Canadian National Steam!

Book excerpt: A Locomotive History of the People's Railway. An illustrated history of CN's more than 4300 steam locomotives. It is so detailed, so full of photographs and information, the premier volume will then be followed by seven rosters. Canadian National Steam is an updated and expanded text based on Clegg and Corley's Canadian National Steam Power, outlining the history and technical development of steam power as influenced by the different CNR Motive Power Chiefs. Its 248 pages includes a summary of all locomotive classes with wheel types, road- and builder-numbers, a list of all predecessor and subsequent owners of CNR power, a builder's list of CNR steam power, a bibliography and an index. There are 147 photos of historic locomotives, most in operation, exhibiting their awesome power and evoking pleasant memories of nostalgic days gone by when trains took everybody everywhere. Spectacular cover illustrations are in full color. The book contains 43 tables and an extensive series of appendices -- 47 in all -- covering across-the-classes items such as livery, sales, leases, appliance application, (including compounding, gearing, superheating, feedwater heating, smoke deflectors, stokers, oil burners, cab and tender designs). There's also a guide to the individual locomotive roster volumes. The subsequent roster volumes will be available later in 2013, and only on a "special order -- no returns" basis. They will contain the individual locomotive rosters by CNR classes according to similar or related wheel arrangements (including Newfoundland Railway and the Central Vermont Railway). Every steam locomotive will be listed, and the roster will provide all the information historians, rail enthusiasts and transportation buffs would ever want to know (and then some), including build data, ownership history, appliance history, class notes. More than 1200 photographs, with informative captions, will appear in the roster volumes, which will feature sturdy wire binding, permitting the roster book pages to open completely flat. Many readers will welcome the opportunity to own this historic series. The original Canadian National Steam Power, published in 1969, has been out of print for almost forty years after selling thousands of copies. Since then, CN has become "North America's Railroad", and is widely recognized as the most efficient, best-run railway of all on the continent, and perhaps in the world. This new series will be a valuable entry in every CNR enthusiast's library, and is sure to become a rare collector's item.