A New Chapter at the Earthmoving Legacy Center
The Earthmoving Legacy Center was created to preserve the machines and stories that shaped the earthmoving industry. But preserving history does not mean standing still.
Over the past year, we have continued expanding and improving the Legacy Center with new displays, restored machines, historical photography, exterior graphics and additional training space. Together, these additions tell a more complete story—one that stretches from the forests of Maine and the battlefields of World War II to American farms, landmark construction projects and today’s earthmoving companies.
New Stories in the Diesel Room
Visitors returning to the diesel room will discover six new displays, along with expanded signage and historical photographs.
One new exhibit, “Elevating the Standard,” features the Caterpillar No. 40 Scraper. Introduced in 1949 specifically for use with the D4 tractor, the No. 40 combined hydraulic controls with a flat-bottom bowl and rugged cutting edge. Its durability and efficiency expanded what smaller tractors could accomplish in grading and earthmoving. The model remained in production through 1959.
Nearby displays examine the often-overlooked importance of attachments. The tractors naturally receive much of the attention, but blades, scrapers and other attachments dramatically expanded what a single machine—and a single operator—could accomplish.
That versatility proved especially valuable during World War II. Army and Navy construction battalions used D4 tractors in the European and Pacific theaters to build airfields, establish supply routes, dig trenches, clear jungles and remove enemy positions. Cable-controlled blades and scrapers allowed operators to perform several different tasks with the same tractor.
Historic military photographs now help tell that story, including an image taken at a base in France featuring a D4 and a LeTourneau Carryall scraper.
From Battlefields to Farm Fields
The updated diesel room also follows Caterpillar machines from military service into agriculture.
Compact D2 and D4 crawlers delivered substantial power while using less fuel and placing a lighter footprint on soft ground than larger machines. With blades, cultivators, discs, rippers and other attachments, they could plow, till, harvest and reshape the land from sunrise to sunset.
For many farmers, these tractors were more than equipment—they represented an entirely new way of working.
One display recounts the experience of a Welsh farmer who saw a Caterpillar D4 plowing his parents’ field in 1941. He had never witnessed anything like it. Seeing the tractor at work changed the way he thought about farming and convinced him that mechanized equipment—not horses—would define his future.
Stories like his remind us that innovation is not only measured by horsepower or production numbers. Its real impact is found in the possibilities people suddenly recognize when they see a better way to work.
Alvin Lombard and the Birth of Tracked Power
A large new display is dedicated to inventor Alvin Orlando Lombard and the Lombard Tractor & Engine Company of Waterville, Maine.
Lombard grew up surrounded by forests and sawmills. By the age of eight, he was working in his family’s shingle mill and experimenting with simple mechanical devices. He and his brother Samuel later opened a blacksmith shop, where Alvin began developing practical equipment for the logging industry.
Maine’s dense hardwood forests created a difficult hauling environment. Moving heavy loads of oak and maple over rugged, snowy terrain required something stronger and more capable than the available equipment.
Lombard answered that challenge with his tracked logging engine, patented in 1901. Continued refinements led to another log-hauler patent in 1907. The later design incorporated a more efficient vertical engine arrangement, improving power transfer and helping the machine meet the growing demands of the logging industry.
The new exhibit shows how a problem encountered deep in the Maine woods helped inspire one of the foundational developments in tracked machinery.
Building Power Through Adversity
Another new exhibit explores how Caterpillar continued investing in innovation during the Great Depression.
While many companies were cutting back, Caterpillar took the considerable risk of continuing its diesel-engine research. The company produced its first diesel tractor in 1931, followed by commercial diesel-engine sales in 1932. Those developments helped establish a new standard for power, efficiency and performance in earthmoving.
Caterpillar also made difficult strategic decisions. In 1936, it sold its combine-harvester line, allowing the company to sharpen its focus on construction, roadbuilding and diesel power.
That investment led to the RD series, including the RD4, RD6, RD7 and RD8. The Legacy Center now displays a restored prototype RD6—one of only five produced—along with historical material following the progression of Caterpillar’s diesel tractors through 1940.
Additional displays connect those machines to major construction efforts, including the Hoover Dam, demonstrating how Caterpillar equipment helped build some of the era’s most ambitious projects.
Rare Machines Join the Collection
Several newly restored and acquired machines add even more depth to the collection.
Among them are:
An early Holt 12-18 “Midget” tractor
Restored gas- and diesel-powered Caterpillar 35 tractors
A gas-powered Caterpillar 40
A stationary generator-set Caterpillar D318 engine, restored through a partnership with Fabick Cat
A serial No. 1 Caterpillar No. 80 pull-behind scraper
The D318 is especially notable. Caterpillar historian Jim Coles has described it as one of the smoothest-running engines Caterpillar ever produced. Visitors now have an opportunity to see that engineering up close.
Each addition fills another space in the broader timeline, helping visitors understand how designs, engines and applications evolved from one generation to the next.
A New Look Outside—and More Learning Inside
The transformation is visible before visitors even enter the building.
Large images of a Holt 75 and Best 75 now appear across the front mezzanine windows, accompanied by Caterpillar’s original 1925 branding. The graphics introduce the two companies whose histories came together to create Caterpillar and prepare visitors for the comparison they will encounter inside.
Earthmoving Legacy Center logos have also been installed on the east and west ends of the building, making the facility more recognizable from Highway 13, the boneyard and the surrounding offices.
Inside, new window treatments create a more comfortable and focused environment for visiting corporate groups. They soften the daylight and reduce outside distractions without disconnecting the classroom from the character of the museum.
The north mezzanine has also been converted into a fully equipped second classroom. This allows us to host multiple groups and expand programs such as Legacy Leadership and the Earthworks Scoreboard® Workshop.
The museum’s gift shop has received updates as well, including refreshed walls and historical photographs from Caterpillar factories.
Preserving History While Building the Future
The Earthmoving Legacy Center has always been about more than displaying old iron. It preserves the ingenuity, calculated risks and hard-earned lessons that continue to shape our industry.
The latest additions strengthen that mission. Visitors can trace the evolution of tracked power, see how attachments transformed the usefulness of a machine, understand how innovation continued during times of crisis and then carry those lessons into classrooms designed for today’s industry leaders.
For members of the Inner Circle, the Legacy Center is also our home base—a place to connect, learn and study the decisions that built the earthmoving industry.
The machines may be historic, but the lessons they teach remain as relevant as ever.
Comments