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One
of the best known dinosaurs, Diplodocus had a more slender body
and longer neck and tail than its close relative Apatosaurus.
The distinctive skull of Diplodocus has the bony nostrils placed
on the top of the head. The peg-like teeth are restricted to the front
of the jaws.
The specimen forming
most of the reconstructed skeleton on exhibit was found in 1899 and
was vital in establishing Carnegie Museum's place in the collection
and study of dinosaurs. Andrew Carnegie was so delighted with "Dippy" that
he presented plaster casts of the skeleton to major museums around
the world. Casts of Carnegie Museum's Diplodocus currently stand
in museums on four continents. In our new exhibit, Dippy finally receives
the makeover that will bring its posture into line with current scientific
thought.
For a real-time
view of the crew at work, visit the Web
Cams page and refresh your browser every 30 seconds. |
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Get
the inside scoop!
Want
the play-by-play of the disarticulation of our famous Diplodocus? Walk
through the Diplodocus Slide Show with former PaleoLab preparator
Yvonne Wilson as she explains each step of the process!
Click
here to go to the Slide Show!
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Last
Day! July 14, 2005: Larry dismantles the
old exhibit platform and Brian prepares the sacrum for shipping
in its special crate. As Diplodocus moves on to the
next stage of restoration in New Jersey, the work effort
in Dinosaur Hall will shift to our T. rex.
Click
to view clip. (2.2 Mb .avi file, 15 seconds)
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July
13, 2005: Brian takes the working platform apart. Once that is
out of the way, Larry and Paul remove the last of the steel support
structure from the original mounting.
Click
to view clip. (3.4 Mb .avi file, 25 seconds)
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July
11-12, 2005: While waiting for the special shipping crate, the
crew began preparing T. rex for disassembly. Now that the
steel container has arrived, we can finish this job. As T. rex looks
on, the crew custom-fits the crate and removes the last fossil
bone from Diplodocus.
Click
to view clip. (3.7 Mb .avi file, 27 seconds)
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June
27, 2005: It's a busy day. Brian extends the work platform again
so that the last three vertebrae can be removed along with the
pubis and ischia. The crew’s work on Diplodocus will
now be suspended for about two weeks while they wait for a specially
designed container to support the sacrum.
Click
to view clip. (3.8 Mb .avi file, 28 seconds)
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June
24, 2005: Three more vertebrae are removed and packed up; Brian
extends the work platform beyond the sacrum (pelvic bone). Notice
how each bone is put directly into its shipping crate, which is
then closed up right there on the platform.
Click
to view clip. (2.8 Mb .avi file, 21 seconds)
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June
23, 2005: The steel supports that held the ribs can now be removed
and once this is out of the way, the crew begins taking off the
vertebrae. They manage to remove and crate four today. The white,
pillow-looking objects that appear halfway through the day are
bags of styrofoam peanuts.
Click
to view clip. (4.1 Mb .avi file, 30 seconds)
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June
22, 2005: The left scapula is removed; later the work platform
is extended to provide room for the crew to work on the rest of
the dinosaur. In the background, note the shipping crates lining
up for tomorrow's and Friday's work removing the vertebrae.
Click
to view clip. (3.5 Mb .avi file, 26 seconds)
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June
21, 2005: Phil's crew removes and crates two leg bones (left humerus,
right femur), and the right shoulder blade (scapula).
Click
to view clip. (3.9 Mb .avi file, 28 seconds)
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June
20, 2005: Diplodocus moves to center stage. Phil's crew
successfully braces the platform and steel support frame to handle
the stress of the move. Now they will begin the difficult work
required to disassemble the heavier fossil bones.
Click
to view clip. (4.0 Mb .avi file, 29 seconds)
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June
16-17, 2005: While in the process of removing the lower leg bones,
the crew are visited by local media who take some pictures. The
last of the bones that can safely be removed without the crane
are now safely packed away.
Click
to view clip. (3.7 Mb .avi file, 27 seconds)
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June
15, 2005: Work resumes on Diplodocus. Larry and Paul remove
its back feet and strengthen the existing framework supporting
the body. They will remove the lighter fossil bones and then, as
they did with Apatosaurus, move Diplodocus to the
middle of the room, where the crane can help lift the heavier pieces.
Click
to view clip. (3.2 Mb .avi file, 24 seconds)
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April
26, 2005: The rest of the tail is removed. The disarticulation
is halted at this point, and work begins on Apatosaurus.
Click
to view clip. (2.7 Mb .avi file, 19 seconds)
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April 20-22,
2005: A crane is erected to handle the weight of the heavier bones
in our largest dinosaurs, Diplodocus and Apatosaurus.
Click
to view clip. (2.9 Mb .avi file, 22 seconds)
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April 13, 2005:
Larry and Paul remove the ribs.
Click
to view clip. (3.9 Mb .avi file, 28 seconds)
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April
12, 2005: The cast steel that supported Diplodocus' head
and neck is removed, as well as more of the tail.
Click
to view clip. (4.1 Mb .avi file, 29 seconds)
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April
6-11, 2005: The head, neck, and tail of Diplodocus are removed.
April
6-7, head and first half of neck. (3.9
Mb .avi file, 29 seconds)
April
8-11, rest of neck and part of tail. (4.0
Mb .avi file, 30 seconds)
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Phil Fraley Productions,
Inc., of Hoboken, New Jersey, handled the disassembly, remounting,
and reinstallation of the dinosaurs. The enormous skeletons were taken
to Fraley's studios where they were given their new look. Once finished,
the dinosaurs were shipped back to Pittsburgh to be reinstalled in
the new hall.
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