In the Summer of 2003, The New England LEGO User's Group was invited to participate in a promotion with the LEGO Company.  The new Designer and Inventor line of LEGO sets promoted a range of creative possibilities only limited by the imagination of the individual builders.  Challenged to show off the full potential of what individuals can accomplish with LEGO brick, we decided to challenge ourselves to create the most complex and sophisticated display ever.  After many months of planning, building and thousands and thousands of pieces, we came up with an automated mining quarry which was designed to run an endless cycle throughout the day.

A basic breakdown of the flow goes as follows.  The Excavator digs into the mountain face where a predetermined amount of "rock" is released into the scoop of the truck.  The Excavator then turns 180 degrees and releases its payload into the bed of an awaiting Dump Truck.  The Dump Truck then backs up slowly to the edge of a cliff where it waits until the Bulldozer below reaches a safe place and sends a signal that it's ok to dump.  The Dump Truck then backs up a bit more and dumps the gravel down the cliff.  As the gravel falls the Dozer starts its push and corrals all the loose elements down a straight path towards an automatic lift and conveyor system.  Once the dozer reaches the end of its journey, it reverses and the gravel is shuttled up a conveyor system and back to the top of the mountain where it is recollected in a canister.  The canister will stand ready until the excavator below scoops up and starts the cycle over again.

Please click to the left or HERE to watch the video of the Quarry in action.