Logging Sleighs

[jeeper61]

Maine was the forest that the British got most of their lumber from to build their sailing ship fleet.

There were trees large enough to make tall single piece masts from. 

Then later it was the lumber yard for Boston, by the 1890s most of the big timber had been harvested and then most timbering shifted to pulp wood for the paper industry. The newspaper business drove most of this.

Then with mandated recycled content in newspaper and digital media a lot of the paper industry folded.

Great Northern paper no longer exists it once had the largest paper mill in the world in Millinocket Maine

There are still a few paper mills operating since there is still a need for virgin paper in certain products.

 

 

[jeeper61]

On 1/8/2022 at 8:16 PM, jeeper61 said:

Couple of Mack Bs working hard 

The Timber industry set up their own road network so they could run trains like this that were not allowed on the public highways.

One of the more famous logging roads is Stud Mill Road that runs over 50 miles from the the downeast area to the Penobscot River this road was built because the St John and St. Croix Rivers which are the boarder between Maine and Canada were closed to log floats because the Canadian government wanted a tariff on all the wood transported on the river. 

Stud Mill Road parallels about 15 miles north of Route 9 which runs from the Canadian Boarder in Calais Maine to the Maine Turnpike in Bangor, this is a major entry point for Canadian goods into the US there is a constant flow of 18 wheelers on it.  

The other famous Maine logging road "The Golden Road" was built from  Millinocket into the Northern woods and was built by Great Northern paper after the federal government stopped the  log floats on the Penobscot River in the early 70s, it was called the The Golden Road because of the cost.

 

[jeeper61]

Joseph Peavey invented the driving hook a.k.a. Cantdog used by loggers about 1860.

He later designed this log hauler not sure how many were made 

Here is the prototype 1890

Here is one in use in Sebec Maine 1900

Steam Lombard in the background of the second photo

 

 

 

[yellowrosefarm]

13 hours ago, jeeper61 said:

Joseph Peavey invented the driving hook a.k.a. Cantdog used by loggers about 1860.

He later designed this log hauler not sure how many were made 

Here is the prototype 1890

Here is one in use in Sebec Maine 1900

Steam Lombard in the background of the second photo

 

 

 

And, Peavey is still in business! https://peaveymfg.com/collections/logging-tools

[m.c.farmerboy]

Snow and Neally was another maker of rolling hooks and cant dogs also picaroons and pulp hooks I have quite a few in my collection

[m.c.farmerboy]

I was lucky enough in 1971 to go and see the last river drive in Maine

back in the 80's I would have coffee with old gentleman 3 or 4 days a week, He went by the name Tiny was near 7 foot tall and his shoulders was as wide as 2 ax handles he had worked river drives from the time he was 14 till they shut down He had a lot of story's and never told the same story twice He was killed by a drunk driver in 1999 When I was a boy fishing on them rivers now and then you would find an old pair of spiked boots hanging on a tree limb near river that marked where a river driver was killed on the drive  Lot of men died in them days if anyone is interested a good read is a book called tuff men and tall trees and a lot of good photos, a funny story about a Camp cook that built his own coffin and slept in it for two years, said he wanted to make sure it was comfortable

[m.c.farmerboy]

On 1/9/2022 at 1:13 PM, jeeper61 said:

The Timber industry set up their own road network so they could run trains like this that were not allowed on the public highways.

One of the more famous logging roads is Stud Mill Road that runs over 50 miles from the the downeast area to the Penobscot River this road was built because the St John and St. Croix Rivers which are the boarder between Maine and Canada were closed to log floats because the Canadian government wanted a tariff on all the wood transported on the river. 

Stud Mill Road parallels about 15 miles north of Route 9 which runs from the Canadian Boarder in Calais Maine to the Maine Turnpike in Bangor, this is a major entry point for Canadian goods into the US there is a constant flow of 18 wheelers on it.  

The other famous Maine logging road "The Golden Road" was built from  Millinocket into the Northern woods and was built by Great Northern paper after the federal government stopped the  log floats on the Penobscot River in the early 70s, it was called the The Golden Road because of the cost.

 

I spent a lot of time on the Gloden road in the 80's hunting and trapping we used to trap beaver for the International Paper Co. they had a he!!  of a time with them pesky critters after the 70's fur prices droped and men stopped trapping for a living and they was overrun with Beaver I trapped in the early 70's gas was 30-40 cents a gallon a new pick-up was $4500  and  fur was big bucks last season I trapped before I went in the service in 4 months time after school I could make as much as 5 to 6 grand a not counting beaver witch payed between 35 and 50 dollars each mind you average pay in them days  was $1.25 to $3.50 per hour in a paper mill

[jeeper61]

We were discussing the Golden Road on the Bridge Decking thread and I had commented on it hear too.

Here is an old Autocar with one of the Golden Road  loads of the 70's

I notice 2 less axles back then , tougher truck back then?

