sit on $20mil+ of inventory anymore.
Dave Rage Matt Weyand I was surprised about the decision to revive the 2550 and not that one when bear run started.
Alex Taylor Bruce Brown I think one or both of the shoes off this dragline were circulated to the other Peabody 2570's.
Jim Shackelford Dave Rage the 2550 cost less than $5MM with the rebuilt tub, the 2570W had a price tag of almost $100MM in 2010 (I helped put the estimate together)
Dave Rage Jim Shackelford wow, big difference! Was that because the 2570 had so many parts missing?!
Jim Shackelford Dave Rage not really. The boom, mast, tub, rack, rails and rollers were all shot. Electrically, there had been some vandalism.
Dave Rage Jim Shackelford never realised that - guess it had a few more hours on it than the 2550 then! Sounds like it is only a matter of time before it is scrapped.
Jim Shackelford Dave Rage No. the 50 started in 1964 and the 70 started in 1979. The 50 got a new boom in 1990 (the mast failed and it all came down). 50 had a tub available from a 2560.
Brandon Lee Those SD90MACs are not exactly new, they where built in the late 90s. They have been retired or rebuilt on the few class one railroads that had them.

 

Jarred Bailey, Feb 2017, cropped

Dale Smith II posted six photos with the comment: "May 14th & 15th 2022. Bear Run Mine, Dugger Indiana."

Ken Fox: Both Draglines started out as AMAX properties. Many years agoooo !

1
2570, north pit
Myron Dudenbostel: Are they broke down, repair job, because the bucket is in the spoil, the drag and hoist ropes are slack?
Alex Taylor: Myron Dudenbostel probably since the back doors on the house are open.
Matt Booe: Alex Taylor door on top is open too to let the crane come out. Must have not been something small.
Jeremy Longest: Myron Dudenbostel It was a swing motor this day I was there. Downtime of 5-6 hours.
Ben McIntosh: Like how they got the 200 shovel in the background. It looks like a baby lol

2
2570, north pit
Ben McIntosh: And there's my little 2800 shovel in the background lol

3
2570, north pit

4
2550, south pit

5
2550, south pit

6
2550, south pit

Mining Mayhem posted, cropped
Cool photo!
Chris Knepp: Looks like Bear Run right outside Carlisle/Dugger IN.
Alex Taylor shared
That's one good-looking 2570!

Chris Stephens commented on Mining Mayhem's post
Taken by me a month ago same machine.

Chris Stephens commented on Mining Mayhem's post
Another view

Nate Nowak commented on Mining Mayhem's post

Mining Photography Archive posted
Peabody Energy Bucyrus Erie 2550W (Bear Run Mine)

 

Kevin Christian posted
Bear Run Mine
Matt Booe: On its way there. About a mile into the trip about to cross IN 48.

 

Kevin Christian posted
Bear Run Mine
Guy Kasper: What size buckets do the draglines have?
Alex Taylor: Guy Kasper 88-90cy buckets on the 2550 in the photo. One is a Esco and the other is a Cat bucket.
In this photo the 2550 is using the older 75cy bucket.
Brett Clem: Still a 2550 and 2570 working at Bear run mine.
AC Cofer: I believe this is one they relocated from one mine to another, taking several weeks to move it.
Matt Booe: AC Cofer not this one. This was the first 2550 built just north of Vicksburg. They worked with it to the west and then south until it was idled for a while. After Bear run started up, it ran in the same area for a while before moving to a pit farther south. The one moved to that mine was the 2570. It came from Farmersburg and from Chinook before that.

I've read before that Indiana doesn't bother to monitor its power plants for heavy metal pollution of waterways. [InIndianaWater] The idea of allowing Bear Run to tear up a country side  that contains arsenic, lead and mercury with no requirements to monitor the downstream waterways hurts my brain.

MSHA-fatality-alert

I noticed that their safety record brags of "8th successive year with a global safety incidence rate below 2.00" [Peabody-brochure] was not specific to this mine. That is because this mine had Fatality #7 in 2018.

