Product Description

Following the pioneering work of Trevithick, Stephenson, and many others, steam locomotives continued to evolve and be refined until overtaken by diesel and electric traction technology. Although the last main-line steam service was operated by British Rail in 1968, there is still immense interest in steam traction, as demonstrated by the increasing numbers of privately renovated and preserved locomotives and heritage railways around the world.

In How Steam Locomotives Really Work, the authors, both railway experts, cover the design of locomotives, the many processes in the conversion of fuel to tractive effort, the dynamic characteristics of the locomotive as a vehicle, the braking equipment, and a host of other systems, major and minor, that make up a working locomotive. They also explain the reasons for running and maintenance practices. Their explanations will fascinate enthusiasts, whether practical or armchair.

Steam locomotive design may have started in the United Kingdom, but it quickly developed parallel and sometimes diverging techniques in other countries, leading to many distinct developments that contribute to the national characteristics of some locomotives. The authors embrace this diversity, and railway enthusiasts from around the world will find this book engrossing and enlightening.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15963 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-22
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Transport Digest, Autumn 2000
This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the realities of steam traction

Synopsis
Following the pioneering work of Trevithick, Stephenson, and many others, steam locomotives continued to evolve and be refined until overtaken by diesel and electric traction technology. Although the last main-line steam service was operated by British Rail in 1968, there is still immense interest in steam traction, as demonstrated by the increasing numbers of privately renovated and preserved locomotives and heritage railways around the world. In How Steam Locomotives Really Work, the authors, both railway experts, cover the design of locomotives, the many processes in the conversion of fuel to tractive effort, the dynamic characteristics of the locomotive as a vehicle, the braking equipment, and a host of other systems, major and minor, that make up a working locomotive. They also explain the reasons for running and maintenance practices. Their explanations will fascinate enthusiasts, whether practical or armchair. Steam locomotive design may have started in the United Kingdom, but it quickly developed parallel and sometimes diverging techniques in other countries, leading to many distinct developments that contribute to the national characteristics of some locomotives.

The authors embrace this diversity, and railway enthusiasts from around the world will find this book engrossing and enlightening.

About the Author
Peter Semmens was formerly Deputy Head of the highly popular National Railway Museum in York from 1974, and has been active for many years in the popularization of science and technology. He has written 33 books on trains and railways, and in 1990 he was appointed Chief Correspondent of The Railway Magazine, having written the monthly 'Railway Practice and Performance' for many years.

Customer Reviews

Excellent
This book explains what the title states. It is a technical description as well as practical explanations & historical notes.

An excellent reference book.

Not what you might think
This is NOT a how-to-drive-a-steam-train, view-from-the-footplate sort of book. Instead it is a very learned work, talking about the co-efficient of friction, and telling you that the boiling-point of water rises as you apply pressure to the water. I have given this item 5 stars for there is no fault in the book : the fault lies in my expectations!

A superb book for those who want to understand steam engines
This book covers every aspect of steam locomotive design and construction in a clear and logical fashion, with ample illustrations and diagrams. The authors are clearly masters of their subject, and their style is lucid and eminently readable. I found it absolutely fascinating and, by its end, I really did understand how steam locomotives work, and why so many aspects of them have evolved in the way they have.

Other reviewers have criticised it for being overly technical but I disagree: "O" level / GCSE physics (that's 15 year old schooling for non-UK readers) more than covers it, and in fact I found myself wanting more technical detail. In particular I wished the sections on valve gear, boiler performance and superheating had contained more information.

This is very much a book for those who want to know the "how" and the "why", as opposed to simply the "what", of steam locomotive design. It has increased my enjoyment of other books on steam locomotive development immeasurably since I can now understand the descriptions of valve gear, blast pipes, rocking grates, compounding, sand guns, injectors, etc.

If you are prepared to make the effort to read it through you really WILL understand - in theory at least - exactly "how steam locomotives really work". It has to be by far the best book on this subject.