The Steam Locomotive: A Century of North American Classics

With vintage black and white action views of the engines in use and color photos of restored cars, this tribute to the great American locomotive captures a century in the life of these big, fast land machines. They traveled across the country, powered the Industrial Revolution, and hauled the U.S. into the nuclear age. After they were finally displaced in the 1950s, many significant examples underwent restoration for historical societies, museums, and tourist railroads. On beautiful display are the Virginia & Truckee 2-6-0, named Empire, a magnificent example of a post-Civil War steam locomotive; the charming B&O 4-4-0, which was overhauled and tested for use in the motion picture The Wild, Wild West; the long-lived Burlington & Quincy 2-8-2 4960; and the 3751, which in 1991 climbed Cajon Pass for the first time since it was retired in the 1950s.