17/19 Ruston-Bucyrus Excavator US use?

[Boely]

Hello to you all,

My name is Jelle Renze Boelens and I live in the Netherlands,one of my hobby,s is building 1/35 scalemodels off WW2 Allied vehicle,s/trailers and such.
I especialy like the Recovery,maintenance stuff and the Engineer stuff the Allieds used back in WW2.

I am searching for information on the 17/19 RB Excavator,any help is much appreciated and verry welcome.
One off my new projects is to build an US Army Corps of Engineers diorama in WW2 and the models that are going to be in this diorama are among others an 17/19 Ruston-Bucyrus Excavator loaded onto an 20-ton Freuhauf flatbed trailer with dolly and as tractor I have an Corbitt 6X6 6-ton truck.
As I like to build as historical correct as possible I have an question about the use of the 17/19 Ruston-Bucyrus Excavator and if the US did use them in WW2?
So my question is would the US have made use of the 17/19 Ruston-Bucyrus Excavator in WW2?
Any help is much appreciated and verry welcome,I have searched every where I could think off both on the net and in the few books I could find about this subject,butt I haven,t been succesfull in finding the info I need for this project.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any response,I hope someone can help me to answer this question.

Thanks and with regards!

Jelle.

[martyn williams]

Hello Jelle
I have been looking for information on plant used in WW2.I have seen photos of 19 RB's on bridge construction work.I have also seen a good video of the Jack Olding company,it shows how Caterpillar supplied machines for the war effort.
One of my projects is restoring a Cat D4 fitted with a Laplant Choate blade.I have found lots of green paint under the yellow.
There is a good article in this months Classic military vehicle magazine.Also take a look at the film Seabees with John Wayne.Lots of machines in that film,including a truck mounted grab crane.
Martyn
I will try to find the crane photos for you
click on picture for more detail.
Russel Saywel at the controls in the first photo,Pete Fordam in the second photo

[XS650]

Very much doubt if US army used Ruston -Bucyrus's as they were British built and every one was desperately needed by us (We were also desperate for American kit ,reason we used so many D8's was because the US army took all the D7's )they may have used Bucyrus excavators though.
The small softback book 'Muckshifting for King George (the bulldozer goes to war)' by Maurice H.Saunders has lots of stories and very iinteresting pictures about British army engineering plant in WW2 . Including the adventures of a 19RB being towed around Persia by a Diamond T 4 tonner.

[martyn williams]

http://www.ww2f.com/military-service-re ... -research/
Try this forum.
As Craig says,the yanks used other cranes other than RB,such as Bucyrus Erie and American.
Martyn

[Nick Drew]

Hi Jelle and welcome to CMN

I don't know if this will help but check out my recent blog post

http://www.contractjournal.com/blogs/di ... ssics.html

Nick

[Boely]

Thank you all verry much for your reply,s,information and the welcome!!

I too doubt if the US Army Corps of Engineers would have made use of the 17/19 RB Excavator back in WW2,the reason I asked it was of the captation that goes with the ad of my 1/35 scalemodel of my 17/19 RB Excavator:
http://www.accurate-armour.com/ShowProd ... oduct=1164
As you see it states that both the British and the US did made use of the 17/19 RB Excavator back in WW2.
Thats why I got confused and asked this question,maybe I can convert my 17/19 RB Excavator 1/35 scalemodel into an Excavator type that was used by the US Army Corps of Engineers in WW2?
Butt into what type of WW2 US type of Excavator I could convert my 17/19 RB Excavator into?

One of my other 1/35 scalemodel projects is to build an White 6X6 6-ton truck that wil tow an 16-ton Fruehauf flatbed trailer with dolly and as load it wil carry an Caterpillar D7 Bulldozer.
Butt first I will need to think of what I can do with my 17/19 RB Excavator,it was intended to be in an Treadway bridge diorama(I have an complete 1/35 scalemodel of an M2 Treadway bridge)together with AFKX 352 truck with Le Roi compressor and such.
It would be an US Army Corps of Engineers bridging diorama set in NW-Europe in WW2.

Butt thanks for your replys and the help,isd much appreciated.

Cheers!

Boely