The North American Live Steamer

The North American Live Steamer was a live-steam magazine published in 1956. It was edited and published by Kenneth P Stanaback and Bruce M David, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Introduction
The North American Live Steamer, January 1956

Well-Here it is. The long awaited first copy of your NALS. To some it will be just what they want in a Live Steam magazine. To others, it may seem a disappointment. To the latter we can only ask that you tighten down your safety valve a little, while we try and smooth things down to where we can get something in each issue for everyone.

NOW-The success of a Live Steam magazine, or any other for that matter, depends on whether or not we get one of the following.

Thousands of subscriptions, to pay the cost of traveling and time necessary to round up the material and photos needed for each issue OR a continuous supply of material, Stories, Pictures, and construction articles FROM YOU LIVE STEAMERS, enough to keep your mag filled every month.

I know many of you say to yourself "what the heck I can't write an article or story". Well-I say you can. It doesn't have to run smooth like a Pulitzer prize winner. So just State The Facts Boy and we'll fill in the ands, ohs, ahs and whatever needed to make the words fall together. You will be surprised at how good your story actually is. So give us a picture of what you have. If you built it, How. If you bought it, Where. Does it run? If not, ask for help, through the pages of your NALS. Someone will write in and we will print the answer for you. This magazine is costing you $6.50 per year. GET YOUR MONEYS WORTH USE IT.

We are way short of the necessary subscriptions for continuous publication. This first issue is being mailed to about half of the number needed. We fell however that past experiences has led many to be a little hesitant in subscribing until they were sure of publication.

This issue has cost YOU 54 cents of your $6.50 as will each subsequent copy. NOW-At any time you wish or, if for lack of subscriptions or material publication should stop, the balance of your money is refundable.

I think at this time we should thank Dick Bagley and Bob Day for The Miniature Locomotive while we had it. I personally would have been glad to have paid double or triple the price to have kept it going. If we had maybe they could have received SOME pay for the two years of gratis work they put in. Take it straight from the horses mouth, The Miniature Locomotive, as it was seu up cost all and sometimes more than the subscription money paid in. So, thanks again fellows and we feel sure this is from everyone.

We are printing the NALS by multi-lith or off-set process and can not use a high gloss paper. The articles are set up in columns, pasted in position with photos, then shot by camera. The negative is used to burn in a zinc plate after which the mag is printed by use of the plate in the off-set press. Following this the pages are folded, stapled and mailed to, what we hope will be, 1000 Live Steamers with the February issue.

Now-This first NALS is far from perfect. We have committed many blunders, some in spelling and probably many in punctuation. We know our layouts can be improved. One mistake we want to rectify right now. We were under the impression that postal rates were higher in Canada than here in the U.S. We found out we were wrong, as far as any great expense goes, so rates for our Canadian friends will be the same as for our American reders, $6.50 per year. Those of you who have already subscribed at $7.00 can have a refund or we will credit you with 50 cents on your next years subscription.

Well fellows we no doubt have left many things unsaid here but space is getting limited, so if you have any questions on your minds drop us a line and we will try and answer them in the February issue.

With these last words may we wish you a very Happy NEW YEAR


 * Your fellow Live Steamers
 * And would be publishers
 * Ken Stanaback   Bruce David

BLS Support


The North American Live Steamer, January 1956

Both Carl Purinton and myself extend congratulations and unlimited success to Ken Stanaback and his staff for giving us this new magazine. --Harry Dixon

 For you Live Steamers who have not had the opportunity to meet them, here are your B.L.S. secretaries. These two Live Steamers (GOD bless em for their help with this magazine) are the fellows who keep the B.L.S. alive.

Each in his own right is an excellent machinist. Together they have given endless aid to the beginner and have also helped many of us experts (Ha!) over some bumps when we got stuck.

Charles A. Purinton (left) R.F.D Topsfield Mass.

Harry L. Dixon (right) 1182 Russell Way, Hayward, Calif. 