Spanning more than 150 years, this tome examines the steam, diesel, and electric locomotives that have plied North American rails since the midnineteenth century. Encyclopedic in its approach, the book describes every major type; because locomotive-building has long been a made-to-order business, the book is arranged alphabetically by railroads to show the variant technologies railways ordered to best suit their specific needs. The 75-plus railroads covered range from the best-known historical lines to today's major roads, commuter lines, and selected short lines. The result is a profusely illustrated and beautifully presented reference that features more than 400 locomotive gems through the ages, from 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.