great footage! im an operator on a chevron oilfield, some of these units, depending on reservoir levels are set to run for specific times intervals, if the fluids in the reservoir cant fill the pump quick enough they will shut themselves down to avoid un necessary wear on the pump by running dry...... thats probably the reason it stopped while you were filming
Artesia's named was changed to Dinosaur somewhere around 1960 to capitalize on the growing tourist trade coming to view the amazing bone discoveries and spectacular scenery of Dinosaur National Monument. In my days in Rangely in the '60's, Dinosaur had no high school, and their kids were bussed the 20 mi into Rangely -- Dinosaur was the Rangely "suburbs" ... !
Thanks again for more interesting info on the area! I've added your note the video's description below the others you provided. I'm back in Denver now and miss the area!
The town of Dinosaur, last stop in CO on US40 Westbound before entering Utah, owes much of its existance to Rangely and the 40's oilfield boom. Oil had been produced in Rangely since 1900 (shallow wells Mancos Shale), and the Raven A1 deep Weber test of '33 proved a huge deep deposit, but there were no roads into the basin. WWII made road building necessary. The town of Artesia sprang up on US40 at the point where the oilfield trucks would turn south to drive the remaining 20mi to Rangely.
. The Rangely field itself was drilled in the 1940s-50's on "40-acre spacing," with the wells spaced checkerboard-like, 40 acres between wells. In the 1960's, a fifth well was drilled in the center of the square formed by each four wells, "20-acre infill spacing." There were over 400 such pumps at one time; many are gone but some remain. They pose a number of safety hazards, so one should give them a wide berth, but an operating one may be seen just ouside the local museum east of town.
Rangely is located in the great Uintah Desert in the extreme northwest corner of Colorado -- the desert stretches deep across the border into Utah, and much of Dinosaur National Monument is found on or near it. It is reputed to be the bed for an ancient inland sea, not surprising as many large oilo deposits are found beneath former oceans that provided the immese pressure to crush the fossil remains into oil over long periods of time.
I spent a fair amount of time in Rangely during my youth. My uncle (Richard H. Angus) was the superintendent of the gas plant, refinery, and oil field there. There was probably a few hundred of these pumps all over the oil field - we called them rocking horses. My aunt was a school counselor in the high school there. My aunt and uncle had a house in the camp housing there, and I fondly remember going to sleep in the basement with the light of the gas flare dancing on the wall.
Do you have a pic or a link to where I can see one of these "Load Sensors"? I am looking for something like that to sense when the pressure drops in bottom of well so the unit won't "Pump Out". Looking for the least expensive way to shut the drive motor off for 15-20, then restart automatically. Any ideas? Thanks
More infor: This well is indeed just west of Rangely, along highway 64 halfway down the step from the general oilfield basin to the deeper basin in which the town itself sits. It is just south of the road. There was a picture on the Colo. School of Mines website of this same wellsite with a wooden derrick over a "National Oil Supply" 1940's oil pump; there is also an old postcard floating around with the wooden tower over this well visible, looking east. Drilled in late 1940's.
This pump is a conventional "walking beam horsehead" type manufactured by Lufkin Industries, probably in the 1950's. Once found in Rangely by the hundreds, Lufkin conventional pumps shared the field with "Bethlehem," "National," "Continental EMSCO," and "Oil Well Supply" model pumps on original placements, many under silver derrick towers. Most were black back than, before environmental rules mandated the sand paint. All ran continuously back then, but have auto-on-off "load-sensors" now.
Some wells have timers, others are controlled remotely etc.. I know exactly where this well is. It is about 2 miles west of the town of Rangely. This particular pump is one of the older styles found in the Rangely Weber Sand Unit and is more than 60 years old.
great footage! im an operator on a chevron oilfield, some of these units, depending on reservoir levels are set to run for specific times intervals, if the fluids in the reservoir cant fill the pump quick enough they will shut themselves down to avoid un necessary wear on the pump by running dry...... thats probably the reason it stopped while you were filming
chrisso011 3 months ago
@chrisso011
Thank you for the explanation! Your explanation makes perfect sense. Nevertheless, it surprised me at the time I made the recording!
zeekzilch 3 months ago
Artesia's named was changed to Dinosaur somewhere around 1960 to capitalize on the growing tourist trade coming to view the amazing bone discoveries and spectacular scenery of Dinosaur National Monument. In my days in Rangely in the '60's, Dinosaur had no high school, and their kids were bussed the 20 mi into Rangely -- Dinosaur was the Rangely "suburbs" ... !
hefley4 4 months ago
@hefley4
Thanks again for more interesting info on the area! I've added your note the video's description below the others you provided. I'm back in Denver now and miss the area!
