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Cat D-11T or Cat D-11R- Todays picture shows me checking out this Big Cat D-11T in a coal mine in Va. last fall. No doubt it is a real beast !! Now that I am in the very early stages of building a 1/3rd scale model of one it is very exciting . I talked to a Couple people who really know Cat D-11 construction and they told me most people would not know the difference if I lettered it D-11R or D-11T.
The cab and the fuel tanks are a different so I want it to look right . I do have much more info on the D-11R so I want it to build the R version. I remember our first trip to the Va. coal mines and on the way we passed a couple Cat dealers and I saw a couple D-10’s in the lot and I was amazed !! So when we arrived to our motel I just head to go to the Cat Dealer in town . As we pulled into the yard there were a couple D-10’s and 6 or 7 D-11’s !!! Actually just before we got to the dealer we stopped and took pictures of the stripped down D-11 on the lowboy . So the first real assembled D-11R’s I ever stood next to were at Carter Cat. They were just amazing to see the size of them in person !! There was also a older 992 loader and it was really massive. The next day we returned with our friend and tour guide and they were assembling a brand new Cat 992 Loader .
Deb and I climbed on it and as Deb was getting down the mechanic started it up and scared the heck out of Deb, ha,ha.
After it sat and idoled a few minutes he stood up and let me sit in the seat of this brand new loader and let me drive it around the yard !!
What a AWESOME experience !! I was so excited and we had not even gone to the mines yet.
As I build this five foot tall Cat D-11R it will bring back so many fun memories of our visits to Va. to the coal mines.
And I want to thank our special tour guide very much !! He has become a great friend and Deb and his wife are great friends and they have a great family. I’m sure we will go back again someday .
1/3rd Scale Cat D-11R Progress- I have now cut out the first 40 pieces of metal of the big dozer model. It just looks like a small pile of nothing so far. The first week or two there isn’t much to show with me just marking the metal and the slow process of hand cutting out the early parts.
The Dozer model tractor will be around 7 foot long , add the blade and the ripper and the model will end up being roughly 12 feet long and at the blade edges it will be roughly 7 foot wide. With blade removed the tractor will be around 4 feet wide to the track edges.
So measuring 12 feet long and 7 feet wide it will be a awesome sized toy dozer. (:>) Very Exciting !!!
Have a great Sat. !!
