Book & Video Reviews
By Thomas Berry
Iconografix continues its long-standing Photo Archives series of
compilations with a truly outstanding presentation of an entirely
new subject for them,steam-powered rollers. This book is definitely
a cut above any other in the series that this reviewer has seen.
The authors provide an introduction that is hidden behind the first
photo in the hook. Following the introduction, some thirty-three
manufacturers of steamrollers are presented in an encyclopedic format.
Each section includes a history of varying length for the company at
hand and a presentation of its products. Photographs, advertising
illustrations, and, occasionally, patent drawings are all used to
depict an amazing variety of rollers and related products. The
illustrations are uniformly clean and excellent, without any of the
blemishes that have marred some illustrations in a couple of previous
Photo Archives books.
Rollers are not the only subjects shown. Other products by the
manufacturers, such as Acme crushers, Buffalo Steam Roller and
Kelly trucks, and Iroquois portable asphalt plants (including
one mounted on rails) are also shown and briefly discussed.
Some roller engines and components are also depicted, as are
the logos of a few manufacturers. Overall presentation
of the book is much cleaner than any other Photo Archives
book this reviewer has seen. The general layout and the outstanding
quality of the printing and illustration make it very easy and pleasant
to either scan or read in detail.
The book's encyclopedic layout largely makes up for the lack
of an index. All the book lacks is a table of contents to help the
reader navigate, as company names are prominent only on the first
page of each manufacturer's section. But that's quibbling about a
minor detail in a book that is excellent in every way.
New Book from Iconografix
Celebrates the Steam Roller
By Linda Weidman
Steamroller enthusiasts, rejoice! The reference book you have
awaited has finally arrived. While authors Dr. Robert Rhode
and Judge Raymond Drake have titled their book a "photo archive,"
it is organized alphabetically by manufacturer, and sufficient
text is included to give the reader ample technical and historical
guidance. The project began, apparently, as a picture book of Buffalo
and Kelly-Springfield steamrollers, but it grew to encompass many
other manufacturers as well. The authors acknowledge the
contributions of numerous collections, public and private, as well as
those of individual researchers. We think readers of IMA will be
especially interested in this book because so many traction engine
manufacturers produced a steamroller to capitalize on the growth in
American road building. The first American patent for a steamroller
was issued to Abbott Q. Ross on August 22, 1871. Numerous
rollers were made by various firms before the turn of the
century, and their manufacture continued until 1935.
Readers will delight in the great variations on steamrollers
from the obscure and impractical to the more logical
and successful models. Included in the book are some rare, and
fascinating, pictures showing manufacturing, assembly,
and transport of these massive machines.
Judge Raymond L. Drake has appeared on several historical television
programs and co-authored The Last Gold Rush and Pike's Peak
Gold. Co-author Dr. Robert Rhode has written numerous articles
published in this magazine and others geared towards steam traction
engine collectors.
Book Review
By Ray Hoffman
This is the first historical review of steamrollers and their
manufacturers. It was co-authored by Foundation member
Dr. Robert T. Rhode. His writings are familiar to Heritage
Eagle readers, as well as such fine publications as Engines
and Engineers, the Iron-Men Album, Gas Engine,
etc. This work includes rare factory photos, assembly line photos,
and patent drawings. It will unquestionably become the benchmark
resource for those interested in this part of Americana.
From Acme to the Canadian Waterous Road Roller, none are
overlooked. J.I. Case was very much a part of this industry,
starting in 1905 with a 10-ton steamroller, of which nine were
built. A larger 12-ton model followed in 1908, with three being
built. . . . this is going to be a welcome addition to your
resource library.
Classic American Steamrollers 1871-1935 Photo Archive,
by Raymond L. Drake and Robert T. Rhode
By Derek Rayner (published in Great Britain)
This book is a most excellent account of the history of
steamrollers produced in North America. It contains details of
more than thirty manufacturers in the USA and Canada. There is
a wealth of illustrations, and by the judicious use of
extended captions and descriptions of the firms involved,
despite it being of picture album format, the book gives
the reader a relatively large amount of information.
The pages trace the development of North American road rollers
from Abbott Q. Ross's patent roller of 1871 and Andrew
Lindelof's patent of 1873 through to the last Buffalo-Springfield
steamroller manufactured in 1935. Lindelof, from New York,
received a patent for the "gooseneck"--the upswept
frame over the rear mounted steering roll of a tandem
roller--in 1873. However, although he is justifiably
called the father of the American steamroller, it must not
be forgotten that he would probably have seen the two
steamrollers, supplied by Aveling & Porter, that worked
in Central Park, New York, in 1869.
