Steam shovel
（重定向自Steam navvy）
![A Marion Power Shovel Company steam shovel excavating the Panama Canal in 1908.](/Images/godic/202502/13/MarioModel90_19085804.jpg")
![A Link-Belt steam shovel crane, circa 1890.](/Images/godic/202502/13/LinkBeltSteamcrane5804.jpg")
![A steam shovel excavating for the San Diego and Arizona Railway line, circa 1919.](/Images/godic/202502/13/SDARR_Shovel5804.jpg")
![100-ton steam shovel mounted on railroad tracks, ca. 1919](/Images/godic/202502/13/100_ton_steam_shovel,_circa_19195804.jpg")
A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving material such as rock and soil. It is the earliest type of power shovel or excavator. They played a major role in public works in the 19th and early 20th century, being key to the construction of railroads and the Panama Canal. The development of simpler, cheaper diesel-powered shovels caused steam shovels to fall out of favor in the 1930s.