First published in 1907, this work remains the best single source on the development of steam locomotives for those interested in their inner workings and technical specifications. Most of the more recent offerings on the subject are primarily nostalgic picture books celebrating the outward design of the great engines of the past. Sinclair spent half a lifetime operating locomotives before beginning a new career as a railway journalist which brought him in contact with the prime movers of the golden age of railroading. The author's lively storytelling style remains fresh, and the scholarly value of the book has been much enhanced by the inclusion of some 650 notes provided by his editor, who is the chairman of the Department of Industries of the U.S. National Museum of History and Technology, Smithsonian Institution. These notes provide further information and correct errors brought to light by more recent research. The editor has also provided an afterword, summarizing the final developments and the last years of the steam locomotive in the twentieth century.
This new edition retains all the numerous illustrations of the original – some 200 historic locomotives are pictured, plus numerous portraits of their designers and owners, and line drawings or mechanical configurations.
Preface My purpose in writing this book was based on the belief that all intelligent railway men and hosts of others are sufficiently interested in the locomotive to desire a book giving a comprehensive history of the growth of this form of engine. The first moving cause for the determination to write this book originated about thirty years ago when I read an article in a popular magazine professing to give a condensed history of the locomotive engine that was full of misstatements and errors. I wrote to the editor, pointing out some of the most glaring mistakes, such as one stating that the first portion of the New York Central Railroad was opened with an engine called the Joi Bull, which had an upright boiler. The editor replied that the article was written by a person who was an authority on such matters, and that there was no doubt that the statements made were correct. On reading the editors letter I determined to write a history of the locomotive, and I have been collecting material for it ever since. Most of the articles composing the book have been published in the pages of Railway and Locomotive Engineering, my own journal. As the articles appeared I invited readers to send in corrections if they found any mistakes. They responded very exhaustively, and many of the statements have led to long discussions and correspondence. I have been actuated by an earnest desire to publish exact facts, and after sifting conflicting statements have used my best judgment to give those that are founded on the most reliable authority. That has caused the material in the book to be practically rewritten. I give this book of history to the world with the humble hope that it may prove as free from mistakes as the most carefully written historical books have been, and that it may be found of interest to many who are engaged in railroad operations, or who may be intereste
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)
