Men of Steam

L. A. Summers discusses both well-known and less-known loco engineers of Britain.

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In recent years the importance of the personal element in locomotive design and operation has increasingly come to the fore. No longer do authors attempt to compile articles which state that ‘Mr X built a class of 6’ 4-4-0s…’ because, as in the case of someone like Wainwright, he had little part in their design. Even the great Stanier relied on a team of engineers and draughtsmen who transformed his outline ideas into detailed designs. This new approach to engineering biography has evoked several book-length profiles of loco engineers, as well as detailed studies of engineers, including information about their design teams, making new and sometimes controversial revisions of long accepted reputations.

Men of Steam offers brief but tight profiles of some of Britain’s loco engineers, some very well known, some not, examining their work and personal impact, including some that will prove to be controversial in the wider railway community.