Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Book in excellent unread/unused condition. See images. Fantastic book.

About the book >.>.> This book presents the complete history of all Southern Pacific locomotives with ten drivers the heavy-duty workhorse engines found on the railroad’s entire far-flung “Golden Empire.” They were assigned to districts where there were heavy grades on both the Pacific Lines from El Paso to Los Angeles San Francisco Ogden and Portland and the Atlantic Lines of subsidiary Texas & New Orleans from El Paso to San Antonio and New Orleans. Coverage includes all classes of the ten-coupled engines from the 1884 El Gobernador 4-10-0 to the T&NO Deca- pod 2-10-0s and the F class 2-10-2s to the SP class 4-10-2s with three-cylinder Gresley valve gear. Introductory chapters follow the development of the early locomotives that opened the West the small engines of the Central Pacific used on the first Transcontinental Railroad completed in 1869. Turn of the century designs of compound cylinder engines including the early cab- forwards are briefly described. There are detailed descriptions of the 2-10-2 and the 4-10-2 locomotives each class having separate chapters. Much material has never before been published in book form. Each chapter provides full details of individual class specifications parts and appliances including the single F-6 class engine that tested Two-Flow steam admission and then Caprotti poppet valve gear. A thorough history of Gresley’s valve gear describes its success in England. Included is the 1938 story of LNER lo- comotive Mallard that set the record speed run for a steam locomotive that still stands followed by coverage of the use of Gresley gear here in the US and Canada. The three- cylinder SP class 4-10-2 material gives correct information about the use of Gresley valve gear with drawings specifi- cations and maintenance details. Other chapters cover maintenance and betterments tender history (by Arnold Menke) and extensive photo coverage of the use of the engines on the Sunset Coast San Joaquin Overland and Shasta Routes of the SP System. Extensive research was required to make this book the definitive work on these unique locomotives. It is richly documented with 795 photos most never before published along with 107 drawings and maps line elevation charts rosters bibliography and index. This definitely is a book for SP historians modelers and anyone interested in the workings of man’s ingenious creation the steam-powered railroad locomotive.