Author Topic: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students  (Read 7579 times)

Terry Harper

  • Baggageman
  • **
  • Posts: 117
    • View Profile
A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« on: December 20, 2018, 05:33:48 PM »
I was not sure where to post this but I thought you folks might be interested in a project we are working on
at the Maine Forest & Logging Museum and in particularly how we have involved a group of High School students.

For sometime we have wanted to build a set of Lombard patent logging sleds
to haul with the steam and gasoline Lombards at winter events. The dream
is to eventually gather the equipment and volunteers needed to host a living history
event focused on a 1920's Maine logging operation. Complete with horses, choppers
Lombards etc. Events such as these you folks do so very well!

Back a number of years ago the Breton family donated a set of Lombard sled irons. These
are heavy duty sleds designed specifically for use with 10 ton gasoline powered Lombard log haulers
or heavy tractors. The set we have are a 1926 design. Each sled or "Bob" weighs approx. 720 lbs. Two "Bob's"
hooked together with reach poles make-up a complete two-sled rig weighing close to 1,800 lbs.
and measuring approx. 40 feet long depending upon how far apart the sleds are set.

The record for hauling the most tonnage using sleds of this design was set in 1935 when a Lombard
tractor on a Great Northern operation near 5th St. John Pond hauled 22 sleds loaded with 108 cords
of pulpwood weighing 298 tons. The "steering" provided by the crossed reach poles allow each sled to
track precisely behind the proceeding sled. The drawbar, and reach pole fittings all have slotted
holes for the connecting pins so just like a locomotive using slack to start a heavy train so does
a Lombard starting a train of sleds..... anyway... that's some history.....now onto the rest of the story.

This fall the "Tuesday Crew" - a group of dedicated volunteers who meet every Tuesday
at the Museum, cut out oak timbers which, along with the pile of rusty iron, was shipped to
the Presque Isle Regional Career & Technical Center. As luck would have it a driver and van from the
school's farm was delivering apples to the retailers in the Bangor area so it was easy to
load up the stuff get it on its way north.

Over the past couple of months the schools Farm Mechanic's and Building Trades Students
have been working to assemble a complete set of sleds for us. Their interest and enthusiasm
has been amazing. These high school students are engaged and are truly taking pride in their work.

Once we are back from Christmas break they will finish up the reach poles and drawbar and the complete
set will be on its way back to the museum. Hopefully..... fingers crossed.... we will have enough
snow to test them out later this winter.

I guess what we came away with from all this is that our CTE trades programs (what use to be Vocational)
are a wonderful resource and fantastic way to involve youth in preservation and developing
hands-on skills and trades. All the CTE centers in Maine have a common live work policy and are always
seeking "real" projects that benefit the students and the community.

Best regards,

Terry Harper


Al Michelis

  • Museum Member
  • Switchman
  • **
  • Posts: 97
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #1 on: December 23, 2018, 07:43:37 AM »
It seems to me that this could be an opportunity to generate interest in RR history/preservation in our youth.  Just in case there is interest in this, I have searched out the closest CTE's to our museum:
https://capitalarea.mainecte.org/
http://www.brctc.rsu1.org/

Wayne Laepple

  • Museum Member
  • Yardmaster
  • *******
  • Posts: 2,123
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #2 on: December 23, 2018, 10:14:15 AM »
The Rail Heritage Tourism minor at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia might present yet another opportunity. Here's a report from Trains magazine's News Wire. A 12-week internship might be worth looking into.

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/11/16-railroad-tourism-program-receives-grant

Terry Harper

  • Baggageman
  • **
  • Posts: 117
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #3 on: December 23, 2018, 01:34:44 PM »
Also don't forget the universities. The Maine Forest & Logging Museum has
developed a close working relationship with the University of Maine's Engineering programs.

For instance the massive push to complete our steam Lombard log hauler restoration was in fact a capstone
project for the Mechanical Engineering students back in 2014. Today, quite a number of those students and
faculty are still involved. I have found out over the years that these MET and ME students are possessed
about anything mechanical!

This year the Construction Management Technology students working closely with our "Tuesday Crew"
constructed a ADA compliant restroom and put a new roof on the hovel among other things.

We also had film students filming which was a lot of fun.

Anyway, these are neat resources and wonderful young people to work with.




Wayne Laepple

  • Museum Member
  • Yardmaster
  • *******
  • Posts: 2,123
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #4 on: December 23, 2018, 03:53:28 PM »
The biggest difficulty with trying to get tech students, whether high school or college, involved is that someone has to take the initiative and time to seek out the teachers and professors and get them interested in the projects. Without buy-in from the teachers, nothing can happen. At both museums where I volunteer, there are so many other things going on that ideas like this do not attract anyone who has the time to go out and do that. I myself am guilty, in one case because I am only able to volunteer on site three or four times a year, and in the other I am deeply involved in a major restoration project with a deadline to meet and don't feel like I can take a day or two off from that to find the people I need to talk to.

Terry Harper

  • Baggageman
  • **
  • Posts: 117
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #5 on: December 23, 2018, 04:34:26 PM »
Wayne,

That's very true! In regards to the logging sled project I work at the tech center so it was
easy for me to approach the instructors last spring when we first came up with it and
serve as the liaison between the museum and the school.

Likewise Herb Crosby, retired professor of Mechanical Engineering at UMO, has been the
catalyst there.

It does take time and effort and not every project is suitable by any means. As far as making those
connections perhaps inviting instructors to bring their students on a field trip could help there.
Also, every high school CTE program, whether its building trades or welding, has an advisory committee that
has to meet twice per year. They are always looking for people representing local industry etc. That is
a perfect opportunity as well.

