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trollbridge
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2012 00:13 - Edited by: trollbridge
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We found this while out on a walk. It has a square end like it fits into something...like to turn something- The land was logged years ago. There is still evidence of logging "roads". We found a bunch of rail spikes and rivets too. Any ideas?
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rayyy
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2012 08:34
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Hummmmmmm?I haven't a clue but it's so neat finding stuff like that out on a hike.I too have found some of the most bizzarest things out in the middle of the woods over the years.
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Martian
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2012 08:38
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Are there any pipelines running in the area? Both of those look like handles used to turn valves.
Tom
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CabinBuilder
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2012 13:01 - Edited by: CabinBuilder
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Quoting: trollbridge We found a bunch of rail spikes and rivets too.
Large bolts & nuts can be used to secure rails or other peaces. Perhaps the device was use to tighten the nuts.
How does the end look like? Something in hexagon shape?
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JoshG
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2012 13:49 - Edited by: JoshG
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possibly some kind of brake wheel for a rail car?
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2012 19:15
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rayyy...I know what you mean...I love finding all sorts of stuff when we explore!
Martian...are you in Texas? Yes, there are pipelines fairly close to our land but not that close. Also it was just built about 5 years ago.
Cabinbuilder....the rod is about 1inch round and then the bottom 3-4 inches are solid, square and about 3/4" thick. Not hexagon-definitely square.
JoshG....very well could be. The land was logged before 1928. There are some HUGE pine trees now! We are wondering if there were rail cars that brought the logs out of the woods. Like I said we also found lots of spikes and big rivets along the old logging "roads" which are visible only if you really pay attention.
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hattie
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2012 22:33
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Hubby agrees with JoshG and says that it looks like a hand brake wheel for a rail car.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2012 09:56
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That is cool then....love the sense of history. I knew the area was obviously logged years ago-Martin Pattison was a lumber baron who owned a lot of land up there. The land that makes up Pattison State Park was donated to the state by him. His goal was to keep the highest waterfall in Wisconsin and the 4th tallest east of the Rockies from becoming a hydroelectric dam. The park is beautiful and the falls are spectacular. His mansion is in the city of Superior-quite a stately home indeed! When we bought our land I knew immediately that I wanted to honor the logging history by decorating in a logging theme...
So how exactly did these brake wheels work?
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hattie
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2012 13:16 - Edited by: hattie
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Hubby says this was before there were air brakes on trains (before 1900). They used to have workers called "brakemen" that would turn the handwheel to set the brakes on the train to slow down/stop the train.
Originally they were on top of the train and later moved to between the cars. Here is a photo: http://www.eduborail.org/Image-1-MHT-7.aspx A brakeman had the most dangerous job on the train.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2012 19:19
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Oh my God...can you imagine running along the tops of train cars!!!! It does look just like the same piece!!! Thank you!!!
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JoshG
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2012 20:01
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Trollbridge,
I've been to Pattison State Park before. Very beautiful area. I am a bit east of you, but my area also has a rich heritage in logging as well (well, all of northern Wisconsin does, for that matter). Some of the logging "roads" you mentioned above very well may be old railroad beds. I know for a fact that in my area several of the old grades are now roads, and they would have spurs off the main grades. Back in the early/mid 80's my dad hunted with a guy that grew up in the Park Falls area, and logged on and off his whole life. He knew of many old logging camps, that were nothing more than just clearings anymore. I have always wanted to go back with a metal detector and see what relics I could find. Several northern Wisconsin towns have sections of old logs set up as attractions, the virgin timber that was harvested back then, and it is amazing how large some of them are. Whats even more amazing is all the work that was done by hand.
Anyway, a cool find that I am sure will find a perfect place in your cabin.
Josh
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2012 22:59
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JoshG,
How far east are you-what area?
So many old logging roads in northern Wisconsin and Hawthorne(small little blink and you miss it town) use to be the center of much logging activity. There is barely a river left there now but the Middle river use to be were all the logs floated. The railroad is still there and used very frequently. I love the history and seeing how big the virgin pines were is amazing!!!! Yes the determination and ability to make things happen with out all the heavy equipment of today is really something to marvel over isn't it?
