Sonny Wizelman’s Log Loader Diorama is now on display at MECM. This diorama depicts a log loader and winch on top of a steam-powered turntable. Sonny, a lifelong master of live steam models, built this diorama from plans and did all of the building, weathering, and rusting himself.
Log loaders were used in the logging industry to lift logs onto separate cars so they could be taken to a mill. The car is on a separate track so that when one car was loaded, they could move the log loader to the next car and continue loading. A winch, also known as a steam donkey, was used to tow the logs from where they were cut to the place they were being loaded. This was used to move the locomotive or cars from one track to another.