Ross patented a tandem roller in 1871, and Lindelof's machine
was of the vertical boilered tandem variety--and, as such, set
some sort of standard, for there are many other rollers of the
same type shown in the book from several different makers. In
addition to steamrollers, there are also details of some other
products such as asphalt plants, scarifiers and, rather surprisingly,
some steam trucks.
A number of well-known American manufacturers are included--
Baker; Buffalo Pitts; Case; Geiser; Groton; Huber; Kelly;
Port Huron; Russell and Waterous. Some of these makers made
the rollers in almost conventional traction engine outline.
There is considerable detail on the largest of the steamroller
manufacturers--the Kelly-Springfield and the Buffalo-Springfield
firms together produced over 12,000 machines. The interwoven
histories of the constituent companies--Kelly; Kelly-Springfield;
Buffalo and Buffalo Pitts--that came together to form Buffalo-
Springfield Roller Co. in 1916 is an interesting story in its
own right.
The pictures are excellently reproduced, and those that are
not too good are only so because of the condition of the original.
It was important to include them for they are probably now the
only available illustration of the machine in question.
All of the illustrations are from contemporary makers or trade
sources--none from the preservation era, except for the lovely
colour scene on the cover, and that gives nothing to the
present day.
The book is highly recommended for anyone with an interest
in the topic covered, and especially for those who wish
to know more of the American style of steamroller.
Book Review
By Dave Erb
More than once lately, readers have remarked to me how
disappointed they were with books about the old iron hobby they
have purchased. If this has been your experience, I have news for
you. About a year ago, I got a request from Dr. Robert Rhode for
information on Case steamrollers. Dr. Rhode has been a contributor
of fine material to Old Abe's News for some years and is
an accomplished historian as well as an artist in his own right.
When I sent the materials I had available on this subject to him,
I remember thinking this man had his work cut out for him, if he
was going to put a book together on such a narrow subject. I
couldn't have been more wrong.
Classic American Steamrollers 1871-1935, written by Judge
Raymond L. Drake and Dr. Robert T. Rhode, is an excellent
chronicle of one of the heretofore untold segments of steam power in
the United States. This volume contains 128 pages of excellent
documentation about steamrollers and their use in roadbuilding and
construction work throughout the country. Some of the photos are
pristine examples of factory photography, while others depict some
amazing candid construction detail in the background.
Listed in this work are thirty brand names of steam manufacture.
You will recognize all the more common names associated with farm
steam power, names like Case, Huber, Russell, Buffalo Pitts, etc.,
but how many of you have ever heard of Coldwell, Enright, Erie,
Harrisburg, Iroquois, Kelly, or Lindelof, not to mention Monarch,
Jacob Price, Julian Scholl, or Robert Bell?
As a stand-alone photo album, this book is one of the more
interesting this writer has seen. As an historic reference work,
complete with authoritative facts and information, it stands alone
in its field. These two authors have amassed a truly impressive group
of data on a subject about which few of us have much knowledge, for
the excellent reason that no work of this nature has been available
before.
In a market that is becoming saturated with glossy-but-shallow
books designed toward impulse buying,Classic American Steamrollers
is an authoritative historic volume. It is filled with details and
information about manufacturing companies both long-gone and
popular. The collection of related photos presented here is
more than enough to warrant a book, in its own right. together
with the well-documented information included in this work, it
stands out among the books I have added to my own library in
the past few years as one that will be read through and then picked
up and re-read.
If you like the romance and nostalgia associated with the steam
era, you will enjoy this book thoroughly.
Book Review
By Derek Rayner (published in Great Britain)
This book contains an excellent selection of B & W images of the great
steam-powered machines that shaped North America's highways.
Many of the pictures are rare builders' photographs showing
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, most of which could
be unfamiliar to UK readers. Names in the text include Baker,
Birdsall, Buffalo Pitts, Case, Enright, Geiser, Groton, Heilman,
Huber, Kelly, Leader, Port Huron, Robert Bell, Russell and
Waterous, all of whom made traction engines and also made
rollers in the image of their usual products. The bulk of
the book, however, is devoted to the largest manufacturers of
steamrollers in the U.S.A., namely Kelly-Springfield and
Buffalo-Springfield, who, between them, produced over 12,000
machines. The book traces the development of North American
rollers from Abbott Q Ross' roller patent of 1871 and Anders
Lindelof's patent of 1873 through to the last Buffalo-Springfield
steamroller, which was made in 1935. Fortunately, the corporate
and factory production records of several road roller companies
escaped destruction, so the authors have been able to study such
rare documents in order to chronicle the tremendous output of the
various companies. Readers will be fascinated by the depth of
information and by the various fine illustrations.
