Complete Book of Locomotives

This is a comprehensive guide to the world’s most fabulous locomotives - their history and development through the ages. It includes over 700 photographs and illustrations of locomotives from around the world. This is a definitive history of locomotive technology from the 1830s to the present day. Detailed specification boxes given for over 100 key locomotive designs. This book charts the development of locomotive design throughout the world, including Britain, the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, India, China, Japan and the Pacific Rim. From the early years of steam power to today’s high-speed passenger trains, this authoritative volume spans nearly two centuries of history. Divided into three sections, the book is organized chronologically, documenting developments and innovations in a concise and authoritative text. Part One: The Birth of the Railway charts the very beginnings of locomotive design up to 1900. Part Two: The Golden Age spans the glory years of railways as the foremost form of transport. Part Three: The 1950s to the Present Day charts the crossover from steam power to diesel and electric, bringing us to the present day technologies of Europe’s Eurostar and the Japanese Bullet train.