I often wonder whether the great figures of our hobby -men such
as Leroy Blaker, ‘Steam Engine Joe’ Rynda, Harry
‘Pink’ Woodmansee, ‘Big Mac’ McMillan and Marcus
Leonard, to name just a few ever dreamed the events they launched
some 65 years ago would continue to this day.
A celebration of America’s rich agricultural past, the early
popularity grew, and in 1946 the Reverend Elmer Ritzman launched
The Farm Album, a magazine dedicated to preserving the
history of steam traction engines and threshers. In 1950, The
Farm Album became The Iron-Men Album Magazine. It
flourished.
With the launch of Steam Traction almost two years ago, we
committed ourselves to re-invigorating the magazine, drawing from
the rich heritage of our past while building for the future. The
response from steam traction and threshing fans has been
enthusiastic, with new subscriptions reversing a trend of dwindling
circulation that started in the 1990s.
From the many letters, phone calls and e-mails we receive, we
know that readers appreciate what we’re doing. But we need your
help to keep this mission going. Increasing costs in paper, and
especially postage, have made it impossible for us to continue
delivering Steam Traction without a dramatic price increase.
Beginning with this issue, annual subscriptions to Steam
Traction will increase to $38. After careful consideration of
our options, we have determined this is the only way to keep
Steam Traction alive.
We remain committed to the steam community, and we look forward
to many years of sharing, through the pages of Steam
Traction, the fellowship and joy of learning that defines the
community of steam traction and threshing enthusiasts.