Don't forget that CTE programs are always welcoming to people from industry to visit and provide hands-on
demonstrations. For instance, A few years ago I had a gentleman come in and demonstrate metal casting.
(we cast a few parts for a massive T-head engine from a Lombard log hauler.) The kids loved it and  I was able
to tie it into our curriculum. Two of my students ended up building a small foundry setup at home!

Last year my students reverse engineered and fabricated patterns for a 1917 FWD truck owned by a collector
in CT. as well as  a proprietary  magneto coupling for a gentleman in Nevada. At the moment we are working on reverse engineering
and fabricating hardware for a set of antique headlights and a bakelite radiator cap for a 1910 Mitchell automobile in R.I. If it fits
into engineering & design (which is what I teach) and it fits into what we are teaching and the skills and equipment we are interested.

Near you folks is the Mid-Coast Technical Center in Rockland. I know they offer precision machine, welding
and building trades among other courses.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

Best regards,

Terry








Wayne Laepple

  • Museum Member
  • Yardmaster
  • *******
  • Posts: 2,123
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #6 on: December 23, 2018, 05:07:00 PM »
Thanks for your reply, Terry. I am in Pennsylvania, so I only get to the WW&F a couple or three times a year. I try to make the trips for several days to make it worthwhile. My "home" museum is a state operation, which adds another whole layer of bureaucracy to deal with. There is an excellent technical college nearby, ranked as one of the best in the country, and the museum is fortunate to have a paid intern most summers. But in the past several years, finding a candidate willing to spend the summer with us has been increasingly difficult. There is also a county technical high school nearby, but the problem there is that the students must be 18 or older to be permitted to operate machinery. And everyone, college or high school, must have state and federal criminal and child abuse clearances as well. I'm sure all these obstacles can be addressed, but it takes a lot of time and patience.

Terry Harper

  • Baggageman
  • **
  • Posts: 117
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2019, 05:01:35 PM »
Done!

They did an excellent job. Now its off to the Maine Forest & Logging Museum!

Best regards,
Terry

« Last Edit: January 09, 2019, 06:52:13 PM by Terry Harper »

Terry Harper

  • Baggageman
  • **
  • Posts: 117
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2019, 06:55:30 PM »
PHOTOS!
« Last Edit: January 09, 2019, 06:57:58 PM by Terry Harper »

John Kokas

  • Museum Member
  • Supervisor
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,699
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #9 on: January 09, 2019, 07:18:53 PM »
Hope to see the Lombard and "sled train" pulling up to our future Sawmill one day.  What a photo op that would be!
Moxie Bootlegger

Keith Taylor

  • Museum Member
  • Engineer
  • ****
  • Posts: 732
  • Life Member
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #10 on: January 09, 2019, 08:13:30 PM »
Hope to see the Lombard and "sled train" pulling up to our future Sawmill one day.  What a photo op that would be!
Actually the Crooker family’s Lombard HAS visited the WW&F! One of the first annual picnics featured the Lombard before there were any 2’ gauge steam locomotives at Sheepscot in modern times.
(I specified 2’ gauge steam locomotives because at that same event that featured the Lombard, I had one of my 3 -1/2” gauge live steamers and some demonstration track running as well)
Keith

Terry Harper

  • Baggageman
  • **
  • Posts: 117
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #11 on: January 10, 2019, 06:43:06 AM »
It would be neat! I keep thinking Victorian Christmas. However, trucking and
snow would be the main stumbling blocks as well as operating space.

These beast take a lot of area to turn around and do not like backing-up.
The ideal setup is a loop of course. We run a loop at the museum but its
through the parking lots which gets interesting.

We are hoping in the near future (funds, materials and equipment allowing)
to build a dedicated Lombard road that includes a rollway to load sleds
and our 1920's saw mill complex.

The ideal road would be sod or grass which would be much nicer on the
track system and the  steersman during the non-winter months.

With this in place we would love to have a winter event with period correct
dress, choreographed events similar to what you folks have complete with horses,
Lombards, woodsman etc. to depict a typical 1920's day at a lumber camp.

Here is a video from one of our events:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XQqpfVhWPY

And one taken back in the day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSq7x6edExI&t=66s

Best regards,

Terry



Terry Harper

  • Baggageman
  • **
  • Posts: 117
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2019, 08:16:09 PM »
Just a follow-up for closure.

The sleds came out fantastic. During a rare break in the weather the sleds were hauled
from Presque Isle to Bradley. Herb Crosby and I spent the better part of the day unloading,
assembling and taking them for test spin around the parking lot.

We used the gas Lombard (currently on loan to the museum) unfortunately is was having a bit if an off day.
Herb and I were cracking jokes about calling AAA roadside service but then we realized that if the beast died
we had no way of towing all 23,000 lbs of it back into the shed.

Last week the "Tuesday Crew" worked on the bunks that will finish the project and a box of goodies
arrived today that should make the Lombard run much, much nicer.

Here is the video. Our unloading process had to be modified extensively since the parking lot
was absolute glare ice! It wasn't pretty or best practice but... we god the job done
with minimal damage to ourselves and non-to the sleds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZPgrXN5Dx0

Best regards,

Terry





« Last Edit: February 04, 2019, 08:20:24 PM by Terry Harper »

Jeff Schumaker

  • Museum Member
  • Inspector
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,350
    • View Profile
Re: A neat Preservation Project Involving Students
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2019, 08:38:17 AM »
Thanks for posting a very educational video.

Jeff S.
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a moose trout out of my hat.