When climbing a 135-ft. lift hill on the Northeast’s tallest inverted roller coaster at speeds of 58 mph, the last thing a rider wants to worry about is whether the foundations are secure. That, according to Keith Malcolm, is part of Semmel Excavating Inc.’s job.
Semmel crews did the excavation and backfill work for all 130 foundations for Dorney Park’s newest custom-designed coaster, the Talon, located in Allentown, PA.
The preparation work for the Talon, which was completed for the 2001 park season, included the removal of pre-existing rides and blacktop, relocating utilities, building berms and grading slopes for the ride.
In 1999, leaving nothing to chance on the 3-million-lb. ride, Malcolm, Semmel’s president, decided to replace his aged wheeled excavator. It was at that time that he turned to his Caterpillar dealer, Giles & Ransome (G&R), for equipment options. Working with Tom White of G&R, Malcolm demoed the M318 excavator.
“I gave it a try hoping that we could benefit from the machine’s versatility and use it for a variety of jobs,” said Malcolm.
Malcolm purchased his first M318 in 1999 and put 1,800 hours on the machine the first year. “When I compared that to the 200 hours we had put on an excavator the year before, I knew the purchase paid off. As it turned out, we put more hours on the M318 than we put on any piece of equipment that year,” he said.
In fact, Malcolm’s crews used the excavator so much that he decided to purchase another M318. “The industry seemed to change and the flexibility of the excavator grew,” he said. “We found the M318 to be well built, efficient and extremely versatile. Where we used an excavator just to put pipe in the ground, we’re now loading trucks, doing demolition work and much more.”
Dealing with G&R since the 1960s, Malcolm said he’s definitely getting the most out of the two M318s. “With all of our heavy equipment pieces, we’re probably 90-percent Cat and we’ve been very satisfied over the years,” he said. “I’ve always thought that Cat was the top of the line and I know I get my money’s worth over the life of the machine.
“Giles & Ransome is a good company to deal with,” he added. “If I ever need anything, I know they will jump in and help out. It’s been a good relationship.”
Semmel crews continue to use the M318 on a variety of jobs for Dorney Park. Crews filled in the park’s upper lake sites (approximately 3.5 acres), removed asphalt midways, graded for newly placed concrete and excavated a detention basin.
Semmel crews have been working with Dorney Park since 1994, which, said Joe E. Greene, vice president of maintenance and construction of Dorney Park, has been a great relationship.
“Semmel knows that we have a very short construction season, which relates to opening of the park in early May. As a result, they man, schedule and equip the work to ensure we are ready for opening day,” he said. “They are quick to respond on short notice whenever we add additional work.”
Since 1999, Semmel has used the 40,815-lb. (18,513 kg) M318 excavator at Dorney Park for landscaping, building berms, excavating for tunnels, stream mitigation and expanding the parking lots. Today, both excavators are busy at work throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Semmel Excavating has been in business for more than 40 years. The company was founded by Ralph and Ruth Semmel in the late 1940s. The Semmels sold the business in 1967 to Henry Janssen, who had been working at the company for many years.
Malcolm, who joined the company in 1973 after completing graduate school, started as an engineer and estimator, later became vice president. He bought the business in 1984, and dramatically expanded the company’s scope of work.
The company has grown from a 12-person operation to more than 50 employees working on at least a dozen job sites at a time. The Allentown, PA-based company, proficient in commercial, industrial and institutional work, has been continuously recognized by the Associated Builders and Contractors with the association’s “Award of Excellence.”
For more information, visit www.semmelexcavating.com.
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