zeekzilch 3 months ago
The town of Dinosaur, last stop in CO on US40 Westbound before entering Utah, owes much of its existance to Rangely and the 40's oilfield boom. Oil had been produced in Rangely since 1900 (shallow wells Mancos Shale), and the Raven A1 deep Weber test of '33 proved a huge deep deposit, but there were no roads into the basin. WWII made road building necessary. The town of Artesia sprang up on US40 at the point where the oilfield trucks would turn south to drive the remaining 20mi to Rangely.
hefley4 4 months ago
. The Rangely field itself was drilled in the 1940s-50's on "40-acre spacing," with the wells spaced checkerboard-like, 40 acres between wells. In the 1960's, a fifth well was drilled in the center of the square formed by each four wells, "20-acre infill spacing." There were over 400 such pumps at one time; many are gone but some remain. They pose a number of safety hazards, so one should give them a wide berth, but an operating one may be seen just ouside the local museum east of town.
hefley4 4 months ago
Rangely is located in the great Uintah Desert in the extreme northwest corner of Colorado -- the desert stretches deep across the border into Utah, and much of Dinosaur National Monument is found on or near it. It is reputed to be the bed for an ancient inland sea, not surprising as many large oilo deposits are found beneath former oceans that provided the immese pressure to crush the fossil remains into oil over long periods of time.
hefley4 4 months ago
@hefley4 @hefley4
Thanks for the additional info! It's very interesting and I've posted it beneath the description
you provided in January. I just passed through Dinosaur, a couple weeks ago, to climb Kings
Peak (Utah's highest) in the Uinta High Wilderness. Even though it's spelled differently I assume it's the same or similar geologic area...
zeekzilch 4 months ago
I spent a fair amount of time in Rangely during my youth. My uncle (Richard H. Angus) was the superintendent of the gas plant, refinery, and oil field there. There was probably a few hundred of these pumps all over the oil field - we called them rocking horses. My aunt was a school counselor in the high school there. My aunt and uncle had a house in the camp housing there, and I fondly remember going to sleep in the basement with the light of the gas flare dancing on the wall.
gazelam 5 months ago
@gazelam
Thank you for sharing a very interesting/pleasant memory of Rangely!
zeekzilch 5 months ago
seems very dry in that area
PumpManufacturers 7 months ago
@PumpManufacturers
Yes, parts of the Rocky Mountains can be very dry - considered to be "high desert" in some areas.
zeekzilch 7 months ago
@zeekzilch Looks like the moon .. Hope you don't mind me saying that
PumpManufacturers 7 months ago
@PumpManufacturers
Nope, doesn't bother me!
zeekzilch 7 months ago
Do you have a pic or a link to where I can see one of these "Load Sensors"? I am looking for something like that to sense when the pressure drops in bottom of well so the unit won't "Pump Out". Looking for the least expensive way to shut the drive motor off for 15-20, then restart automatically. Any ideas? Thanks
Formuling 11 months ago
@Formuling
Sorry, I don't have that info but maybe somebody else will...
zeekzilch 11 months ago
More infor: This well is indeed just west of Rangely, along highway 64 halfway down the step from the general oilfield basin to the deeper basin in which the town itself sits. It is just south of the road. There was a picture on the Colo. School of Mines website of this same wellsite with a wooden derrick over a "National Oil Supply" 1940's oil pump; there is also an old postcard floating around with the wooden tower over this well visible, looking east. Drilled in late 1940's.
hefley4 1 year ago
@hefley4
I added that additional info as well - thanks!
zeekzilch 1 year ago
This pump is a conventional "walking beam horsehead" type manufactured by Lufkin Industries, probably in the 1950's. Once found in Rangely by the hundreds, Lufkin conventional pumps shared the field with "Bethlehem," "National," "Continental EMSCO," and "Oil Well Supply" model pumps on original placements, many under silver derrick towers. Most were black back than, before environmental rules mandated the sand paint. All ran continuously back then, but have auto-on-off "load-sensors" now.
hefley4 1 year ago
@hefley4
Thanks! I've added your info to the video's description text.
zeekzilch 1 year ago
Some wells have timers, others are controlled remotely etc.. I know exactly where this well is. It is about 2 miles west of the town of Rangely. This particular pump is one of the older styles found in the Rangely Weber Sand Unit and is more than 60 years old.
lucincutoff 1 year ago
@lucincutoff
Very interesting information - I'll add it to the video description - thanks!
zeekzilch 1 year ago
I think the Pumpjack goes at times.
pumpe69 1 year ago
@pumpe69
You must be correct although I thought they just pumped continuously...
zeekzilch 1 year ago