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A hundred and fifty years ago just a few visionaries could predict the effect on all our lives that was to occur with the development of the locomotive. Yet, in a few short years, following closely in the tracks of the horse-drawn wagon trains, the locomotive opened up a continent, the United States of America, eventually allowing folk to travel in hours and days distances that would previously have taken weeks, and thereby to establish a nation whose influence is today boundless. And such splendid beast they were, too, those early locomotives, gushing and hissing and trumpeting steam and smoke, and generally causing tremendous excitement whenever they were leaving or arriving at a place, or just passing through. Steam gradually gave way to other forms of traction - diesel engines, electric units, combinations of these, and gas turbines - and the railroad industry generally consolidated and then contracted in the face of overwhelming competition from the automobile, the truck and, later, the airplane as a form of transportation of people and products. The "rules of engagement" in this protracted power struggle did not favor the railroads either so, for a while, the future looked bleak for the dwindling number of rail barons and builders of locomotives. However, in recent years greater freedom has been granted to the railroads, industrial rationalization has been occurring, rail traffic of a welcome kind has been increasing, and there is potentially a better economic situation developing from an abundance of relatively inexpensive coal - and the combination of all these factors is brightening the prospects of the North American rail transportation community. It is on this brighter note that this colorful tribute to the workhorses of that community is offered. Here, through superbly illustrated and highly detailed descriptions of over 150 historic locomotives of all kinds, unfolds the story of more than 150 years of American railroading. Within these pages are to be found the biggest, the most powerful, the most innovative, the most charismatic and most quaint locomotives - magnificent machines which will thrill and fascinate rail enthusiasts the world over.