THE RED DEVIL and other tales from the age of steam DIGITAL EDITION
This book is available as a digital book for downloading and viewing on a computer, iPad or the like. Not viewable on a 'Kindle' or similar reader.
Please be aware, this is a large file and may take a few minutes to fully download.
The core of this book is David Wardale's recounting of his work in South Africa during the late 1970s the 1980s, which led to the conversion of a 25NC 4-8-4 into the locomotive which became known as 'The Red Devil' - one of a trio of locomotives which were the world's most efficient and powerful on a weight to power output basis. However, there is much more, including earlier experiments in South Africa on a 19D 4-8-2, and David's subsequent work on the American ACE 3000 project, and on QJs at Datong Works in China.
Linking all these is his relationship with Dante Porta who offered considerable advice and guidance. And there is a huge amount of technical detail on steam power, and advanced steam power in particular, plus much on the behind the scenes politics of trying to keep the steam locomotive commercially alive and the sheer bloody-mindedness this required at times. All recounted with considerable verve and dry humour. If you are at all interested in the future of the steam locomotive, a copy of this book must be in your computer.
522 text pages with large numbers of tables, graphs and drawings, plus 30 pages containing 76 colour photographs.
NB - this edition reproduces the book as written back in 1998, so does not include details of the author' later work on the 5AT and other Projects.
For other technical books on advanced steam see also:
