Streamliners: Locomotives and Trains in the Age of Speed and Style
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.13 (596 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0760347476 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 208 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-10-28 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
These streamlined locomotives and trains became the most iconic in American history. Illustrated with rare historical photographs in both black and white and color, as well as period advertising, route maps, and patent design drawings, Streamliners elucidates the story of this fascinating design trend by following the various technologies and styling trends and how they changed the look of American railroading. Keen to regain passenger traffic lost to automobiles and expanding roadways, railroads hired industrial-design giants like Raymond Loewy, Otto Kuhler, Henry Dreyfuss, and Brooks Stevens to produce sleek, futuristic shrouds for locomotives. See the streamlined trains of the 1930s in all of their sleek glory.In the 1930s, streamlined styling was applied to everything from kitchen appliances to farm tractors as it captured the American imagination. Profiles of prominent designers and preserved streamliners in use today round out and complete this picture every railfan will want.Streamlining was the product of the last great era of American passenger trains, when elegantly styled, named trains connected cities across the continent on fast schedules. Even today, classic designs like stainless-steel Zephyrs, shrouded Hudsons, and EMD E-units remain the popular conception of what a locomotive "looks like."Stre
"If you enjoy streamliners in any capacity this a wonderful book to have in your collection, filled with a blend of historical facts and excellent photography!" - American-Rails
Derek Thompson said A book worth having.. Brian Solomon is a prolific writer and many of his books in the realm of north american railroading, past and present, have been fairly enjoyable, if a bit light on detail. Not quite coffee table books yet not sufficiently informative for some. This book rises from that level and provides the reader with a decent retrospective look at the evolution of the streamline age in railroading, complete with details about some of the pioneering industrial designers who played a key role in promoting a streamline presence in the industry. I am glad I purchased this volume and I expect it will receive wide and deserved acclai. Mark Kilkenny said Comprehensive but Disjointed. Very comprehensive. However, it was disjointed, with sometimes the same model locomotives appearing on non-sequenced pages and in different sections. Chronology also got mixed up. And trolleys/interurbans were scattered throughout. Perhaps if the book was sectioned by type--- steam locomotives, prewar diesel electric locomotives, postwar diesel electric locomotives, electric locomotives, trolleys/interurbans, turbines and other locomotives, etc.--- that would have made the book easier to read. Perhaps a section on the great designers would also have helped.. "A beautiful, complete and consistently interesting history of machines that helped define an era" according to jbdmd. Wonderful and very complete review of the locomotives that once defined power, speed and style. These machines were once living, breathing functional art that served a utilitarian industrial purpose. Recommended for any one interested in railroad history, industrial design and/or the ethos of progress as manifested in machinery. Also: This book has saved me a bundle! Instead of buying models of the locomotives I can repeatedly look at the pictures and read again about the history. If this book is of potential interest to you then you might also want to explore "The Machine Age in America, 1918-19A beautiful, complete and consistently interesting history of machines that helped define an era jbdmd Wonderful and very complete review of the locomotives that once defined power, speed and style. These machines were once living, breathing functional art that served a utilitarian industrial purpose. Recommended for any one interested in railroad history, industrial design and/or the ethos of progress as manifested in machinery. Also: This book has saved me a bundle! Instead of buying models of the locomotives I can repeatedly look at the pictures and read again about the history. If this book is of potential interest to you then you might also want to explore "The Machine Age in America, 1918-1941" which documents. 1" which documents