Book Review
By Vance Packard, Jr.
This book, as you can tell from the title, Classic American
Steamrollers: Photo Archive, is basically a picture book
on steamrollers and, as such, it is well worth the $30 price.
While I am by no means an expert or even an enthusiast on
rollers, I should disclose up front that, in a moment of
temporary insanity, I bought a 1941 Buffalo Springfield
steamroller [sic] that still awaits restoration.
The book is much more than a photo album. Mixed in amongst
the pictures, Raymond Drake and Robert Rhode provide a very
thorough history of the American steamroller industry, which
had its origins in England and France. The practice of rolling
roads during construction and for continuing maintenance goes
back to Roman times when horses or slaves dragged large stone
rolls to provide a smooth, more-or-less solid surface for
vehicular traffic.
Self-propelled, steam-powered rollers appeared in France in the
late 1850s and shortly after in England. By 1869 the Brooklyn
Parks Commission had acquired a British Raveling [sic] and
Porter steamroller for use in the construction of Prospect Park.
In the United States, by this time, there were many manufacturers
of steam-powered agricultural traction and threshing engines
that could be redesigned into steamrollers as Raveling [sic] and
Porter had done in England. However, the first American
steamrollers had a tandem design in which the back roller
covered the same ground as the front. The earliest American
three-wheel steamrollers did not appear until the 1880s.
The growth of the "Good Roads" movement in the late-19th
century opened a vast market for road-building machinery, and
many companies joined the competition for public funds. With
the expansion of state and federal funding for highways in the
1890s, some 30 different companies entered the steamroller
business.
The book is arranged alphabetically by company name, and each
entry includes a brief history of the company as well as
specifications and other technical information. While this
arrangement may bother those of us who see history as a
chronological process, it makes the book much more usable
for steamroller fans who are more likely to be interested in
a single make. This limitation is also offset by the fact
that Buffalo Putts [sic] and its successor Buffalo-Springfield
come near the beginning of the alphabet--not only one of the
larger companies but also the one for which the authors had the
most material available. Their original plan was to cover
just Buffalo Putts [sic] and Kelly Springfield, which merged
in 1916 to form Buffalo-Springfield. The depth of information
that was available to the authors must be impressive given
the minuteness of some of the details included in the book.
Drake and Rhode provide enough information on the evolution
of steamroller design for the reader to get a clear sense of
what the major engineering issues were and how various
companies attempted to address them. The steamroller's
primary job was to compact broken rock fragments, less than an
inch in any direction, into a smooth and durable surface.
This process, invented by John McAdam, an 18th-century
English road supervisor, is still used today. Early in the
development of steamrollers, road builders added a second
task. Macadam roads would eventually become rutted and had
to be torn up by pick and shovel and rerolled. Scarifiers
of many designs were added to the standard three-wheel
steamrollers to allow old roads to be torn up at far less
expense than other methods. Steamrollers could also be used
as road engines to bring materials to the job sites by
simply adding hitches to the front and back. Some rollers
were also equipped with belt pulleys to drive rock crushers
and other machines.
As in other industries, innovation was often driven as much
by the need to avoid other companies' patents as by market
forces. This seems particularly true in the designs for
the front-roller mounts and steering gear on three-wheel
designs. This volume has a lot of text for a picture book,
particularly considering how good the pictures are. For the
most part, the text is well written and explicit. One does
get the impression, from time to time, that the text is made
up of parts of earlier pieces that were written for other
purposes, and the parts are not smoothly connected. There
is also some evidence that sections of the text were edited
to fit space requirements without too much thought given to
content. The curse of QuarkExpress.
The pictures, on the other hand, are wonderfully selected
and reproduced. The authors have succeeded in covering all
aspects of steamroller design, manufacture, and use. There
is even a picture of how a steamroller should be mounted on
a railway flatcar. The few photos that are not very clear
were obviously the result of poor originals for which no
other photo of the make is available. Not only are there
exterior and interior pictures of factories but even sales
floors and parts rooms at dealers. In some cases, the
volume provides both left and right views of the same
machine and contains enough photos of details to make the
construction of the steamrollers clear. Beside [sic] the
photographs, the book also has a number of patent drawings,
advertising pieces, and logos.
The steamroller is one of the great icons of the American
past, and this volume does more than justice to them.
