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| Jeffrey Jable, Aug 2016 |
Before I found Jeffrey's photo, I looked for the display truck using street view. I'm keeping these photos because they show that Caterpillar is continuing to rearrange (invest in) the factory.
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| Street View, Oct 2019 |
This location for the truck is rather new. Back in Oct 2015, the truck was further north where it is in this satellite image. And the storage lot in the satellite image is now a parking lot.
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| Satellite |
Actually, they now have two trucks parked by the building. The one on the satellite image still exists.
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| Street View, Oct 2019 |
They also make big road graders here for maintaining the haul roads in mines..
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| Big Red, Dec 2015 |
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| Lauro Lopez, May 2019, cropped |
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| Jeffrey Jable, Aug 2017 |
They used to make scrappers here. The above photo implies that they still do. Or are they just displaying their product line?
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| Mid-Century Decatur posted Caterpillar equipment built in Decatur passes through Champaign on the Illinois Central enroute to its destination during the summer of 1959. Photo: J. Parker Lamb, Center for Railroad Photography & Art David Scrivner: I got to see the world's largest scraper being loaded up - it took seven train cars to ship it!!! |
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| NZ Contractor magazine posted Classic Machine pictures from our archives- this photo accompanied the Caterpillar DW21 scraper profile that ran in our March 2017 edition. Caption: McFarland Construction DW21 getting a push from a Caterpillar D8-2U in sandy load. Points of note are the single aircleaner in front of the operator, narrow exhaust stack and the clean, rounded front of the machine, all spotting features of an early 8W series DW21 Griff Bell: We had the high hp units with twin stacks and pushed with a 14A D8. Good times just can't hear anything. [And that is why OSHA is keen on ear protection.] |
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| Iram Scanchez commented on the above post, cropped [I'm not sure this was Cat built.] |
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| Willie Bell commented on the above post, cropped |
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| Willie Bell commented on the above post, cropped Dave V Schmidt: Willie Bell 86E NZ Contractor magazine: Dave V Schmidt - DW21G |
Proof that Cat still makes scrapers at this plant.
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| Owen Kingsland posted Largest load I saw in Decatur IL yesterday. [A comment called it a 657. Several comments said it is a 637.] Kevin Lively: That on a set of beams or a full deck? David Keown: Kevin Lively looks like beams Kevin Lively: David Keown that's what I thought I was seeing. Brad Wilkins: Must need the extra axles for that sleeper. Just messin, calm down Karen. Nice setup! Since Cat Montgomery closed I don't see any equipment moving too often. Keith White: It’s a 637. I have hauled them in WY on 9 axels w permit on interstate system! Legal. |
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| Shane Marzoff commented on Owen's post, cropped |
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| Owen Kingsland commented on Owen's post, cropped |
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| Max Samrick commented on Owen's post, cropped The 657's come out in 2 pieces from Decatur. |
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| Steven Laugh commented on Max's comment correct |
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| Len Glaubitz commented on Owen's post Cole Decker not a 57. It’s so expensive to haul them in one piece. And u just about can’t get permits to do it. I help my brother move them sometimes and we break them in half. If u move them on the west coast u can move them in one piece but Midwest to the east we split them. |
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| Justin Manke commented on Owen's post, cropped I was parked next to him in Effingham he was 204k gross |
Today's plant was an expansion. Caterpillar started out on 22nd Street. Judging by satellite and street views, this building has been torn down.
Mid-Century Decatur posted four images with the comment:
This sprawling brick complex on North 22nd Street covers more than 2 million square feet and employed over 1500 people during its peak in the mid-century period.But the origins of the building pre-date the mid-century era. The building was constructed during WW2 for Caterpillar to build turbine-style aircraft engines adapted for use in tanks. By the time the building was ready, however, the Army cancelled the tank engine program and diverted the plant to build badly needed bulldozer tractors. This was the origin of "earthmover" production in Decatur.The Decatur plant was hugely successful and in 1945 won the "Army-Navy E" war production award. Only 5% of the nation's war production plants earned that recognition.The plant would be repurposed twice after the war for completely different uses. This will be the subject of future posts.
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| 3, cropped |
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| 4 |
I thought road graders were moved to this plant when Caterpillar shut down its Montgomery, IL, plant to keep this plant running after the mining industry collapsed around 2012. But it looks like it was a matter of moving road graders back to this plant.
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| Mid-Century Decatur posted Caterpillar Road Grader assembly in 1966. (H&R photo) |
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| wandtv They started making the D24 road grader in 1997. It is the largest they make and it is used by mining companies to make and groom the wide haul roads that are needed by the mining trucks. |
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| cat_D24 "At 535 HP and with a 24 foot moldboard, this grader will keep your mining machines productive, safe and operators comfortable." |
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| Dangerous Machines posted |
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| cat_797F, cropped 797F CROWNED CHAMPION OF “MAKERS MADNESS” CONTEST "Made in Decatur, Illinois, USA, the 797F is the world’s largest mechanical-drive truck. It weighs 1,375,000 pounds (623 690 kilograms) and standing over 23 feet (7-meters) tall on six 13-foot (4-meter) tires. The 797F is the industry benchmark for delivering the lowest cost per ton in its size class." |
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| Dangerous Machines posted Merlin Barbara Satrom: Looks like this is the Cat Visitor Center in Peoria and the box of that truck is actually a theatre that you sit in! A great tour! Glen Glover: It’s a diesel engine powering a generator that powers two electric wheel motors, much like a locomotive |
They must make all of the big mining equipment here because a Facebook comment implied that this 994H was also made in Decatur.
I wonder how much of that load is going to fall into the truck at that angle.
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| Caloto posted |
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| Dangerous Machines posted Thomas Mcbreen: What it costs for those four tires I would love to have in my bank account lol. Jason Frydenger: Thomas Mcbreen I build these and the 797 for cat, we send tires directly to site but can tell you 797 tires are about $60,000 a pop. Clifford Nixon: I operated a 950 966 980 988 and 992 but never had the opportunity to operate a 994. |
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| Comments on post |
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| Arvid Inge Johnsen commented on the above post |
Cat has competition from Letorneaux.
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| Ken Needham commented on the above post |
In Oct 2022, they opened their first new building, a 180,000 sq ft warehouse, since 1997. [wandtv]
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