Railroad Books

The late steam and steam-to-diesel transition era remain very popular with model railroaders. This book offers modelers a single reference guide for upgrading, detailing, modifying, and maintaining their steam locomotive models. Covered topics include: An overview of steam locomotives: types, history, and how they work, upgrading and repowering older plastic and brass models, adding DCC and sound; weathering; and modifying details to reflect various prototypes.

Union Pacific’s Big Boys: The complete story from history to restoration covers the who, what, why, and when of the 25 popular 4-8-8-4 steam locomotives. This book gives the historical background on the early 1940s development, explains why they were built, how they were used, and traces their history until they were retired in the 1950s. It also covers the much anticipated and well covered restoration of No. 4014 starting when it was recovered in a park in 2013 all the way through to its restoration and tour across the United States in the summer of 2019. Trains magazine has been published for almost 80 years, much of which has included extensive coverage of Union Pacific’s Big Boys since they were created. Everything you need to know about these popular steam locomotives can be found in this 224-page book.

Steam locomotives were developed in the early part of the 19th Century, initially by Trevithick, and then most successfully by George Stephenson, whose engine Locomotion inaugurated the famous Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825. For the next 150 years, steam locomotives were further developed and refined, until the advent of new electrical technology superseded them. Although British Railways operated its last main-line steam locomotives in 1968, there is still immense interest in the large numbers of locomotives that have been privately preserved, and which run on heritage railways and in various parts of the world. This book describes the anatomy and physiology of the steam train, to enable all train enthusiasts to understand the workings of the various types of engines in use. It covers the design of the engine, the process of converting fuel into mechanical tractive effort to haul passenger and freight trains, and the function and design of the various components of the engine. The authors also outline the reasons behind the safe and efficient operation and maintenance of steam locomotives. Although the steam locomotive originated in the U.K., there were parallel lines of development in North America and in various other European countries, many of which introduced their own individual features. These are dealt with in the book, which will appeal to railway enthusiasts throughout the world.

Between 1900 and 1950, Americans built the most powerful steam locomotives of all time--enormous engines that powered a colossal industry. They were deceptively simple machines, yet, the more their technology was studied, the more obscure it became. Despite immense and sustained engineering efforts, steam locomotives remained grossly inefficient in their use of increasingly costly fuel and labor. In the end, they baffled their masters and, as soon as diesel-electric technology provided an alternative, steam locomotives disappeared from American railroads. Drawing on the work of eminent engineers and railroad managers of the day, this lavishly illustrated history chronicles the challenges, triumphs and failures of American steam locomotive development and operation.

Anyone interested in railroad history or operations will enjoy this special collection of firsthand stories told by former and current railroad employees. Personal accounts of this kind are popular among railfans, history buffs, and modelers. Stories feature: Late steam and early diesel periods. The duties of various employees. Real-life accounts from engineers, firemen, conductors, yardmasters, and more.

Here is the companion volume to Ken Cope's previous works on machine tools, carriage making machinery and cooperage machinery. Factories filled with the machinery described in the previous works, from the smallest drill presses to giant planers, could not have existed without a reliable and sufficient power source. The steam engine was that source, from the start of the industrial revolution to the general availability of electric power distributed from large, central generating stations in the early 20th century. Smaller size engines, made for farms and small industries such as cheese factories, greatly reduced the manpower required and therefore the cost of the final product to the consumer. The nearly 1000 illustrations show the development of the steam engine from 1800 to 1900 in a great variety of sizes, styles, and designs. Many designs shown proved impractical and were soon discarded; other designs such as the Corliss engine were made by scores of firms for scores of years. Along with the illustrations is a brief history of the individual maker, chronicling the various engines that each made.