1825: Stockton & Darlington marked the first commercial steam railway. Over 120 years of steam development - and now many decades of preservation efforts - have enshrined the steam locomotive as an institution whose time may be gone, but not forgotten. Indeed, recent years have seen a flurry of rebuilding, restoration, even the resurrection of vanished types including "Tornado" in the UK, and a Pennsy T-1 Duplex.

In this volume, over 200 examples strut their stuff. There are 39 chapters ranging from 2 to 4 minutes each showcasing C&0 614, SP 4449 ("Daylight"), and other favorites along with obscure surprises. Then, like a fireworks barrage, a parade of over 100 additional steamers pass in review. Many of these still operate; others are now silenced. Pacifics, Northerns, Berkshires, Fireless cookers of Java, Maine two-footers, Garratts of South Africa, Shays, Cog types... The sights and sounds are ever-changing.