The story would never have happened if old dozers had any resale value.  But no-one will pay you anything but scrap value for a decades-old second-hand dozer...

Babe the plough dozer first proudly entered service for the Post Master General as a shiny new Caterpillar D9G in December 1968.  Weighing-in at a massive 49 tonnes, she started life laying co-axial cable, including working on the Sydney-Perth Co-ax cable. Babe in her youth

Over the years, as standards have evolved and life has become a little more civilised, she collected a few modifications, such as an air-conditioned enclosed cabin, roll protection, a zero-tension cable-laying assembly and a petrol starter-motor.

As the dozer fleet was modernised, Babe was increasingly moved into semi-retirement, and if she had any resale value she would probably have been sold.

Then in March 2014, the Network Construction team ran into an unusual challenge.  They had to replace a section of fibre-optic cable between Goodooga and Lightning Ridge.  Because of reactive soil in the area, the existing fibre-optic cable had been developing faults.  The shifting soil would pinch and bend the cable, causing breakages in the delicate glass fibres.  The technical advice was that the best way to avoid the problem was by going deeper, below the reactive soil, where there was less movement.  The challenge was that the standard depth for laying cable was only 900 millimetres, and the modern D7 dozers that the team had couldn't get down to the depths required.  In the face of an urgent deadline for completion, it looked like the job was going to require some expensive specialist excavation work, probably requiring multiple passes by different types of equipment.

Then someone remembered Babe.  She came from a different era, when sometimes cable would be laid as deep as 1500 millimetres.  Babe was broken out of retirement, given a thorough service, and brought back to work.  She laid the entire 41 kilometres of replacement cable herself.

Now Babe is back in the depot in Ningi, north of Brisbane on the way up to Bribie Island, sitting there dreaming of cable-runs long past, and patiently waiting for the next one that the youngsters can't handle by themselves...

Babe’s stats

Engineering role: Heavy bulldozer

Propulsion: Caterpillar tracks

Gross power: 385 hp (287 kW)

Drawbar pull: 71.6 tons

Operation weight: 49 tons

Length: 8.1 m

Width: 4.5 m (blade)

Height: 4 m

Speed: 11.9 km/h forward and 14.7 km/h reverse

 

A younger Babe in action laying cable, before installation of the enclosed cabin and the zero-tension assembly.

 

A younger Babe in action, from the cover of a Telecom publication from June 1982.

 

 

 

 

Babe today, in the depot at Ningi. Detail from front of engine Zero-tension cable-laying assembly Engine enclosure Engine and cabin Detail of wheels and caterpillar tracks Detail of step to climb into cabin Front anchor-point Grille over radiator Front view Front mounting-bracket Caterpillar tracks, wheels and running-board Detail of caterpillar tracks Plough mounting at rear. The plough-blade goes into the fitting at the bottom-left, and is held in place by the large steel pin at the top of the fitting. Caterpillar D9G Telstra plant number - "TEL100" Hydraulic fluid reservoir? Muffler Instrument panel inside the cabin. Zero-tension cable-laying control panel. Note the "Designed and manufactured by Automotive Plant - Telecom Australia" Babe came into service in December 1968 - but she still has that "new car smell". An old cable-laying plough. Note the cable-depths welded onto the face of the plough. An old cable-laying tube. The fibre would be fed down the tube to be guided into the trench behind the plough. Front mounting-point. Note the depth of the gouges out of the steel. Detail of caterpillar tracks This appears to be an air-filter housing. Note the faint traces of the stencilled "Babe". An axle housing