The Allegheny - Lima's Finest [Hardcover]

Eugene L. Huddleston (Author), Thomas W. Dixon Jr. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Allegheny was perhaps the finest high horsepower steam locomotive ever built which unfortunately never reached its full potential due to the arrival of the diesel engine. Although its size and potential is compared to the Union Pacific Big Boy, the Allegheny was not without controversy - which added to an inaccurate comparison of the two largest high horsepower steam locomotives. Everyone who looks at details closely- cab window, stack height, eccentric crank, air tank end, cab construction, trailing truck casting and bell mounting- will love the attention dedicated to these features and their evolution in the Allegheny as presented in this book. This book brings together the best of the railfan photographer, the railway and the builder. The Allegheny finally receives its due!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 245 pages
• Publisher: Hundman Pubishing; 1st edition (1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0945434030
• ISBN-13: 978-0945434030
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,160,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Locomotive for the Ages!, March 30, 2002

By 

Henry M. Dobb (Coconut Creek, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Allegheny - Lima's Finest (Hardcover)

This is a great book about a great locomotive and is a "must have" volume for the library of any 'ferroequinologist' (student of the iron horse) or anyone with a serious interest in the American railroads of the twentieth century.

It is all here, from an examination of the reasons that were responsible for the creation of this machine, to the backshops of the Lima Locomotve Works of Lima, Ohio to witness its birth, and to various locations along the right-of-way to see this fascinating machine in action. This work then conclues with a look at the circumstances that led to the untimely demise of these locomotives and the eventual preservation of two of them (one at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, and the other at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.)

There is much technical data to hold the interest of those whose who are inclined to the technical aspects of the locomotive; this is nicely balanced with a wealth of photographs for those who lean toward the aesthetic end of the spectrum. The text is enlightening and informative,and is writtenin a manner that will retain the interest of the reader.

If you have an interest in the steam locomotive, this book is for you and it is not to be missed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Allegheny Lima's Finest, May 13, 2007

By 

Robert P. Hart (Aliso Viejo, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Allegheny - Lima's Finest (Hardcover)

The Allegheny was Lima Locomotive Work's finest locomotive and this book documents practically every detail of this huge locomotive. The book starts off with a discussion of the Chesapeake & Ohio, followed by details on the mechanical details of the Allegheny, its construction, the tenders, the performance, a discussion of the Alleghenies on the Virginian, and finally, a comparison between the Allegheny and other locomotives and an evaluation. This book makes a persuasive argument that the Allegheny was the best locomotive. One page 200, a comparison of boiler size is made between the Norfolk & Western Class A, the N&W 2-6-6-4, the Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-6 Allegheny and the Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy. Unfortunately, the Duluth & Missabe 2-8-8-4 M-4 Yellowstone was no included in the comparison.

This book is rich in detail with over 600 photographs with many focusing in on various details of the locomotive. Pages 18-20 illustrate profiles of the H-1, H-2, H-3, H4, H5, H-6, H-7, and H-6 locomotives. Page 99 has a three page fold out of the side view of the locomotive as well as cross sectional views of the boiler. Although this is Eugene Huddleson's first book as an author, it represents an outstanding book on locomotives and probably the most definitive work on the Lima Allegheny. The book is well organized and the photographs on pages 114 - 119 illustrate the enormous size of the firebox and boiler.