WABI, WVII Report on UMaine Students’ Lombard Steam Log Hauler Restoration

WABI (Channel 5) and WVII (Channel 7) covered a Lombard steam log hauler restoration demonstration given by University of Maine mechanical engineering technology seniors at the Maine Forest and Logging Museum in Bradley. The log hauler was invented and built in Waterville between 1910 and 1917, and was the first successful tracked vehicle. Six student teams restored the log hauler to working condition, one of only three in the world. The public was invited to learn about each team’s project and for a Lombard demonstration with compressed air. Engineering student Emmett Hodder said the restoration process was a fantastic learning experience. “I think it’s really special being one of only a couple people alive who knows how to tune one of these,” he said. Engineering student Peter Roberts told WABI he’s excited to return in 20 years to show his children the log hauler.