Diesel locomotives - USA: books - history and types

Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives

Jeff Wilson's book, Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives, offers more than 300 pages of detailed information on diesel locomotives produced in North America from the 1930s to today. It is an important reference for railfans and model railroaders alike.

An essential guide for model railroaders and train enthusiasts, this comprehensive reference book includes:
- All-time rosters for more than 100 major railroads in the U.S. and Canada through the 1970s
- Spotting features on all major locomotive types produced
- Characteristics and operation of diesel locomotives
- New and updated material (text, charts and, photos)
- 400 color / black & white photos
- And much more!

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North American Locomotives - A railroad-to-railroad Photohistory

This invaluable volume spans more than 150 years of locomotive technology to examine the wide variety of steam, diesel, and electric locomotives that have powered ninety North American railroads, past and present, through the decades.
Since locomotive-building has long been a made-to-order business, the book is arranged alphabetically by railroad to give you a better understanding of how specific technologies suited specific needs.

The railroads featured range from the best-known historic lines, such as the Canadian Pacific, Santa Fe, Union Pacific, and Baltimore & Ohio, to today's giant Class I roads, commuter lines, and selected short lines.
The result is a beautifully presented reference guide that features more than 400 locomotive gems, including historic machines such as New York Central's J3a Hudsons, Pennsylvania Railroad's GG1 electrics, and EMD's classic E- and F-Units, to today's most powerful modern diesels.

All the major builders - past and present - are represented, including such heavyweights as Baldwin, Alco, Lima, EMD, GE, and more.

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Locomotives : The Modern Diesel and Electric Reference (Second Edition)

The definitive photographic reference for the North American rail fan. It covers all mainline locomotive models built for North American railroads from the mid-1970s onward.
This revised and expanded edition includes data on all the new locomotive models built from 2007 to January 2015, including the latest electrics from Siemens and Tier 4 locomotives from General Electrics.

Containing 32 new pages, and over 300 photographs of more than 120 models, this remarkable large-format reference covers every locomotive manufacturer. Greg McDonnell provides concise yet comprehensive information on each model, along with easy-to-read tables of production totals, build dates and mechanical specifications.

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Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive

The diesel locomotive sent shock waves through rigid corporate cultures and staid government regulators. For some, the new technology promised to be a source of enormous profits; for others, the railroad industry seemed a threat to their very livelihoods.
"Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive" introduces the reader to the important technological advances that gave rise to diesel engines, examining not only their impact on locomotive design, but also their impact on the economic and social landscapes.

J. Parker Lamb describes the development of these technologies, allowing the reader to fully understand how they were integrated and formed a commercially successful locomotive. Like its companion volume, Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive (IUP, 2003), this book emphasizes the role of the leading engineers whose innovations paved the way for critical breakthroughs. Rail fans will appreciate this authoritative work.

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Baldwin Diesel-Electric Switching Locomotives Operator's Manual: 750-1000 HP Switchers & Road Switchers

For almost a century, The Baldwin Locomotive Works was the world's premiere builder of steam locomotives. The years after WWII saw the company founder, as wartime production restrictions and poor planning delayed the company's entry into the diesel market.
Baldwin eventually did produce a number of diesel locomotives, including transfer and cab units and the four-axle 750 and 1,000 hp switchers and road switchers profiled in this booklet.
By 1956, the company could no longer compete with its rivals, and it stopped producing locomotives altogether. Its dissolution was a sad end for a once-mighty company, and symbolized the end of the steam era.

Originally published by Baldwin in 1949, this historic operator's manual was standard issue for the engineers operating four-axle 750 and 1,000 hp switchers and road switchers. Within its pages you 'll find information about the engine's fuel oil, air, and electrical systems as well as basic operating information and troubleshooting procedures.

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EMD Locomotives

NEW

From 1945 to 1983, the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors was the leading locomotive manufacturer in North America. After an initial period of custom-built trains, EMD entered the freight locomotive market in 1939 with the FT model, which marked the decline of steam locomotives. The distinctive "bulldog nose" design became an enduring symbol of diesel locomotives.
In 1949, EMD introduced the GP (General Purpose) series, designed for efficiency and versatility. These "Geeps" evolved into a widely used line of freight locomotives, serving nearly every major railroad in North America. The demand for more powerful engines led to further developments, including four- and six-axle models with advanced traction motors.
Over the years, EMD locomotives have appeared in a wide range of colors and liveries.

This book presents a collection of photographs by Mike Danneman, capturing thirty-five years of EMD locomotive history in vivid detail.

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The Diesel That Did It - General Motors' FT Locomotive

As war loomed in 1939, American railroads were on the precipice of railroad transformation. In an obscure factory in La Grange, Illinois, a group of gifted engineers and designers were planning a revolution that would shake railroading to its foundations and eventually put the steam locomotive out of business. Their creation, the FT, was a diesel-electric, semi-streamlined freight engine.
The FT would establish a new standard for reliability, flexibility, and cost, but its arrival unsettled many railroad employees and gave fresh ammunition to their labor unions, who believed that it threatened a century-old culture.

Wallace W. Abbey's "The Diesel That Did It" is the story of a revolution. He explores how EMC (and its successor Electro-Motive Division of General Motors) conceived the FT, and how it ultimately emerged as the dominant locomotive power plant for 20 years.
However, for Abbey, the history of the Santa Fe Railway and the FT go hand in hand. "The Diesel That Did It" also offers a penetrating look at how the great American railroad, at the height of its Super Chief glamor, threw its conservative mechanical traditions aside to bet big on the diesel.

Showcasing more than 140 exquisite photographs by Abbey and other noted photographers, this book is a captivating story not to be missed by railroaders and railfans.

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