Relive train travel's earliest days with this splendidly illustrated story of steam locomotion, from "teakettles" to "titans." Working from builders' specifications, old engravings, and contemporaneous accounts, the author re-creates, in accurate renderings, the earliest locomotives.
Important and beautifully illustrated volume chronicles the explosive growth of the American locomotive from British imports to grand ten-wheelers of the 1870s. Over 240 vintage photographs, drawings, and diagrams tell the exciting tale. Introduction. Appendices. Index.
Ride the rails through the development and history of America's diesel-electric locomotives. Diesel-electric played a critical role in the industrialization of America. After WWII, diesels rapidly displaced the steam locomotive as the dominant source of motive power on the rails. This lavishly illustrated volume delivers detailed coverage of the development of the diesel including AC traction and the 800-horsepower beasts introduced in the mid 1990s. Solomon describes how diesels are operated and maintained today. Appendix lists where restored early diesels can be seen today.
Historic North American Locomotives traces the historic development of North American locomotives from the early 1800s through today. Considered a photographic book with the look and feel of fine art, 100 locomotives are profiled using descriptive text and richly detailed and colored photographic imagery. A well-researched introduction provides the reader with a historical perspective. The author/photographer includes high-quality photographs, created through various techniques that vividly capture the distinctive features of the locomotives. From the 1805 Trevithick portable boiler to modern, high-speed locomotives such as the 2013 GE Genesis, the reader will enjoy viewing a variety of locomotives that are not usually shown together in one book.
Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive documents the role played by mechanical engineers in the development of locomotive design. The steam engine and the mechanical engineering profession both grew directly out of the Industrial Revolution's need for sources of power beyond that of men and animals. Invented in England when coal mining was being developed, the practical steam engine eventually found numerous applications in transportation, especially in railroad technology. J. Parker Lamb traces the evolution of the steam engine from the early 1700s through the early 1800s, when the first locomotives were sent to the United States from England. Lamb then shifts the scene to the development of the American steam locomotive, first by numerous small builders, and later, by the early 20th century, by only three major enterprises and a handful of railroad company shops. Lamb reviews the steady progress of steam locomotive technology through its pinnacle during the 1930s, then discusses the reasons for its subsequent decline.
Construct 29 classic pieces from 150 detailed, measured drawings and photographs. Styles range from early American primitive to relatively sophisticated late 18th- and early 19th-century trends. Chosen pieces represent the work of such masters as Duncan Phyfe, William Savery, John Elliot, Hepplewhite, Goddard, and Sheraton. 32 photos.
Sixteen works from American theater, 1787 1911: "Charles the Second" (1824); "Fashion "(1845); "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852); "The Count of Monte Cristo" (1883); "The Mouse-Trap" (1889); "The Great Divide" (1906); more. Background essay. "
The first English translation of the most comprehensive and detailed work on the development, construction, finance, and operation of early American railroads and canals.
For nearly half of the nation's history, the steam locomotive was the outstanding symbol for progress and power. It was the literal engine of the Industrial Revolution, and it played an instrumental role in putting the United States on the world stage. While the steam locomotive's basic principle of operation is simple, designers and engineers honed these concepts into 100-mph passenger trains and 600-ton behemoths capable of hauling mile-long freight at incredible speeds. American Steam Locomotives is a thorough and engaging history of the invention that captured public imagination like no other, and the people who brought it to life.