Steamy stuff

You’ll find an excellent treatment of theory, practice and history in How
Steam Locomotives Really Work by P. W. B. Semmens and A. S. Goldfinch. The
cast includes gems such as Trevithick’s Penydarren locomotive (1804) and the
530-tonne US Union Pacific Big Boy (1941). And there’s more, from Swiss
rack-and-pinion mountain-climbing locomotives to the smooth running experimental
steam-turbine type. It will fascinate engineers and railway enthusiasts, as well
as prove a source of interesting historical and technical teaching material.
Published by Oxford University Press, £19.99, ISBN 0198565364.