For nearly half of the nation's history, the steam locomotive was the
outstanding symbol for progress and power. It was the literal engine of
the Industrial Revolution, and it played an instrumental role in putting
the United States on the world stage. While the steam locomotive's basic
principle of operation is simple, designers and engineers honed these
concepts into 100-mph passenger trains and 600-ton behemoths capable of
hauling mile-long freight at incredible speeds. American Steam
Locomotives is a thorough and engaging history of the invention that
captured public imagination like no other, and the people who brought it
to life.