Building the King Albert Canal

During the 1930s, there were 2,000,000 yards of dirt that needed to be moved.

Caterpillar was up for the challenge.

Ten of the first 25 Caterpillar Diesel Sixty Tractors built in 1931 and 1932 worked on the King Albert Canal – an approximately 80 mile stretch from Antwerp to Liege, Belgium. During a nine year stretch – from 1930-1939 – Caterpillar tractors worked day after day on the project.

When completed, the canal cut travel time by water from seven days to 18 hours.

Additional Caterpillar diesel tractor models were later purchased by Belgian contractors through different phases of the project.