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.

About the Author

William L. Withuhn (1941-2017) was the long-time transportation curator at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. He was a licensed locomotive engineer who ran dozens of steam engines, from saddle-tankers to Northerns. Withuhn was also the chairman of the Federal Railroad Administration's Engineering Standards Committee, which re-wrote regulations for the 21st century and thus helped ensure continued operation of heritage locomotives. He was author of The Spirit of Steam and Rails Across America.

Reviews

An outstanding, authoritative history of the steam locomotive from the late 1800s to the 1960s. . . . Highly recommended.

* Choice *

American Steam Locomotives: Design and Development, 1880-1960 figures to be an authoritative reference for generations to come, written by that rarest of men who not only understand the engineering, but who have the writing skill to communicate it.

* Trains Magazine *

"The book, which features one of the all-time great U.S. locomotives, a Nickel Plate Road Berkshire, on its cover, is a highly readable, entertaining, information packed volume."

* Trains *

Now, with Withuhn, we have pretty much all we need: the details, the analysis, the scholarship, along with a wealth of supportive photography. But we also get something much more, and that's Bill engaging prose. More than any reference book I've ever encountered, this one has wit and style. You can curl up with it and read it for pleasure.

* Classic Trains *

American Steam Locomotives is, and will continue to be, a landmark title in the field of railroad literature. If you are seriously interested in the history of steam locomotives, this is a volume that you have to purchase and read.

* Milepost *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253039330
Author William L. Withuhn
Format Hardback
Page Count 464
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press