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Locomotives of the Empire Builder by Charles Martin A railbuff's primer of steam
Locomotives of the Empire Builder by Charles Martin A railbuffs primer of steam on the Great Northern Railway Spiral Bound 1972
No Story Of A Railway Is Complete Without An Explanation Of The Changing Circumstances Of Traffic And Terrain That Influenced The Development Of Its Motive Power. It Also Follows That The Improvements In Each Successive Engine Type Or Class At Any Particular Point In Time Were Just That And The Continuing Empirical Growth In Efficiency Of Steam Locomotives Became The Life Work Of The So-many Dedicated, But Mainly Forgotten Men Of The Mechanical Departments Of The Nation's Rail-transportation Industry.
while In No Way Minimizing The Accomplishments Of The Locomotive Men Of The Great Northern Railway, The Story Of Steam For This Company Is Unique In That A Single Man So Dominates The Telling, From The First Engine And Until Well After The Roster Was Firmly Established, It Becomes Another Chapter In The Heroic Saga Of The Empire Builder, James Jerome Hill.
the Quest For Adequate Motive Power, So Vital To The Success Of The "great Adventure" Of The Empire Builder, Is Considerably Obscured By The Spectaculars Of Financial Wizardry, Benevolent Depotism And The "yankee" Honesty Of The One-eyed "yim" Hill. None The Less, The Fundamental Basics Of The Machines That Gave Reality To His Dreams Was Shouldered As A Personal Responsibility That He Would Share, But Never Surrender. Here Again, The Chief Factor In His Success Was His Remarkable Insight Into The Character Of Men Which Was The Catalysis That Combined His Prophetic Vision Of The Nation's Growth, With His Knowledgeable Grasp Of The Moves To Make At The Time To Make Them. He Possessed The Ability To Select Lieutenants That Could "blue-print" His Dreams And Perform Like His Own Hands.
his Philosophy Of "maximum Ton Mileage With Minimum Train Mileage" Resulted Not Only In Immortalizing His Surveyor, John F. Stevens, But Also In The Finest Locomotive Erection Shops West Of The Mississippi. These Were The Source Of A Long Series Of Firsts, Greatests, And World-largests, As Well As Just Plain Good Steam Engines That Fully Justified The Name - Great Northern.
for A Man Having The Greatness To Minimize The Disaster Of The Avalanche At Wellington By Excluding The Public From His Property, Mundane Matters Of Engine Reconstruction And Their Final Disposition Was Considered If At All Details Of Importance To No One Other Than The Company. The Gathering Darkness Of An Era Passed
into History Further Mutes The Little Knowledge We Have To Record The Glory Of Steam As Man's Finest Achievement. In This Attempt To Put It All Together, I'm Sure There Are Errors And Ommissions, And Stories Left Untold. But Also I'm Sure That Others Who Cherish This Nostalgia Would Like To Share Its So Please Do.
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