Giant dragline on the move

BEULAH, N.D. (AP) — Traffic on state Highway 49 south of Beulah was detoured Monday so the Queen Bee, a 7.5 million-pound dragline, could move carefully across the road from one coal mining area to another.

The dragline owned by Dakota Westmoreland Corp. was moving from the east side of the highway to a mining area on the west side of the road. The bucket on the giant excavating machine is used to remove layers of soil above coal deposits.

The state Transportation Department said the detour could be in effect for up to five days to allow time to clear and repair the road before and after the Monday move.

Dakota Westmoreland President Bill Weaver said the company would cover the highway with 10 feet of dirt to prevent damage to the asphalt by the machine that moves across the road on long “shoes,” taking steps about 8 feet long at a time.

Queen Bee operator Kellie Schwalbe-Knight, of Beulah, is the first woman to operate the machine, Weaver said.

Weaver initially estimated it would take the Queen Bee about 1 1/2 hours to get across the highway south of Beulah. The “walk” was expected to begin Monday morning but Weaver said it was delayed until about 5 p.m.

“We had to reroute more power cable,” he said.

Progress was then slower than expected, Weaver said Monday night.

“They had to put some water down so the machine would slide along the ground. They got a little bit too much water on it, so it’s slowed them down,” he said.

The dragline is expected to remain at its new site for at least five years, Weaver said.

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