If you leave your house, you will likely see construction sites in your daily travels. Whether it’s for road construction or at building sites, the most common machines utilized are Caterpillars.
For the most part, the machines used on these projects consist of D6 and D8 bulldozers, 960 and 980 Series wheel loaders and CAT 320 or 336 excavators. What the general public rarely sees are the largest of the machines such as the D11 dozers or 994K wheel loaders.
Diecast Masters and CCM have been producing beautifully detailed Caterpillar replicas in 1/48 and 1/50 scales. Here, we offer a few size comparisons, in photos, just for a perspective of these massive machines, compared to the more common machines.
In old photos of construction sites and mining operations from the 1920s and 1930s, the size of the machines in comparison to the size of the projects is interesting. Modern technology has enabled manufacturers to produce more massive and efficient earthmoving machines. Today’s machines would have been deemed impossible to build in the early years of construction equipment due to their size.

Jim Allen, who lives in northern Illinois, north of Chicago, has been a professional designer, applying those skills to a diorama which was displayed at last year’s National Toy Truck ’N Construction Show in Indianapolis, Ind.
As primarily a model railroad builder, Jim created a logging diorama that will be part of a much larger logging-themed model railroad layout. He models in both HO and O narrow gauge, but also enjoys military modeling in 1/35 scale. He also has a small collection related to Euclid or Terex, comprised mostly of sales literature.
Retired since 2008, Jim’s career path as an industrial designer has provided him with the opportunity to work in both corporate and consulting offices.
“I have been involved in the designs of everything from small consumer products to heavy earthmoving equipment. As a part of my career, I have been involved in pattern making, mechanical design and graphic design,” he shared.
Here, he shares information about the three different aspects of the diorama, including the forest scenery, the logging trailer, and the Caterpillar 60.