Customer Reviews

Guide to North American Steam Locomotives (Railroad Reference Series No. 8)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a very complete review of all the major types of steam locomotives in service, from 1880's through 1950's. The archival photos are clear and beautifully detailed, all in sharp black and white. The best feature is the alphabetical format for road names and types of locomotives, as well as interesting detail topics like water usage, superheating, and types of fireboxes.

The steam railroad fan will find lots of detail that will add to his knowledge of the type, period, or rail line of his interest. The model train buff will find a lot of information on detailing his models and layouts to look like the exact prototype. If you want to mix lines and engine types, this is a great source to use to make sure you are not far off the historical track. The photos and printing are so good, you will want to use a magnifier to see all the detail.It comes in a handy pocket size, and you can only improve on this book by increasing the size to better see the great photos.

This book is unbelieveable! It has history on the steam locomotives, the railroads who owned them, the manufactures, some of the major loco designers and the list goes on. My copy continues to get worn as I carry it to every Rail Museum I visit and carefully look up and read about each loco I look at. Don't visit any rail museum with out this guide!

Guide to North American Steam Locomotives is a must for RAIL FANS & Model Railroaders alike. A book like this does not come along often enough. It is an ideal size for taking to Rail Museums & traveling. I would like a larger version for model railroading for home, with larger photos.
The book is well written with so much information packed into it small size. The images are clear showing good detail.
I highly recommend this book. You really should have one! You will not be disappointed!

I highly recommend this valuable addition to any railfan's library.

Not having grown up in the era of these fire-breathing monsters, I can fully appreciate the power and technology of perhaps the greatest machines ever to roam the land. This book is absolutely necessary for any serious rail historian as well as the 'armchair railfan' who is wondering what 'super power' actually once meant.

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in railroad history. It is intended to chart the basic milestones of steam locomotive development and why, how, or if they were employed by the various major railroads. In short this is railroad history more than it is an explanation of how steam locomotives worked, and as such it is invaluable. The reader learns how roadbed strength, grade profiles, traffic mix and other factors often determined the type of locomotive the railroad needed. The entries give a sense of the the progression in motive power thinking at each of the railroads covered. The most useful feature is the full roster at the end of each entry showing the wheel arrangement, class, builder, delivery date and approximate retirement date of each class of steam locomotive owned by each railroad.

There is a vast amount of information here, and thus Drury necessarily had to take a broad-brush approach. This book should be thought of as an addition to a railfan's library, alongside the books authored by Eugene Huddleston and Parker Lamb, which go into much more detail.

After reading the one negative review I felt compelled to write my own. I suppose your interest in this book will depend on your level and type of interest in steam locomotives. I'm fascinated by all facets and aspects of steam power and the book is full of interesting and pertinent facts... The more you know about the various designs, the more you appreciate the kinds of information presented. The amount of research and knowledge that went into the book is simply amazing. It is by far the most read steam locomotive book I own. I've had it for many years and is now falling part I've thumbed through it so much. If you're into North American steam locomotives this is a must buy for your library.

Very detailed & complete information on steam locomotives, how they work, & the railroads that used them. Same size as original Deisel spotters guide with execelent photographs.

Very informative book. Another great book for my growing collection on the rails and the history involved.

The author has done a lot of work collecting statistics concerning the number and types of engines owned by each railroad. Unfortunately, I cannot see where this information is of much use. The book is full of many
small photos, most of poor quality. A few large photos would have been better. The book is completely
lacking in information on the actual workings of these steam monsters. The book would have been much
improved in a more traditional size and shape. All in all, not a good effort.