The first 7 minutes was shot at the Maine Forest & Logging Museum in Bradley, ME. The opening sequence we are using the 1934, 10 ton Lombard Tractor-Truck to pull our 19 ton, 1907 Lombard steam log hauler out of the bay. In 1900 Alvin Lombard developed and patented the first practical crawler track system. Between 1901 and 1917 his company – The Lombard Traction Engine Co. of Waterville, Maine, built 83 of these machines. They were used for hauling long trains of sleds loaded with timber ( up to 300 tons). Operating over snow/ice roads, steering was via skis. They were never equipped with wheels as shown here. We have swapped out the skis for wheels so we can demonstrate it during the summer. Lombard’s steam log haulers are the ancestor to all modern track systems and yes, even snowmobiles. Please note that these were factory built machines – they are NOT converted steam locomotives. Lombard purchased boilers from the Ames Iron Works in Oswego, NY. The various castings were made to order by a local foundry with machining and final assembly performed at the Lombard factory.
