Since Richard Trevithick first ventured into the development of the steam locomotive, British engineers have been at the forefront of railway technology. Often innovative, and sometimes unfairly maligned, Britain’s locomotive engineers continually broke new barriers in traction technology, although not everything was successful. From the earliest simple steam locomotives to the latest diesel and electric engines, Britain had led the way in railway locomotion, although competition from European, Japanese and American manufacturers sometimes exceeded what British engineers had achieved.
In 200 Years of Locomotive Development: An Illustrated History, industrial and railway historian Dr Richard Marks provides fresh insights into Britain’s role in railway locomotive design and technology, and examines the highlights of British developments from Trevithick’s Coalbrookdale locomotive to the Brush Class 60 diesel locomotive. Based upon new research this useful primer aims to start the reader on a journey of discovery, unravelling some of the myths which have arisen around Britain’s railway history and explaining in an easy to follow narrative why some potentially advantageous developments failed to live up to expectations.
Produced to accompany the Railway 200 celebrations, this new survey covers the first 200 years of British locomotive history and presents the reader with a compelling and easy to read introduction to a complex, but intriguing, subject.
20 colour and 81 black & white photographs. 11 mono illustrations. 144 pages.