Caboose #660.
The power roller was manufactured in 1954 by Buffalo-Springfield
in Ohio. The paving roller was used by the Lane Construction Co.
on the New York thruway project, then on to Maine in 1967, where
it was used until retirement. It was restored and donated to the
museum in 1989.
Notice the cobblestone museum floor in this and other photos.
Cobblestones
The 45,000 paving stones,
called by many "cobblestones" located in the Cole Land
Transportation Museum were given in 1988 by Guilford
Transportation, successor to the Maine Central Railroad, from
its Bangor rail yard. All of these stones were located in the
siding nearest to and parallel to Main Street between the first
and second set of railroad tracks. They represent only a
fraction of the stones located in that yard. These 45,000 stones
weighed approximately 1,600,00 lbs and were removed and loaded
by a rubber-tired pay loader, donated by A.J. Cole & Sons,
and were transported here with a dump truck donated by Cole
Training Institute.
Approximately 10 high school football players
were hired by Coles Express and worked with volunteers for
approximately 10 weeks sorting the stones for three thicknesses
and three widths, and then placing them on pallets where they
were washed. Later the stones were transported by forklift into
the museum, then individually placed on processed and compacted
granulated stone donated by Lane Construction in the museum's
floor. The first stone placed was at the corner of Main Street
and Fire Engine Lane.
The red brick were purchased from Morin
Brick Company, Stanford, Maine and weigh 450,000 lbs. These too
were manually placed on processed material in the individual
aisles and railroad station floor.
Bangor's leading historian,
James B. Vickery, in researching the paving stones reports they
were mined by George A. Pierce and /or his son, John Pierce at
their Frankfort, Maine, Mt Waldo Quarry and transported to
Bangor in sailing ships which could dock in slips near the
Frankfort Quarry for loads of lumber. These same ships could
dock beside the Bangor rail yard at their destination.
It is a known fact that large three and
four-masted schooners were better controlled and navigated
the winding Penobscot River better loaded than empty.
These stones were placed in the Maine Central, later Guilford
Transportation Co.freight yard between 1855 when that rail yard
was originally built and 1868-1869 when North American and
European Railroad became the owner. Thousands of tons of
cobblestones were transported to Bangor, Brewer, Orono and
surrounding communities throughout that era as an improved road
over gravel before tar, concrete and hot top.
Additional information from Mr. Vickery: The
paving stones were likely quarried on Mosquito Mountains, the
mountain nearest the Penobscot River in Frankfort.
The first streets in Bangor paved were Main,
State and Exchange. Millions of "cobblestones" are still located
under Bangor Streets.
The 1931 F.W.D. Snow-Blower picked up and "threw" not only ice and
snow, but rocks and gravel.
In the mid 1930s, Coles
Express loaded 14,000 100 lb bags of potatoes on the last
four-masted schooner to sail with a Maine product down the
Penobscot River.
1920 Mobil Pump, 1920 Tydol Pump, Atlantic Electric Pump.
It seems not so long ago that
we were referring to gas stations as "filling stations."
Some of these did not have electricity at first, so hand pumps
were employed. The visible Mobile gas pump, which came from
Galen Cole's private collection, was filled by hand. The number
of gallons it held was marked in ascending order, from top to
bottom, so that the amount going into gas tank could be
monitored during the process. The Atlantic pump on site worked
from an electric pump.
The nurse on the left is a good facsimile of my boyhood memory of
my Mom. She was an Emergency Room Register Nurse at Children's
Hospital and also did duty at Mt Carmel in Columbus, Ohio. She
would wash her white hat then starch and iron it, wash her white
uniform and stockings and finish by polishing her white shoes.
When she left to care for the sick, dressed in white, she would
throw on her cape and depart.
1953 Divco Milk Delivery Truck.
The signature
green-and-yellow colors of Pleasant Hill Dairy milk trucks from
Hermon bring to mind mid-20th Century when each diver had his
own local route to drop off glass bottles of milk, cream and
other products the housewife might need for the nest few days.
At the same time, he picked up the empty bottles that had been
left on the porch or steps for him. Pleasant Hill owner Carroll
Pickard, who drove many a milk route himself, was pleased to
have this truck restored and painted just right to help preserve
the company's place in history. The driver had the option of
operating the vehicle from either a standing or sitting
position.
