Powerland Museums Part 1

Powerland Museums Association is a group of museums and clubs that are located on 62 acres near the town of Brooks, Oregon. I attended the celebration of the 150th year of Oregon's statehood that was called The Great Oregon Steam-Up. All 15 partner museums were open and displaying various items of their particular interest. The participating museums were: Antique Caterpillar Machinery Museum, Antique Implement Society, Blacksmith Shop, Branch 15 Early Day Gas Engine and Tractor Association, Brooks Historical Society, Northwest Vintage Car & Motorcycle Museum, Oregon Electric Railway Museum, Oregon Fire Service Museum, Oregon Two Cylinder Club, Pacific Northwest Chapter - National Railway Historical Society, Pacific Northwest Logging Museum, Pacific Northwest Truck Museum, Western Steam Fields Association, Willow Creek Railroad, and the Willamette Valley Model Railroad Club

Below is a Caterpillar tractor that was used to haul hay for the horses and supplies for the troops through the mud during WW I.



The twin D9 CATs below are joined and can be operated by only one person.





They steamed up this Southern Pacific Railroad steam crane that can handle 160 tons. Once they had it all steamed up, they used it to pick up a set of wheels (trucks) and set them on the ground and then picked them up again with the other hook and placed them back on the track.





The Fire Museum had about a dozen retired fire trucks on display. The oldest was this 1902 steam pumper that had been modified with a 1916 tractor.

One of the things that I really enjoyed was being able to talk with the people who operate all this equipment. They have some very interesting stories to tell.