Development Of The Modern Steam Locomotive

This is the first comprehensive history of the steam engine in fifty years. It follows the development of reciprocating steam engines, from their earliest forms to the beginning of the twentieth century when they were replaced by steam turbines.

For nearly half of the nation's history, the steam locomotive was the outstanding symbol for progress and power. It was the literal engine of the Industrial Revolution, and it played an instrumental role in putting the United States on the world stage. While the steam locomotive's basic principle of operation is simple, designers and engineers honed these concepts into 100-mph passenger trains and 600-ton behemoths capable of hauling mile-long freight at incredible speeds. American Steam Locomotives is a thorough and engaging history of the invention that captured public imagination like no other, and the people who brought it to life.

Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive documents the role played by mechanical engineers in the development of locomotive design. The steam engine and the mechanical engineering profession both grew directly out of the Industrial Revolution's need for sources of power beyond that of men and animals. Invented in England when coal mining was being developed, the practical steam engine eventually found numerous applications in transportation, especially in railroad technology. J. Parker Lamb traces the evolution of the steam engine from the early 1700s through the early 1800s, when the first locomotives were sent to the United States from England. Lamb then shifts the scene to the development of the American steam locomotive, first by numerous small builders, and later, by the early 20th century, by only three major enterprises and a handful of railroad company shops. Lamb reviews the steady progress of steam locomotive technology through its pinnacle during the 1930s, then discusses the reasons for its subsequent decline.

First published in 1907, this work remains the best single source on the development of steam locomotives for those interested in their inner workings and technical specifications. Most of the more recent offerings on the subject are primarily nostalgic picture books celebrating the outward design of the great engines of the past. Sinclair spent half a lifetime operating locomotives before beginning a new career as a railway journalist which brought him in contact with the prime movers of the golden age of railroading. The author's lively story-telling style remains fresh, and the scholarly value of the book has been much enhanced by the inclusion of some 650 notes provided by his editor, who is a Curator of the U.S. National Museum, Smithsonian Institution. These notes provide further information and correct errors brought to light by more recent research. The editor has also provided an afterword, summarizing the final developments and the last years of the steam locomotive in the twentieth century.This new edition retains all the numerous illustrations of the original-- some 200 historic locomotives are pictured, plus numerous portraits of their designers and owners, and line drawings of mechanical configurations."Contents: " Introduction to the Annotated Edition. Preface. Origin and Growth of the Steam Engine. Early Attempts at Locomotive Construction. Development of Locomotive in Great Britain. Genesis of American Railways. Connecting the Ocean with Western Rivers. First Links of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad. How the United States Worked into Locomotive Building. Triumphs of Baldwin. Sellers and Other Philadelphia Pioneers. First Links of the New York Central Railroad. First Railroad Construction in New England. Locomotive Building in New England. Work of New England Pioneer Master Mechanics. Troublous Times in Railway and Locomotive Construction. Locomotive Building in New Jersey. The Erie Railroad. Reading's Mark on the Locomotive. The Lackawanna Railroad. The Lehigh Valley Railroad and Its Motive Power. Demand for Multi-Coupled Engines. Railroads Westward Ho! Locomotive Boilers. Smoke-Preventing Appliances. Spark Arresters and Draft Appliances. Development of Valves and Valve Motions. Freaks and Curiosities of Locomotive Designs. Growth of the Train Brake. Special Forms of Locomotives. Locomotive Accessories. Locomotive Works Still in Business. Railway Development in Canada. The Locomotive of To-Day. Afterword: The Final Years of the Steam Locomotive in America, by John H. White, Jr. Selected Readings.

Excerpt from Steam Engines: A Thorough and Practical Presentation of Modern Steam Engine Practice The modern steam engine, whether it be the majestic Corliss, which so silently operates the massive electric generators in one of our municipal power plants, or the giant locomotive which pulls the Limited at sixty miles an hour, commands our unstinted admiration. And yet every movement is so free and perfect in its action, every function is performed with such precision and regularity, that we lose sight of the wonderful theoretical and mechanical development which was necessary to bring these machines to their present state of perfection. The genius of Watt, the "father" of the steam engine, was so great that his basic conception of this, his greatest invention, and of many of his minor discoveries in connection with it, remain almost as he gave them to the world over a century ago. Yet he was so far in advance of the mechanical development of his time that his workmen could not build engine cylinders nearer true than three-eighths of an inch. Modern builders demand an accuracy of at least two-thousandths of an inch - almost two hundred times greater. But mechanical skill is not the only particular in which progress had been made. Many minor but important improvements have been brought about by a careful study of the theory of heat engines. The reduction of enormous heat losses, the use of superheated steam, the idea of compound expansion, the development of the Stephenson, Walschaert, and other valve gears - all have contributed towards making the steam engine well-nigh mechanically perfect and as efficient as is inherently possible. The story has been developed from a historical standpoint and along sound theoretical and practical lines. It will be found absorbingly interesting and instructive to the stationary engineer as well as to all who wish to follow modern steam engineering development. The material is particularly adapted to home study. If, therefore, the book should prove of real value in stimulating the interest of the trained man or the layman in the technical developments of the day, the publishers will feel that its mission has been accomplished. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Ken Gibbs tells the history of the engineering triumph that is a steam locomotive from the 1800s to the 1960s showing how each development changed the course of history.