Includes indexes.

The creation and characteristics of the railroad -- The birth of the steam locomotive -- The birth of the steam railroad -- The technical problems of steam traction -- American begins to take interest in railroads -- The battle of the gauges and its consequences -- New schools of locomotive builders -- Westward ho -- Victory over the mountains -- The development of trucks, radial axles and pony trucks in Europe -- New developments in heat utilization -- The belle epoque -- North America strives for ever bigger locomotives -- Large locomotives for sharp curves -- New progress between the two World Wars -- The high-speed locomotives -- Short-distance traffic -- The Second World War and the end of steam traction . . . Wheel arrangements -- Table of technical data -- Index of locomotives.