Classic American Steamrollers

recipient of the Silver Jubilee Certificate, awarded by the Road Roller Association, based in England, "for furthering the understanding of steamrollers"

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Classic American Steamrollers 1871-1935 Photo Archive 
by Judge Raymond L. Drake and Dr. Robert T. Rhode contains 
approximately 165 black-and-white illustrations of the 
great steam-powered machines that shaped North America's 
highways and other paved spaces. Many of the pictures are 
rare builders' photographs with amazingly clear details. 
For the first time, readers can see virtually all the 
known makes of steamrollers built in North America by 
more than thirty manufacturers. 
            
Those who remember the smoking giants smoothing asphalt 
will love these photographs and illustrations. Aficionados 
of Baker, Birdsall, Buffalo Pitts, Case, Enright, Geiser, 
Groton, Heilman, Huber, Kelly, Leader, Port Huron, Robert 
Bell, Russell, and Waterous farm engines will find their 
companies represented among the producers of road rollers. 
The bulk of the book is devoted to the largest manufacturers 
of steamrollers, Kelly-Springfield and Buffalo-Springfield, 
who produced over 12,000 machines. 

Classic American Steamrollers traces the development
of North American rollers from Abbott Q. Ross's roller
patent of 1871 and Anders Lindelof's patent of 1873
through the last Buffalo-Springfield steamroller
manufactured in 1935. Fortunately, the corporate and
factory production records of several road roller
companies escaped destruction. The authors have studied
such rare documents to chronicle the tremendous output of
steamroller companies. Drake and Rhode establish a
context of American history in which to view the
steam-powered roller. Readers will be fascinated by the
depth of information included in this book. 

Classic American Steamrollers, ISBN 1-58388-038-0,
is published by Iconografix (Hudson, Wisconsin).