Northwest shovels discovered

by Nick Drew | Thu 28 Jun 2018

Northwest shovels discovered

One-time regular contributor to this blog Michael Bullock aka "Our Englishman Down Under", has been out and about again and discovered an old classic Northwest cable shovel.

During a recent visit to the town of Laverton Michael found himself with time to kill as he waited for a flight back to Perth. While out on a walkabout he came across this old Northwest machine sat on a concrete slab. There was no information plaque to say what the machine was or why it was on display but Michael did know that Laverton was once home to a gold and nickel mining boom many years ago and to this day the location still has 3 major gold mining operations nearby.

Incredibly the logos of two of the most famous Australian mining contractors were still visible on this old machine, Thiess on the side panel and Roche Bros across the back above the Northwest logo, both have a long history in the mining sector in Australia.

A definitive model identity was not possible due to no model number plates, but we suspect it to be a Model 6 or Model 8. If anyone has a more positive idea of what it is, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Talking about the machine Michael said, “This old relic was no doubt working near the town at some point. Without a doubt it would have been a long hot day working this old girl with all those winches inside, Laverton temperatures easily reach 45^o (113 F) in the summer months!”

I came across this You Tube footage of a restored Northwest 80-D in America, which was a later model, first introduced as far back as 1937 and incredibly, remained in the company’s product portfolio until the early 1980’s.

We thank Michael Bullock for sharing the photos and information contained within this blog post.

The magazine for owners + operators

Digger Man Blog

Northwest shovels discovered

Loads more

First Glimpse of New Komatsu Excavator Series

If it Looks Right, it is Right

It’s a Volvo but Not as we Know it!

Subscribe to Earthmovers