Weekend Steam: Instant Addiction

This is the cover of the first Iron Men Album Magazine that came to me in the mail many years ago. This magazine was begun by the Reverend Elmer Ritzman back in the late 1940's, and it was published until recently. My dad paid for my subscriptions to The Iron Men Album because he thought I would like it, and to give me an interest that would keep me out of trouble as a teenager. I was hooked on steam engines right away, and forty-five years later, I still am. Below are some of the photos from this January-February 1965 issue.


Forty-five years ago most of the photos and articles were by men who worked with steam engines, and they had lots of good stories and knowledge to pass on. As years went by, the nature of the magazine changed as most of the submitted articles and pictures came from hobbyists who did not grow up with steam.

The photos in Iron Men soon had me educated well enough to instantly identify the common brands of steam engines.

Seeing engines in person that I have seen in the magazine is a bit of a thrill. This big 40-140 HP Reeves was shown for years at Antique Acres, Cedar Falls, Iowa. I have seen it up close a couple times, and have seen it running at the annual show.

Regular exposure to steam and gas engines, plus helping with car maintenance at home gave our son EJ plenty of practical mechanical knowledge that helped him in college, and in his mechanical engineering career. He got an earlier start with steam than I did. We took him to his first steam show when he was only six months old, and he still attends Midwest Old Threshers every year.

If you are interested in old machinery, you should check out Gas Engine Magazine, and Farm Collector; both of which are listed on the left side of this blog. Steam Traction was the new name of The Iron Men Album after it was purchased a few years back by Ogden Publications, but now all steam articles are published in Farm Collector. The Farm Collector website features reprints of articles from the Iron-Men Album, such as this one about a train wreck.

Engineers and Engines Magazine focuses mostly on steam engines, but also includes gas engines, tractors, and other old machinery. Brenda Stant, the publisher, has a nice website that allows you to sample the content of the current magazine, so be sure to visit her and see what you have been missing.