Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive (Railroads Past and Present) [Hardcover]

J. Parker Lamb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 14, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0253348633 | ISBN-13: 978-0253348630 | Edition: First Edition

The diesel locomotive sent shock waves through rigid corporate cultures and staid government regulators. For some, the new technology promised to be a source of enormous profits; for others, the railroad industry seemed a threat to their very livelihoods. Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive introduces the reader to the important technological advances that gave rise to diesel engines, examining not only their impact on locomotive design, but also their impact on the economic and social landscapes. J. Parker Lamb describes the development of these technologies, allowing the reader to fully understand how they were integrated and formed a commercially successful locomotive. Like its companion volume, Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive (IUP, 2003), this book emphasizes the role of the leading engineers whose innovations paved the way for critical breakthroughs. Rail fans will appreciate this authoritative work.

(2010)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lamb's book is... an important contribution to railroad technological history. The book's strength is the author's mastery of the mechanical details, which he presents in a straightforward style." —Railroad History

(Railroad History 2008)

"Lamb provides the reader with detailed descriptions of every generation of diesel locomotive along with a generous supply of excellent photographs." —Maury Klein, Technology and Culture vol. 49, July 2008

(Maury Klein Technology and Culture vol. 49 )

"A host of books and articles have touched on various aspects of this ongoing story over the years, but none tell the story with the completeness and superb clarity found here." —Michigan Railfan, May - June 2010

(Michigan Railfan )

From the Publisher

"Lamb's book is . . . an important contribution to railroad technological history. The book's strength is the author's mastery of the mechanical details, which he presents in a straightforward style." --Mark Reutter, editor of Railroad History

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press; First Edition edition (June 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253348633
• ISBN-13: 978-0253348630
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,314,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to the subject, but really lacking, July 22, 2007

By 

Robert Ray (Orange County, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive (Railroads Past and Present) (Hardcover)

There's not much available about the development of Diesel locomotives, so this book does fill a big gap in the literature, at which it is fairly good. However it could have been a lot better. The author doesn't seem to have interviewed anyone with the railroads or with the builders, and he missed some important seconday sources (in particular, Churella's From Steam to Diesel, a really brilliant book). There are lots of omissions. In two sentences he mentions that EMD had two stroke cycle engines, but he never explains why, nor does he discuss the relative merits of two stroke versus four stroke. He doesn't really explain the reasons for transition. Nor does he discuss the merits of two versus three motor trucks. For an engineering professor, he didn't give us much engineering background. There are no diagrams of a Diesel engine, nor of the total locomotive. He ignored EMD's vastly superior service, support, and parts logistics which led to the downfall of other competitors, and then he doesn't explain GE's current predominance.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars North American Locomotive history for dummies, July 10, 2007

By 

Renaud Chodkowski (PARIS France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive (Railroads Past and Present) (Hardcover)

I was looking for this book to know more about evolution of North American locomotives. This history is clear and well illustrated (mainly black and white roster shots).

Pros :
- no roster list per railroad
- one pictures for each model
Cons :
- no charts nor diagram
- modern time (from SD40-2 to Green Goats) only 21 pages !

To conclude, it's a good book that reads fast but it would have been better with more technical details and charts and more developement abour moder locomotives.