<DIV>For nearly two centuries, railroads have been crucial to North America’s transportation system—perhaps never more so than today. Always at the forefront of this industryhas been a vast array of mighty locomotives in ever-evolving forms, pulling and pushing freight and passenger trains across plains and through mountains. The massive collection of 700 color photographs in <i>Classic Locomotives</i> traces the development of North American steam and diesel-electric locomotives from the early nineteenth century right up to the present, spanning dozens of models from the likes of Alco, Baldwin, Electro-Motive, Fairbanks-Morse, General Electric, and more. Top-notch imagery from dozens of photographers is accompanied by detailed captions from author Brian Solomon discussing locomotive technology, the roles of specific locomotives in individual railroads, and even the locations and operations depicted in the photographs. Together, this awesome collection covers myriad locomotive models, from the Baltimore & Ohio’s diminutive <i>Tom Thumb</i> steam locomotive—generally considered the starting point of North American locomotive technology—right up to today’s high-horsepower green-technology models from General Electric and Electro-Motive. The resulting collection, which also reflects the grand geographic and technological breadth of railroading in North America, is the ultimate gathering of quality locomotive images for casual and hardcore railfans alike. <br></div>