Customer Reviews

The Allegheny - Lima's Finest

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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.

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.