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JoshG
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# Posted: 11 Apr 2012 15:48
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I had a little cabin, ( my first) just west of Park Falls. I sold it and am actually closing on it next Friday. I posted pictures on another thread of it. Nice for a hunting place or small getaway, but the family wanted something on a lake, and with a few more modern conveniences than that one. We are in between Phillips and Winter.
My grandpa used to work for the railroad in the 40s, 50s and 60s. He would have known in a heartbeat what your find was and what it was used for. He had a cottage, which is now my mother's. He built a shed with a metal roof. He got that roof from what he called a putt-putt car, the ones that two men stood on and used a lever like a teeter totter to make it go. He also had a caboose stove that he refinished in his basement, among many other railroad relics.
Somewhere, I have seen a picture of an old sleigh, piled with logs as high as you can imagine, with a team of Clydesdale horses hooked to it. How those men got those logs up on that sleigh is a mystery to me. I will do some "googling" and see if I can find that picture. It surely is a sight to see.
Josh
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 11 Apr 2012 16:45 - Edited by: trollbridge
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Josh.....I KNOW that picture!!!!!! It is amazing.....I wanted a copy of it to hang in our cabin and I even have a wood (bark) frame I wanted to put it in!!! It is ABSOLUTELY amazing how high the logs are stacked and how massive they are!!!! The teams of horses that would pull them are so beautiful too!
We looked at land in your area but ultimately decided to be further north for better snowmobiling. There are beautiful lakes there for sure! I will have to go to your thread and take a peek.
I love your story about your grandfather's cottage and I hope all his railroad relics find a way to stay in the family! My great grandfather was a train engineer-made a very good living but drank too much. My grandma was 10 when her parents divorced-pretty rare for back then. Was approximately 1900...I wonder if my great grandfather drove any trains that used these hand brakes?
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 11 Apr 2012 17:43 - Edited by: trollbridge
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Here's the one I was thinking of....so high and just 2 horses!!!
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 11 Apr 2012 17:51 - Edited by: trollbridge
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Here are a couple more....can you see the 6 men? Shows how big those trees were! Also, gee....need to cross this little ravine and creek....let's just build a massive bridge! They sure knew how to not get overwhelmed or discouraged back then!
Logging6MenInTheLogs.jpg
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LoggingLogbridge.gif
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JoshG
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# Posted: 11 Apr 2012 21:02
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Thats the one! Impressive, to say the least!
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thetopkick
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# Posted: 16 Jun 2012 16:12
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Definitely not a railroad car hand wheel from a hand brake. AAR rules have long required the hand wheel have a square, taped socket to fit over a square, tapered end on brake staff. Furthermore the hand wheel must be secured to staff with a nut and nut prevented from coming off by use of a cotter pin in hole through staff just above nut. Also hand wheels are either 22" diameter for the kind found on box cars or 16" diameter (also 15" diameter in the very early days) on kind of hand brake found on flat or tank cars.
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Dillio187
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# Posted: 16 Jun 2012 18:20
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I got a kick out of reading this thread, as the area around my property (east central MN near Hinckley and Pine City) was also a big logging area. The big Hinckley fire of 1894 was caused by leaving all of the branches from trees laying around and a 2 month drought. There is a museum in Hinckley devoted to it. Pretty scary reading about it. I can't imagine having to jump into a well to live through a fire storm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hinckley_Fire
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 17 Jun 2012 11:08
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thetopkick,
The end isn't clear in the pic but it is a square end that definitely fits over something. Off the top of my head I don't think there is 22" diameter but 15 or 16 sounds right. Next time we go up I will measure it and try to get a better picture of the square end. You seem to have a vast knowledge of them so your thoughts are very appreciated. Thank you!
Dillio I have wanted to get to that museum. Need to road trip over there sometime! Thank you for the link. It sure is interesting to read about it and you're right....I can't imagine jumping into a well either-amazing!
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JoshG
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# Posted: 17 Jun 2012 13:12
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There is a fire museum in Peshtigo, WI also. Happened the same night as the Great Chicago Fire. Same kind of stories, about people jumping into rivers and wells to survive. They have one small glass display case of everything they found that survived the fire. The rest of the museum contains things from the period. Been a while since I have been there, but a very neat place to visit as well.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 28 Jun 2012 21:23
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I measured the top diameter- it was 15 3/4" The bottom is squared off . It definitely goes into something not over something. There are the numbers 307 I believe molded right into it. It is solid and heavy!
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