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Image Number:
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WH-1680027
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Title:
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Caterpillar 797 Mining Trucks at Alberta Oil Sands Mine
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Date:
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[ca. 2014]
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Photographer / Illustrator:
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Wilson Hui
Calgary, Alberta
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Remarks:
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Starting about the early 1990's, major oil sands operations in Northern Alberta had switched from dragline and bucket wheel to hydraulic shovels and truck as their primary method of moving dirt/tar sands. This provided cheaper maintenance and startup costs. A Caterpillar 797 truck has a ~400 ton payload and cost ~$5 million dollars. Whereas a single bucket wheel reclaimer has a replacement cost of ~$35 million and are more prone to breakdown. These trucks stand 25 feet tall and are 50 feet long weighing ~500,000 lbs when empty.
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Subject(s):
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Alberta, Fort McMurray, Heavy Equipment, Oil Sands
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