While many brands and designs of snow vehicles have come and gone, perhaps one of the most unique, rare and interesting was the 1938 Monarch Sno-Motor, this example being one of only two ever believed to have been built and the only believed to still exist. The original Magic Mile chairlift at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood in Oregon was the second chairlift in the nation when it was constructed, and it was the Monarch Sno- Motor and Sled designed under the direction of U.S. Forest Service Equipment Engineer Ted Flynn and Raymond Neils of the Forest Service Equipment Laboratory in Portland that helped get it done. Built by the Monarch Forge and Machine Works of Portland, the Monarch Sno-Motor has been described by some historians as the first truly efficient vehicle on snow. According to an April 1941 U.S. Forest Service bulletin, Flynn and Neils’ Sno-Motor was designed to serve Timberline Lodge when roads were closed because of snow, though its wide variety of uses was quickly realized not only for use by the Forest Service but by the U.S. military as well. Essentially a track-laying tractor steered with a trailer sled attached by shock-absorbing devices, the Sno-Motor could carry more than 20 passengers up 30% grades, and a relation of trailer widths to track length and weight distribution was worked out through trial and error to ensure it could operate in nearly all snow conditions. An 87-mile trip with a load of seven passengers and 3,000 pounds along the crest of the Cascade Range was used to demonstrate the Sno-Motor’s ability to cover rough terrain and haul skiers where other vehicles simply couldn’t go. Its ability to carry passengers proved fruitful, with it being photographed carrying an escort party up the slopes of Mt. Hood in May 1939 for Crown Prince Olav of Norway, who was on hand for the dedication of Timberline Lodge’s new ski lift. In later years, the Sno-Motor’s successors were also used to haul skiers up slopes, perhaps most notably depicted by a dual- track version serving as the cover art for the December 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics Magazine. A photo and caption in an article on avalanches noted that while the Sno-Motor was ordinarily used to tow skiers, it was also at the ready to speed rescuers to wherever they might be needed, should an avalanche strike. A patent for the Sno-Motor was issued to Flynn and Neils on April 9, 1940, who by that time had already developed an improved drawbar for steering the trailer and were applying for patents for the new tractor and rudder hitch. During that era, it was commonplace for the Forest Service to design and patent technology and heavy machinery like the Sno-Motor to complete a specific task and then provide it to private industry for further development and distribution. As such, few of the single track Sno-Motors were built by Monarch for the Forest Service, with some postulating as few as only two. Companies like Iron Fireman followed suit with its Snow Cruiser in 1941 and its T-36 Fire Snow Tractors, a selection of which were purchased by the U.S. Army in 1944, and the design was officially sold by the Forest Service to Tucker Sno- Cats of Medford, Oregon. This 1938 Monarch Sno-Motor is an incredibly rare and iconic find. What is seen today is the result of a monumental restoration project by previous owner and collector George Schaaf and his team. Schaaf purchased the Sno-Motor from a collection in Lake Tahoe, and it is believed to be the only Monarch Sno-Motor to have survived and undergone a restoration. Featuring a 90 HP Hercules flathead 6-cylinder engine, this Monarch Sno-Motor is the one used at Mt. Hood’s Timberline Lodge, playing a part in the construction of the nation’s second chair lift and hauling skiers up the slopes during its duty with the U.S. Forest Service. It’s unique in that it has a forward tracked section that contains the engine and transmission, and the trailer/sled in the rear acts as a fulcrum for turning and steering. Rare as likely the only still in existence, this 1938 Monarch Sno-Motor is accompanied by moving dollies for the sled or machine, as well as vintage photos and documentation, including a copy of the December 1949 Popular Mechanics issue of which a Sno-Motor graced the cover.
