Clarks Trading Post to Operate Lombard Log Hauler March 19 & 20, 2011

[Ed Lecuyer]

Hi all,

I have received notice from Russ Page, engineer at Clark's Trading Post and friend of the WW&F that Clark's will be operating their steam-powered Lombard Log Hauler the weekend of March 19-20. This is first time it has been run in about 10 years (and it is unknown when the next opportunity to run it will be.)

Sounds like an exciting weekend. Finally something good to do with all of this snow!

[Craig "Red" Heun]

I have a picture of the Lombard at Owlshead running on Feb 26th. However, it is too big and will not post it in the forum. As soon as I figure a way to shrink it I will post it.

[Mike Fox]

Here is Craigs photo from the Owls Head event.

[Wayne Laepple]

Whoaaaa! It's big! The photo, I mean. Can't somebody resize it? 

[Craig "Red" Heun]

thanks for posting it Mike, but wow that is big, I'll have to tell my friend to us a smaller camera next time!

[Keith Taylor]

Or just re-size it before you post it...

Keith

[Dwight Winkley]

It is my understanding that the Lombard at Owls Head is Harry Coaker' machine.

[Keith Taylor]

It is my understanding that the Lombard at Owls Head is Harry Coaker' machine.

Hi Dwight, yes, the Lombard at the OHTM belongs to the family of the late Harry Crooker.

Keith

[Ken Fleming]

Very interesting.  The Lombard has two cylinders, mounted horizontal and a saddle tank. Where the Phoenix log hauler had 4 cylinders, mounted "shay style", 2 on each side and no saddle tank.  The Phoenix cab had a rear bunker/tank (something like #10).

The Phoenix Steam Log Hauler was built by the Phoenix Manufacturing Company of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  I got to see one the Phoenix engines operating in Iowa back in the late 1950's.  They had wheels in the front for "Summer" operation.  It looked and sounded like a Shay on crawler tracks with someone riding on the pilot.  I seem to remember that it sped along at a pretty good clip.  There are a few of them in Wisconsin and Canada.  The link below has YouTube video of Phoenix and Lombard log haulers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbzvnTdjkKw

[Terry Harper]

Hello Folks,

The Crooker Lombard was salvaged from the old Blanchard logging camp on Fish River Lake by a Mr. Cormier. I remember it sitting along side of Route 1 just south of Presque Isle. The Crooker's acquired it from him. Harry spent a lot of time finding enough pieces to put it back in operation.

The Clark's Lombard was recovered from Knowles Brook on the St. John River. When discovered there were two Lombards stored side by side with sheet metal thrown over them for shelter and sled runners stacked against them.

Burt Packard recovered one lombard. Both machines were frozen in the ground when he tried to pull them out. The first one he tried to remove was literally torn apart by the bulldozer he hitched too it. They successfully removed the second machine after thawing out the ground and its now under restoration at the Maine Forest and History museum in Bradley, ME.

Later, Dave Clark salvaged the remains of the wrecked Lombard. They spent the better part of a week digging through deep mud to find all the pieces. Considering what they started with it’s a wonder and testament to the dedication of the Clark's that this machine back together.

Interesting both the Lombard at Bradley and the Clark's Lombard share an interesting history. In 1908 The Eastern Manufacturing Company introduced Lombard log haulers to the Russell Brook operation to haul logs from the 9-14 township to Chamberlain Lake – this superseded Marsh & Ayer’s Tramway which moved logs from Eagle Lake to Chamberlain Lake from 1902 – 1908.

Eastern Manufacturing acquired four Lombards. Two were purchased in January of 1908. There are no records for the other two. All four machines were abandoned when the operation shutdown in 1913. But that’s not the end of the story…..

In 1918 John Morrison swamped nearly 30 miles of road to Chamberlain Lake to retrieve three of these machines at a cost of $24,500.00. This gives a strong indication of how valued steam Lombards were. The fourth Lombard was left at Tramway. Eventually in 1927 it found new life as a stationary boiler used by Lacroix’s EL&WB railroad to heat oil so it could be pumped into storage tanks. – Its still there today.

The three salvaged machined along with a fourth Lombard - previously purchased by Morrison, worked for many years in the upper St. John region. During the 1921-22 season Lacroix was reported as operating as a subcontractor for Morrison using two Lombards (probably Morrison’s). Lacroix eventually sold his last two steamers to a subcontractor - Roy, Roy & Roy in 1928.

It appears that three of these Lombard’s survive – Clark’s, The Bradley museums and the one in the Ashland Historical Society museum.

The last operation using steam Lombards was allegedly on Gleason Brook in 1954.
Not bad for a design that many consider awkward or Rube Goldberg.

[Terry Harper]

Ken,

The Phoenix machines were built under license. In fact records show two Lombards being sold to Phoenix - May 16, 1904 and another on November 3, 1905.

Early Lombards featured vertical cylinders and a rectangular water tanks under the boiler as well. However Lombard abandoned the design after he developed a compensator gear (differential). This was covered in a patent filed on November 22, 1905 and granted on May 21, 1907.

Phoenix did not follow suit and offered the vertical cylinder design and early track design till the end of production.

Interestingly Lombard sold a machine of the "New" design to the Western Lumber Company of Lothrop, MT. on October 25, 1905. One has to wonder why he gave Phoenix the old design rather than the new.

[Mike Fox]

There, cut it down by half. Easier to see the detail.

[Craig "Red" Heun]

Thanks Mike,

Sorry for any inconvenience. I had that pic sent to me in an E-mail. Unfortunately I was unable to be at OHTM on the day it ran. But since I usually volunteer down there on Thursday nights, another volunteer usually sends me pics of events that are interesting or that I may have missed. Glad you could help me show these to the group

Red

[Bill Sample]

Sue and I brought an old college friend of mine up to see the show.  We got a chance to take a ride and it was interesting hearing the sounds of a steam loco while rolling over the rough snow-covered terrain.  Saw a couple of WW&F hats and briefly chatted with Ed.
It was a nice experience and we thank the Clark family and friends for making for a memorable day - it was my friend's first ride on a steam powered vehicle and I told him the next time we'll do it "properly" - with steel rails underneath us

[Richard "Steam" Symmes]

It was a great day at Clark's Saturday. Not too many people, bright sun, but kinda cold and windy!

The Lombard ran very well. Everyone got a ride or rides. Anyone who wanted to attempt steering had a chance to try that. The only drawback of the operation was that there was no place to turn around, so it was strictly a back and forth operation. Lombards will back up, but they don't like it very much. Steering one while backing is pretty tricky, expecially trying to stay on the road.  You can't see behind at all, and must rely on someone walking alongside to call out instructions. 

The steering is about as responsive as the Titanic's was!  You turn and you wait and wait for something to happen. Finally she begins to come around, so then you over-compensate and you begin heading back toward the puckerbrush!  Lots of fun, but we all made out okay. Even 8 year old Adam Fletcher got a shot at it and loved the experience. He's a budding artist, and while warming up in the car, he drew a pencil sketch of the Lombard which came out pretty well. 

By mid afternoon the shallow snow cover was getting pretty slushy and the going got tougher, so it was decided to put up.  By then the crowd had pretty well thinned out to just the diehards.   


It was a great time and we owe a big thank you to all involved in the operation.


Richard Symmes