Another behemoth relic found while riding today

[Digger 66 3,478]

Any guesses ?

It looks like it winched .... something , but it's in the middle of nowhere .

 

[The Tuul Crib 7,336]

Looks like a yarder for pulling logs.

[ebinmaine 67,279]

28 minutes ago, The Tuul Crib said:

Looks like a yarder for pulling logs.

That was my first thought as well.

 

Any thoughts what the local industry might have been?

 

[WHNJ701 4,165]

glad to see its made in the USA, looks like something you would see on ax man

[8ntruck 6,991]

4 hours ago, The Tuul Crib said:

Looks like a yarder for pulling logs.

Yup.  I agree.

[Stepney 2,325]

I'm reading of a Nordberg Sterns hoisting engine manufacturing company out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This is mentioned in the January, 1919, issue of STEAM. Which was a trades-mans catalogue. 

That winch does not look 1919 to me, way too finely cast. Even if there is a lot of wood in it. That's an odd design from all the ones I've seen. 
Shame there isn't anything left of a power unit.. 

That cast mark looks oddly like the old IHC logo but it isn't. I can find no other listing for "N.S. Company" and that Nordberg did build mine hoisting engines..

Only other I can think of is Nichols & Shephard. But that's going way back to the actual steam traction era. And there is no record of a winch built by them. 

 

Was there any other casting mark, perhaps giving a state or city of origin? 

 

[Digger 66 3,478]

11 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

 

Any thoughts what the local industry might have been?

 

 

 

The two main industries were timber and oil . http://archives.datapages.com/data/phi/v14_2013/harper.htm  

 

 

6 hours ago, Stepney said:

 

 

Was there any other casting mark, perhaps giving a state or city of origin? 

 

 

Not that I could see , thank you for the research .

It's way off the beaten path but next time I'm near there I will look closer .

[peter lena 8,583]

digger 66, did a little searching for a possible power unit , found this one , pete

 

[peter lena 8,583]

up at the zagray farm  in colchester ct , where they regularly had 3 shows a year ,until the virus , they have a working  barn museum, that is loaded with lots of ancient steamers and hit and miss engines . brought my grandson and he was flipping out over the running  engines ,  hope it comes back soon , pete  

[Cvans 1,009]

Interesting how there appears to have been a wooden drum on one end and a belt pulley on the other.

Wonder if it was part of a drilling platform. The other thing it kind of reminds me of is a steam donkey. 

[Stepney 2,325]

The only real big winches like that I have ever seen were mine or marine use. And one behemoth similar here in Maine that worked the incline railway on the Eagle Lake tramway.

Those donkey engines were incredibly strong so for just yarding timber around that machine would be both incredibly oversized and almost impossible to move by the looks. A donkey could be moved a few hundred feet at a clip under it's own power before tying off to the next tree.

The various holes on those 'cranks' are what get me. What for? Clearly not engine cranks. Almost makes me think of an oilfield power unit in that one regard..

Drilling rig is the best guess I've seen. 

If only it could talk..

[Digger 66 3,478]

16 hours ago, Stepney said:

 

If only it could talk..