First Things: Full Steam Ahead!

When most folks think of steam power, they might fairly think of big steam trains cutting across the coasts and plains of the U.S. This is certainly the most iconic and visible use of steam power, but steam has its hands in far more places both historically and today.

One of my favorite facts about steam is that nuclear reactors are functionally just giant steam engines. Leave it to humanity to generate massive amounts of power by harnessing energy at the atomic level, and then use that energy to boil water. It just goes to show how much new tech is just old tech with extra steps sometimes.

Of course, agriculture has a close bond with old-fashioned steam power. Steam traction engines (like those referenced in the comic below) paved the way for the modern tractor. In addition, as Fred Hendricks aptly points out in Armitage-Herschell Miniature Locomotive, farmers have relied on trains to move their goods and supplies across the country and world since it became an option.

For those of you with an interest in steam trains, living history, or both, we have an exciting article this issue. Our feature on the East Broad Top Railroad in “Where the Steam Never Left” is a great example of both. The site is a living, functional workshop and railway that has barely changed from when it was built. Big thanks to writer Dan Boomgarden and general manager of the East Broad Top Railroad Foundation Brad Esposito for making this article happen!

Moving from steam to livestock, Josephine Roberts discusses the heritage livestock breeds of the U.K. in this issue’s Tales from Wales. With their natural adaptations to their environments and long recorded history, these breeds are valuable living pieces of agricultural history.

Larry Scheckel once again brings news of the American Tractor Museum. With recent expansions, this Missouri-based museum continues to grow more and more impressive.