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Illustrated Guide to Modern Trains 1945-date by Brian Hollingsworth 80 locos
An Illustrated Guide to Modern Trains 1945-date by Brian Hollingsworth 80 locomotives described and illustrated in full color Hard Cover 1985 233 pages
This book describes what has happened to railway motive power during the last 40 momentous years. It tells the story of how at the end of World War II a period of fundamental change began to take place in the sort of locomotive used on the world's railways and how quickly the scene altered beyond recognition.
Only 40 years ago steam still ruled on most railways, just as it had done for more than a century; the star of diesel-electric had still to rise. Electric traction had been with us for a long time but was then an economic proposition in only rather special circumstances. Both electrification and dieselisation still had a long way to go.
Today steam locomotion has in general gone the way of the stage coach and the sailing ship. But happily it has not moved into oblivion. Instead it has become a new kind of showbiz. with steam trains in most parts of the world operated purely for our enjoyment. Other forms of power have become the norm for practical use on railways.
Perhaps one sad aspect of this move away from steam is that we can no longer see for ourselves how a locomotive works just by looking at it. Whereas the simple works of a steam locomotive are mostly exposed in full view. the sophisticated technical features of modern traction are completely hidden away. Often the bits that make a modern train go can be tucked away inside the carriages, so no locomotive is needed. No longer does the rail traveller go up to the front "to look at the engine"-if often doesn't have one!
However, the complexities of modern diesels and electrics are nonetheless fascinating and, indeed, the criterion for selection of locomotives in this book has been the presence of some particularly interesting technical features. We have made a point of including a few of those rare machines which manage to survive whilst swimming against the tide by being neither diesel-electric nor straight electric. Included, then, are samples of diesel-hydraulic. diesel-mechanical, electro-diesel and gas turbine traction.
But it must be said that-with the occasional honourable exception -the degree of success of most locomotive designs depends not on how much technical innovation is included in them but on how little. So the solid reliable work-horses that bear the brunt of the day-by-day burdens of the world's railway systems are given their fair and well-deserved share of attention.
Another change has taken place since the demise of steam. In the old days even quite small and agricultural countries used to design and build their own steam locomotives. Nowadays, however, not only is the variety much less but most countries of the world outside the Communist bloc buy their locomotives off-the-shelf for assemble them under licence) from one firm in the USA, so that railway motive power is very much the same from Anchorage, Alaska, to Christchurch, New Zealand.
Coming events cast their shadows before them and signs are beginning to be seen -to be found towards the end of this book-that big changes are again on the way. These have been engendered by the rising cost of oil compared with coal and other sources of energy. Whilst the prophets of doom in this area seem generally to have got their time-scales a little wrong, it seems quite certain that before another 40 years has passed something other than oil-consuming diesel-electric locomotives will have taken prime position in the motive power stakes of the world's railways.
All pictures are of the actual item. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
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