Diesel locomotives - USA: books - history and types (2/2)

Baldwin Diesel-Electric Switching Locomotives Operator's Manual: 750-1000 HP Switchers & Road Switchers

For almost a century, The Baldwin Locomotive Works was the world's premiere builder of steam locomotives. The years after WWII saw the company founder, as wartime production restrictions and poor planning delayed the company's entry into the diesel market.
Baldwin eventually did produce a number of diesel locomotives, including transfer and cab units and the four-axle 750 and 1,000 hp switchers and road switchers profiled in this booklet.
By 1956, the company could no longer compete with its rivals, and it stopped producing locomotives altogether. Its dissolution was a sad end for a once-mighty company, and symbolized the end of the steam era.

Originally published by Baldwin in 1949, this historic operator's manual was standard issue for the engineers operating four-axle 750 and 1,000 hp switchers and road switchers. Within its pages you 'll find information about the engine's fuel oil, air, and electrical systems as well as basic operating information and troubleshooting procedures.

The Diesel That Did It - General Motors' FT Locomotive

As war loomed in 1939, American railroads were on the precipice of railroad transformation. In an obscure factory in La Grange, Illinois, a group of gifted engineers and designers were planning a revolution that would shake railroading to its foundations and eventually put the steam locomotive out of business. Their creation, the FT, was a diesel-electric, semi-streamlined freight engine.
The FT would establish a new standard for reliability, flexibility, and cost, but its arrival unsettled many railroad employees and gave fresh ammunition to their labor unions, who believed that it threatened a century-old culture.

Wallace W. Abbey's "The Diesel That Did It" is the story of a revolution. He explores how EMC (and its successor Electro-Motive Division of General Motors) conceived the FT, and how it ultimately emerged as the dominant locomotive power plant for 20 years.
However, for Abbey, the history of the Santa Fe Railway and the FT go hand in hand. "The Diesel That Did It" also offers a penetrating look at how the great American railroad, at the height of its Super Chief glamor, threw its conservative mechanical traditions aside to bet big on the diesel.

Showcasing more than 140 exquisite photographs by Abbey and other noted photographers, this book is a captivating story not to be missed by railroaders and railfans.

EMD Early Road Switchers - GP7-GP20 Locomotives

General Motors' Electro-Motive Division rapidly moved to become the leader in diesel-electric technology. Its business practice and models essentially defined the design and operation of diesel locomotives in North America. Producing roughly 1,500 hp, Electro-Motive's famous 16-cylinder 567 diesel electric engine is at the heart of all GP7-GP20s.

This book is an authoritative and richly illustrated account of EMD's General Purpose models GP7-GP20. It details these early road switchers' place in history with more than 200 photos.

EMD F-Unit Locomotives

In the 1940s and 1950s, American railroads made the historic transition from steam to diesel-electric power. At a time when railroads still relied on steam power for most service and diesels remained a novelty, Electro-Motive took the nation by storm with its distinctive-looking four-motor F-unit locomotives that echoed across America. The F unit soon became the standard diesel on many American railroads for over two decades.

This book covers the F from its humble beginnings, to a time when virtually every railroad operated F units, and beyond. It displays the F unit's distinctive livery in just about every setting across the American landscape with over 300 rare photographs. Feel the power of the 567 engine as you learn about their specifications in detail. Read about the challenges faced by this phenomenon in freight and passenger service, how they were overcome, and why the F unit is still regarded as one of the most fascinating locomotives in railroading.