American Locomotives in Historic Photographs: 1858 to 1949 (Dover Transportation) [Paperback]

Ron Ziel (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 14, 1993 | Series: Dover Transportation

A rare collection of 126 meticulously detailed official photographs, called "builder portraits," of American locomotives that majestically chronicle the rise of steam locomotive power in America. Railroading expert Ziel's introduction and captions provide readers with a brief history of railroading in America, the art of the builder portrait and key details on each locomotive depicted.

Product Details

• Paperback: 140 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; First edition (January 14, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486273938
• ISBN-13: 978-0486273938
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #630,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great locomotive photo collection., September 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: American Locomotives in Historic Photographs: 1858 to 1949 (Dover Transportation) (Paperback)

If you want to acquire a collection of photographs tracing the entire history of American steam locomotive development, this is the book. It is limited to builders' portraits, and has no photos of locomotives "in action". The book is chronologically organized, and photos are chosen to illustrate the different types of engines produced, with many pictures of rare and one-of-a-kind designs, like the 2-8-8-8-4T. Some engines built for foreign railroads are included, as are elevated-railway locomotives. A great picture book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Locomotives in Historic Photographs: 1858 To 1949, March 24, 2007

By 

Robert P. Hart (Aliso Viejo, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Locomotives in Historic Photographs: 1858 to 1949 (Dover Transportation) (Paperback)

In the early development of locomotives, few photographs exist prior to the 1860s. Ravages of time and the fragile nature of glass negatives eliminated many photographs and some only exist today as third generation copy negatives, devoid of most details. However, through the collection of Mr. William A. Rogers' builder photographs, we can witness the details of the original locomotives as they rolled of the production line. Historically, builder photographs are important because the photos documents the locomotive "as built" by the locomotive manufacturer. Because almost all locomotives were altered during their lifetimes with the addition of equipment or the repair of equipment with parts from other locomotives, these builder photos represent a snapshot of the original configuration of the manufacturer.

The Rogers collection illustrated in "American Locomotives" are "builder portraits." Customarily, one engine from an order was selected as the "official portrait" and was usually a side view or a partial view of the front showing the driving rods in a lowered position and no escaping stream or smoke. According to the author, almost all official portraits were taken in low light or on cloudy days. "American Locomotives" presents both old and rare locomotive builder portraits from the Rogers collection as well as later versions of locomotives that ran in the 1940s and 1950s. The author has managed to research the locomotives illustrated in the book and add a short note describing each locomotive. The one short coming of this book is that the reader is often left begging for additional information about particular locomotives, but that is what the reference section of libraries are for. Overall, the book "American Locomotives" is an outstanding addition to any train buff's collection.

5.0 out of 5 stars American Locomotives, July 22, 2011

By 

Rex M. Wisehart - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Locomotives in Historic Photographs: 1858 to 1949 (Dover Transportation) (Paperback)

This is a good book for some steam locomotives. Then talkling about steam locomotives, it is so hard to get one book with all the different types. This is like so many others, it fills some gaps the others didn't have.