Seeing this old milk truck
brought back many childhood memories. These milk delivery trucks
were common in many neighborhoods. They started their route in
darkness and finished up by sunrise. You put three glass empty's
out and received three full ones back. And if you wanted to
change or add to the order there was sign to put in the empty
and you would find your milk, eggs and butter on the porch when
you went out in the morning to pick up your paper. Milk came in
two choices - Homogenized and non-homogenized. The bottle with
the non-homogenized milk would have the cream separated and
sitting on top. This was poured off and used in coffee and
cooking and the bottom part was the no-fat milk.
Another good memory was riding in these milk
delivery trucks. While in grade school I had a mate that lived
on a dairy farm several miles down a country road from my home.
It was a special treat to spend after school or summer vacations
with Tim. His grandfather, dad and uncles ran the farm and
dairy. His girl cousin in our grade lived next door. Being a
farm there was plenty of work for everyone no matter what age.
One of Tim's chores was to get the Ford tractor and hook up a
trailer, drive over to the milk building and then load milk cans
filled with milk waste. From there drive to the hogs feed
trough. What fun to slop the pigs, each milk can could be
different from the rest and mix together. Chocolate milk, white
milk, cottage cheese and any number of colors. Those hogs eat
good. I'll bet their bacon was delicious. If there was free time
we would explore the garage were the trucks were kept and
serviced. There was a pit in the floor to work on the
undercarriage. At times Tim would need to move a truck. This
grade school kid was able drive the trucks. The best part was
that he could stand to drive so he was able to reach the peddles
with no problem. Don't remember ever driving the milk trucks but
Tim did teach me to drive the Ford tractor and they have been my
favorite ever since.
After criss-crossing this
vast warehouse of treasures, we decide to explore the outdoor
campus.
Photobomb again.
The Lowell G. Kjenstad
Memorial Bridge, a covered bridge dedicated on Aug. 20, 2014,
honors the memory of the long-time curator who sorted
cobblestones, drove antique tractors and provided founder Galen
Cole with invaluable advice and help before and during the
museum's first 24 years.
The covered bridge is a modified 1840s Howe Truss design very much
like those built in that period.
An 8-year-old boy named Allie
Cole had neither horse nor wagon the day he left home in the
early part of the 20th century, hoping to ease the financial
burden on a mother with too many mouths to feed. He found his
place first as a "bound-out" boy when taken in by a family in
Enfield, some 35 miles above the city of Bangor. What Allie Cole
started as a boy, hired to drive horse-drawn wagons in rural
Maine, grew with his never-ending imagination to later provide
year-round highway service - including winter snowplowing
- to Maine's northernmost Aroostook County.
The company Allie Cole started in 1917, Cole
Express, went on to provide service with 900 vechicles to the
Northeast. One of Alle's sons, Galen, committed as a child to
pursue the Coles Family exploits during his lifetime. Following
his leadership of the Coles companies for decades, and with the
help of family members, hundreds of employees and friends, a
lifetime mission retaining and seeking out vehicles on wheels,
skis and tracks has resulted in a national treasure.
How was I to know that I
would find so many happy memories in a warehouse deep in the
woods of Maine.
Leaving Bangor we next head to Augusta via
I-95 South. I was in the service with a young man from Bangor.
He had a heavy brogue so you had to listen closely. I wonder if
he ever returned to Bangor with his wife.
A load of Maine wood traveling down the interstate going to
market.
Traveling south on I-95 between Bangor and Augusta.
Having been born and raised
in a capital city. they hold a special place in my psychic. When
traveling, I check to see if I'll be near a capital and try to
see it. On this trip I'll see three state's capitals. New York,
Maine and Massachusetts. My count of capitals visited is 20.
State capital in Augusta, Maine
From here we head south to
Gardiner, ME.
Formerly a Maine Central station in Gardiner. ME.
Kennebec River next to the former station now a wellness center.
Continuing south from
Gardiner our next stop is at Bath.
Shipyard in Bath, ME.
Railroad lift bridge.
From Bath we are on US 1
heading south to Freeport and our Best Western room. We stop at
the on-site cafe for dinner. After our meal it's back to the
room. This part of the county seems to roll up the sidewalks at
sunset. But no problem we are ready for those soft pillows.
Tomorrow is another busy day: A first visit to a second Portland
and maybe a chance sighting of a former US President.
Next Chapter - Eighteen - Downeastern,
Portland waterfront, Bus and Street car museum.
Return to last
Chapter - Sixteen
Robin's trips
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