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George H. Drury

Guide to North American Steam Locomotives (Railroad Reference Series No. 8) Perfect Paperback – January 1, 1993

by George H. Drury (Editor)

4.7 153 ratings

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Presents the mechanical features of every locomotive constructed from 1900 to 1953, including boilers, pistons, and drivers

Print length

448 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Kalmbach Pub Co
Publication date

January 1, 1993
Dimensions

8.5 x 1 x 5.75 inches
ISBN-10

0890242062
ISBN-13

978-0890242063
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kalmbach Pub Co; paperback edition (January 1, 1993)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Perfect Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0890242062
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0890242063
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 1 x 5.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,987,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,826 in Railroads (Books)
- #6,156 in History of Technology

Customer Reviews:
4.7 153 ratings

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George H. Drury

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4.7 out of 5

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James Pernikoff

A classic, now in a more user-friendly page size.

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

Like the companion Historical Guide to North American Railroads, the larger page size compared to the 8 x 5-1/2 original makes the book more usable if less pocketable. More significant is the rearrangement of material. Previously the entire book was one A-Z directory that encompassed all topics. Now there is a separate chapter on the workings of a steam locomotive, incorporating entries on such things as valve gear, fuel, superheating and tenders, another on locomotive types and wheel arrangements, and yet another on locomotive builders, each bringing together entries that had been scattered in the previous edition. There is also a chapter on the U.S. Railroad Administration and its standard-type locomotives. That leaves the A-Z portion to cover solely the many railroads of all eras, and here the larger page size makes the lists of locomotives for each road much easier to read and to use. My complaint is that many of the photos are still too small, and there is almost no mention of the Long Island Rail Road, even in the entry about its long time owner, the Pennsylvania. Still, this is a valuable book for steam fans to own, whether you have the previous edition or not.

6 people found this helpful

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SomeRandomGuy

An indispensible guide to steam locomotives and their technology!

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2016

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This book is an amazing compilation of research on the locomotive rosters of more than two dozen railroad companies and several locomotive manufacturer. Need to know how many of what type and class of engine someone had? No problem, they are given in an exhaustive list of everything built and running after 1900! But in addition to that, the book also goes into a great description of individual steam locomotive technologies, such as how to understand the Whyte classification system, three-cylinder locomotives, automatic stokers, coal and other fuels, steam superheating, valve gear, and much, much more!

Beautiful black and white photos accompany each article, and in some of the technology sections, you'll also get superb line drawing diagrams.

So if you're a railfan, this book is for you, or if you are buying for a steam buff and historian, this an ideal gift.

6 people found this helpful

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Cierra Rounds

Pretty Good

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2013

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All in all I would have to say that it is a well designed book. You know this book is effective when you can go out and look at a steam locomotive and know which type it is without referring to the book. Breaking down the numbers of various engines by companies that owned them was a brilliant idea...I had no idea that thousands and thousands of engines existed and done any other way, would have made the book a mess.

Not for model railroad fans as you do not get the size information or design blueprints that you do in other publications.

3 people found this helpful

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*Hobby*

A Good Reference on North American Steam Locomotives

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2016

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A nice perspective on distribution of steam locomotives over a great many U.S. railroads. It has some good general info on each railroad covered and the common as well as not so common varieties of steam locomotives those railroads used. Alas, it doesn't cover all North American railroads. For example, I didn't see anything on the Northwestern Pacific. It is, however, a good reference for anyone interested in North American steam in general.

3 people found this helpful

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Vahe Demirjian

A fabulous handbook regarding North American steam trains

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2015

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I used to get this book when I was in my pre-teen years and I still remember all the steam locomotives in this book, even though it covers North American steam engines built after 1900. This book is kind of detailed in covering rosters of steam locomotives built for North American railways, and also the steam locomotive wheel arrangements used on the continent during the 20th century. If anyone reads this book, it will give an idea of the role that steam locomotives played in renewing the industrial prowess of the United States and also the lingering romanticism surrounding those wonderful railroading machines.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Great Reference

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

Truly a great reference book, particularly if you want to check that manufacturers have details like engine numbers, engine type were actually on the the Railroad rosters. Has stopped me numerous times for purchasing models that were incorrect. Great book also just to realize the magnanimity of Steam railroads.

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Rocky Mountain Region

Hours of enjoyable reading

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2020

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I saw this book at a local Union Pacific depot. The price on Amazon was much better. This is a book for rail fans who like the old steam engines.

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David B. Williams

Guide to North American Steam Locomotives

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2014

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This is an outstanding book for enjoyment and reference on the steam locomotives that powered North American Railroad up to the 1960's. Even today, the performance of these engines is impressive.The glory of the steam engine is that with a skilled and experienced engineer and fireman it could deliver and perform always more than expected. It was most human in its efforts to excell beyond expectations. In sum steam locomotives as described in this book were more an art than just a technology. David B. Williams

2 people found this helpful

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Brian MArtin H. Vallesteros

Good product

Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is one of my favorite train reference book.

Jim L

North American Steam Locos - Guide

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2021

Verified Purchase

Authoritative and comprehensive 335 page A4 softback reference book. Very well written and carefully illustrated with fully relevant BW photos. Begins with a resume of developments in US steam locomotives from 1900 to their withdrawal. There are then chapters on: locomotive types and wheel arrangements, locomotive builders, and on the USRA. Concludes with separate chapters for all major railroads in the USA and Canada; each containing a description of the railroad, a summary of locomotive developments within it and a table of its locomotive classes over time; listing them by type, builder, dates of introduction and of withdrawal.

jpp452

A Gift to the Steam Locomotive Enthusiast

Reviewed in Canada on April 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

A concise and generally accurate one volume compendium of what the railroad amateur needs to know about North American steam locomotives in the 20th Century. Although certain general topics are covered, for the most part this is a study of the locomotives of the major railroads, with quick-reference rosters of all purchases since 1900. George Drury has done a remarkable job in compiling this information in an accessible style.

This second edition is in a larger format than the original, which was intended to be handy for travel. However, there is just too much information to make such a reference small enough to fit into a camera bag. And, with the remaining operable locomotives getting fewer each year, there is less need for a portable reference.

This is an excellent first book for the steam locomotive novice. It covers enough, in readable format, to give the new railfan a solid grounding in the topic. For the veteran steam enthusiast, it is a terrific one volume source. For anyone with an interest in the steam locomotive, it will make a great gift.

G. Dobslaw

Umfassendes Werk zur Steam Era in den USA

Reviewed in Germany on January 4, 2022

Verified Purchase

Sehr schön handliches Buchformat über das umfangreiche Gebiet der us.am. Dampflokomotiven. Die Abbildungen der Riesenlokomotiven mit Schlepptender müssen natürlich relativ klein sein. Aber frühere Werke zu dem Thema aus dem Kalmbach-Verlag sind extrem unhandlich, kartoniert und ca.40x50cm groß!

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Alan Amos

A good guide on a topic that is often missed by British enthusiasts .

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is a good general guide to the steam loco's of North America, however be wary of one or two glaring errors, for instance, the description of New York Central "Niagra" 4-8-4 6001 is illustrated by a 4-6-4 Hudson ! Generally a good addition to an enthusiasts library..

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Guide to North American Steam Locomotives (Railroad Reference Series No. 8) Perfect Paperback – January 1, 1993

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