Cole Land Transportation Museum

[Katahdin]

I spent several hours at the Cole Land Transportation Museum on Saturday, all I can say is wow. They had everything from antique snow plow trucks, fire engines, farm tractors, cars, trains, motorcycles, bicycles, wagons, cement and dumptrucks, MVs, to vehicles you probably never heard of. Its definitely work stopping at if you're in the Bangor, Maine area.

Cole Land Transportation Museum Bangor Maine

Cole Land Transportation Museum - Bangor, ME - Museum/Art Gallery | Facebook

This being a MV forum I've included some MV pics. The had a Dodge command car, a halftrack, and several jeeps including a jeep statue. They also had service rifles, pistols, and other WWI and II memorabilia on display.

 

[Katahdin]

WWII Half Track and some jeeps:

 

[Katahdin]

A huey and M60 tank outside:

 

[Katahdin]

And a really cool WWII memorial incorporating a Jeep statue. I'm not sure how they constructed it, but the level of detail is amazing.

 

[FormerNewMVGuy]

Wow !! Next time im heading to my place in Waite, I'll have to stop and check it out, That looks awesome.
Fifteen years of going past bangor , and i never new it was there.....

 

[Katahdin]

Tell me about it. Its really easy to find, its located just under the I-95/395 Clover Leaf. Its also a short drive from Dysart's truck stop.

Bangor, ME - Google Maps

From Dysarts: Coldbrook Rd to Cole Land Transportation Museum - Google Maps

 

[maddawg308]

...and m60 tank outside:

52 tons of rolling death, baby!

 

[quickfarms]

That jeep statue looks real, is it full size?

 

[Katahdin]

Yes, just found this. Its a bronze casting of an actual jeep:

Located on the Museum's grounds is the State of Maine Monument to World War II. It is an exact bronze casting of the Museum's WWII Willys Jeep. The Jeep's driver is the sculptured likeness of Charlie Flanagan killed in WWII and Galen's Cole's best boyhood friend. The monument was constructed and dedicated as the Maine State World War II Memorial by Gov. Angus King on October 11, 1997.

 

[nk14zp]

I have been there a few times and still like going back.

 

[m38inmaine]

Yup, been there, cool stuff, it's right at the end of I395 in Bangor.

 

[RangerBob]

Rats. I was in Bangor on Sunday and didn't know about this.

But the good news is, I may be heading back to that area in a couple of weeks or so to haul off some old snowcat husks.

Hmmm, just looked at the museums virtual tour...no snowcats.

 

[Katahdin]

I saw at least one tracked vehicle there that resembled a snowcat. They also have a Ford Model T snowmobile and a whole row of snow removal stuff!

 

[RangerBob]

Yup, that green machine is a beautiful mid-50s steel pontoon Tucker Model 443 Sno-cat, the original 'Sno-Cat'. Either a 95 or 115HP Chrysler engine. Maintaining the bearings on those roller tracks can be tedious. The pontoons on these old Tuckers can be removed so that wheels can be added for easy off-season moving. Because of this, and the incredible articulation of the suspension, some evil people like to convert them into rock crawlers.

By the way, that is one model (size) down from this USAF Tucker...
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/motorcycles-atvs/77495-usaf-tucker-743-a.html