The Story of Steam's finest hour.: When the Twilight Faded for the American Steam Locomotive

In the years before, during and after the Second World War, The steam locomotive reached its finest hour. Just as the Diesels started arriving, a World War broke out. This put a terrible strain on the railroads, requiring them to move more tonnage in freight and passengers than ever before. The Diesels had to wait until the conflict was over before they rose to dominance on the American railroad scene. During the War, Diesel production was very limited as materials for building them were needed for the War Effort. So American railroads responded by building some of the most powerful, beautiful, and heaviest machines known to humanity. As the War drew down, so did the need for the massive steam locomotives. Many of them served their owners less than a decade before meeting the scrapper's torch. Yet for a time the Diesel and the Steam Locomotive shared the High Iron, working side by side to deliver the freight and the passengers safely. This book illustrates some of those locomotives from all over the United States. Included are general specifications for each locomotive, and interesting facts about the railroad or parts of their operations. Several of the routes the locomotives were assigned are also given tp help the reader understand some of the reasoning behind the construction of the locomotives. Some of their lives may have been short, but their memory presented here is a tribute to those who designed and operated them. Come now and take a look at Steam's Greatest Locomotives, born out of necessity, they saw the United States through a worldwide conflict, and died themselves as a result of the peace they helped bring about.