Here is a link to a article about it 

https://downeast.com/history/the-golden-road-brought-tectonic-change-to-the-maine-woods/

 

 

[Terry Harper]

 

Back in March at the Maine Forest & Logging Museum we hosted a film crew and had the 1934 10 ton Lombard out and about in the snow. This particular Lombard was sold new to the city of Waterville, Maine and was used for plowing. As such it was setup with wheels as opposed to the skis. Often they were sold with both.

Here are a couple of videos:

This is some footage I put together throughout the day. The old beast ran fantastic.

Here is a short film I put together using some rare historical footage showing one of these beasts in action back in the day.

 

[jeeper61]

Looks like they pulled sleighs with trucks as well

1930's Lincoln, Maine 

[jeeper61]

On 4/14/2022 at 8:14 PM, jeeper61 said:

We were discussing the Golden Road on the Bridge Decking thread and I had commented on it hear too.

Here is an old Autocar with one of the Golden Road  loads of the 70's

I notice 2 less axles back then , tougher truck back then?

Here is a link to a article about it 

https://downeast.com/history/the-golden-road-brought-tectonic-change-to-the-maine-woods/

 

 

Ran Across these old photos 

Old Jimmy on the Golden Road 

Mack B on a pulpwood train 

 

Paystar with a Typical Golden Road load 

[Captian Kirk]

On 5/15/2022 at 10:56 PM, jeeper61 said:

Looks like they pulled sleighs with trucks as well

1930's Lincoln, Maine 

I think all the pulp back in the day was cut to 4ft. Easier to man handle. 

[jeeper61]

I had to drag this old thread out again because I ran across a paper written about the subject.

The Transportation of Logs on Sleds

Circa 1925

Link to the paper 

https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=yale_fes_bulletin

Here is a few highlights 

Lombard Sled Patent Drawing 

 

[mike newman]

Jeeper...you mentioned the   British Navy  and 'mast' timber....well the same illustrious  outfit also 'raped' thousands of  New Zealand's   Kauri trees for their masts...These trees just grew in the top half of the North  Island...and as such  what with the Poms and their ships and   the  demand  from  the   huge fires in San Francisco  (?)    in the early 1900 's   there is only remnant Kauri left ......

Couple of pics of IH equipment being used  in yesteryear    for logging....

............and if you notiiced those pictures I posted recently   re the trip down into  the Marlborough Sounds ...there is still a huge steam winch  ...abandoned    years gone ...high up on the top of a ridge between two large  bays....and part of the tram line down into one of those bays..the old winch hauled logs up  then they hurtled   down into  an area and were loaded on to a barge .... 

I have not seen this !!!  but the manager of the property assures me  this stuff is all there..doubt if my legs want to claw my way up to that ridge...  !!

Mike

 

[jeeper61]

11 minutes ago, mike newman said:

Couple of pics of IH equipment being used  in yesteryear    for logging....

Thanks for the pics Mike

I don't think I haven seen a four wheel drive rail conversion like that before very interesting 

The need for certain types of lumber in the old days was global reaching 

Still is for Chop Sticks 

[td9bcf180]

On 1/9/2022 at 12:49 PM, jeeper61 said:

Maine was the forest that the British got most of their lumber from to build their sailing ship fleet.

There were trees large enough to make tall single piece masts from. 

Then later it was the lumber yard for Boston, by the 1890s most of the big timber had been harvested

 

 

Same here. Eastern Canada supplied white pine mast timber to the British Royal Navy starting 1800's as we were a British Colony then. That started to fade out around 1860's and sawn lumber for domestic and mainly US markets developed. Pulp and paper 1900 and on. 

This last squared timber train load of logs from Algonquin Park, Ontario was in 1924. Photos courtesy of Algonquin Park Museum.

[td9bcf180]

A few more pics from Algonquin Park Museum.

[mike newman]

....a   1937 Chevrolet..with a NZ made  steel bogie's   used as a logging tractor  circa 1944   at  Mamaku   central   North Island.....

Mike

[hardtail]

This thread has turned up some great pictures and information, thx to all who have contributed @captain_crunch would have loved this

[mike newman]

8 hours ago, hardtail said:

This thread has turned up some great pictures and information, thx to all who have contributed @captain_crunch would have loved this

..is the word      ''would'' significant , Lance ???

,,,so pleased to have caught up with him....in  2015

Mike

.

[hardtail]

Not to my knowledge, we can hope Brian is still on the green side of grass

[TN Hillbilly]

On 11/26/2022 at 11:56 PM, hardtail said:

Not to my knowledge, we can hope Brian is still on the green side of grass

His profile shows he hasn't been logged in since July of last year.  But that may just mean he isn't physically able anymore.  He was very limited then, as recall.

 

Or, he may just be off giving @King of Obsolete a hard time!

 

 

Anyway, hope he's okay.