Sunday steam

here is a little steam action for a hot Sunday. how would you like to operate one of these on a day like today? when i was but a child i remember seeing a few of these monsters. they were, however, just about gone by then and gasoline and diesel powered shovels were taking over. the first picture here is a restored shovel and is also one which worked on the Panama Canal. second is a large Marion shovel and third is a smaller Marion in operation. fourth we have a 1925 Erie shovel doing a job and last is a postcard of digging action along the Panama Canal with a large Bucyrus shovel.