<p><b>Relive the romance and power of the steam locomotive era, the product of a century of continuous research and development.</b></p><p>In the United States, the final decades of steam power were characterized by very large and capable locomotives. Beginning in the 1920s with Alco's three-cylinder types and Lima's &quot;Super Power&quot; concept, steam locomotive design crossed new thresholds of power and efficiency.</p><p>A host of new wheel arrangements combined with innovative technology and new materials to create a final generation of refinement. Lima's Berkshire of 1925 demonstrated the value of the four-wheel radial trailing truck in its ability to support a firebox large enough to supply high power and fast running. Within a few years the 2-10-4 Texas, 4-6-4 Hudson, and 4-8-4 Northern had led the way, and by the late 1920s, large modern articulated types were taking shape.</p><p><i>The Majesty of Big Steam</i> is full of these late-era locomotives, the last generation of steam power before the diesels took over.</p><p>Dramatic photos show Berkshires, Hudsons, and Northerns at work, as well as massive articulateds at their finest. Witness New York Central's<i>Great Steel Fleet</i> being whisked along behind some of the most refined American-designed engines. See Southern Pacific's cab-forward oil burners crest the California Sierra, and Baltimore &amp; Ohio's EM-1 war babies lift tonnage over the Appalachian mountains. Norfolk &amp; Western continued to refine 4-8-4s and articulated types, even as the rest of America was buying diesels, and ran these well-oiled machines longer than any other line. Don't miss a single one!</p>