On September 7, 2018, a 60-year-old haul truck operator with 1 year of total mining experience was transporting spoil to a dump site when a bulldozer operator saw fire on the truck. The bulldozer operator called the haul truck driver and he stopped the truck. While exiting the truck, the haul truck driver received burns and he was taken to the hospital. He died on September 12, 2018, due to complications from the burns. [MSHA-overview]

I wondered what the scope of "#7" is. Fortunately I found the "Additional Information: This is the seventh fatality reported in calendar year 2018 in the coal mining industry and it is the first classified as Fire. As of this date in 2017, twelve fatalities were reported in the coal mining industry, with none in this classification." [MSHA-fatality-alert]

If I find the time, I'll try to add Global Earth images to these notes. They do show the mine reclaiming the land as the "scar" marches across the country side.

The B-E 2570 travelled a long ways South to get here as it went from mine to mine as the mines played out. I knew that some draglines crossed I-70 in Ohio, but I did not know it was crossed in Indiana.

Michael Childress posted three photos with the comment: "Crossing I-70 Brazil Indiana."

[Apr-May 1994]

Ken Lahmers: Isn't that one of the largest draglines still operating???

Heath Smith: Ken Lahmers largest east of the Mississippi.

Michael Hollingsworth: Isn’t Big Kate bigger? They got her digging again as far as I thought.

Jerry Lacy: Michael Hollingsworth big Kate is the Sam model as this one but I think kate runs a 100 yard bucket on a 300 foot boom. This one has a 115 yard on a 335 foot boom.

Matt Booe: Jerry Lacy I think they are running a 135 on it now

Jim Shackelford: Got to the south side and immediately got stuck. As I understand it, you could step off of the catwalk in front of the operator’s cab onto the ground.

Michael Childress: Jim Shackelford yup

Ken Fox: The operator told the Super that "we can't walk on that stuff, but the Super said were running behind schedule all ready, so just keep going and do the best that you can. So John just kept going, straight on down." I know this because I was there in the cab when it happened.

Michael Hollingsworth: Jim Shackelford that machine got stuck a couple times walking from Farmersburg to Bear Run also.

Matt Booe: Michael Hollingsworth once just after it crossed over on to the old minnihaha property. I was moving equipment out to it so they could pack rock under the shoes.

once on the way to Farmersburg and once in the way to bear run.

1, cropped

2, cropped

3, cropped

Chad Smith commented on Miachel's post
Here it is down at Bear Rum.

 

Melvin Blythe posted
Bear Run maintenance? Walked out of the pit and boom on the ground.
Brandon Melvin: I work on it maintenance almost done
Alex Taylor: They should be raising the boom back up today [Oct 23, 2023].

Chad Smith commented on Milvin's post

Comments on Melvin's post

James R Griffin Sr.: posted two images with the comment: "Old Ben Coal Company Draglines in southern Indiana 1984."

Tom Moosbrugger: Jim Morris north of the interstate and just off weyerbacher rd. Seven Hills mine. Went by last month and it was dark.

[I could not find a dragline in the pit off Weyerbacher Road nor the other two at Seven Hills.]

Michael Smith: Kate sits idle once again in a pit of Peabody Somerville mine ops it's rumored to walk across I-64 to the new seven hills mine. I believe gentleman Ben is at the mine up near Linton.

[I found two draglines in this mine. I don't know which one is Old Ben. (See the satellite information at the top of these notes for the positions when James posted to Facebook.)]

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2

3:34 video @ 0:51
Peabody's Bucyrus Erie 2570W at the Bear Run Mine 1/28/23
[I wonder what made the hole that it is filling in. Normally they would dump behind the crane.]
"Built in 1977 near Staunton Indiana at the Amax, Chinook mine.  It mined coal on the north side of I-70 until 94' when it crossed the interstate and then worked on the southern part of the mine property.  Several years after the mine closed, it was walked to Black Beauty's Farmersburg mine where It worked for some time.  When Farmersburg closed, there was extensive maintenance done to the machine, some planned, some not, before being walked farther south to the Bear Run mine where, along with the 2550, it continues to work today."