Superpower: The Making of a Steam Locomotive

I'm rekindling my fascination with steam locomotives again. I had read this book about 10 years ago and came across it again on my bookshelf. I'm re-reading it with the same joy/fascination I did the 1st time ! (and I'm no kid at 42 years old - would be nice to have a son to share it with!!) I'm glad I haven't lost that child-like wonder at these huge machines of yesteryear. I feel like I'm the young apprentice in the book, ravenously learning the complexicities of designing and building one of the magnificent monsters ! Can't recommend it highly enough for steam loco-fans of all ages !!

David Weitzman has a love of technology and history. This can be demonstrated by observing the names of books he authored, including titles ranging from "Traces of the Past: A Field Guide to Industrial Archaeology" to "Underfoot: An Everyday Guide to Exploring the American Past." This fortuitous blend of history and technology is the underlying theme of this book.For those of you who may be expecting a typical 'picture book' about a steam locomotive, this book will definitely come as a surprise. Although well illustrated, there are no photographs. This omission is more than compensated for by the line drawings that are precise and informative. The text is educational and interesting; the text and the line drawings compement each other very nicely. The combination is such that the reader is virtually transported by osmosis back to the year 1925 and to the dark and dingy backshops of the Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, Ohio, in order to not only personally witness but to actually physically participate in the birth of this magnificent machine, the first 'Super Power' steam locomotive ever.Another pleasant surprise in this work is the interaction of man and machine, the creator and the fruit of his labor. Too many books about the locomotive ignore the human role; here the combination of man and machine is a symbiotic relationship.This book is both easy to read and educational, and it is designed to appeal to anyone in age from beginning high-schooler to adult. Anyone possessing an interest in the mechanical world should obtain a copy of this book.

My 10 year old son and I read this book together and loved it. We are both train and locomotives fans but despite what we knew we both learned more. This book is expecially good for kids since it is told through the eyes of an 18 year old boy, but is equally interesting for adults.

This book is amazing on so many levels. It teaches you how trains are designed and built, how math is applicable in the real world, how people get along, how some people are better suited to different, but equally important jobs, engineering, give and take (compromise). But it doesn't quite teach you, it intigrates these lessons in the oral history it is presenting. Superpower could be about anything and you would still learn SO much about life. I recommend this book to anyone, any age. It will change the life of a boy though, guaranteed. It will inspire him to study more at the very least.

This book is brilliant in scope, content, and presentation. The horizontal layout and binding are magnificent. The line drawings are, in a word, exquisite. They serve not only to illustrate the arcane processes involved in creating a steam locomotive, but the personalities of the Creators themselves. The text and drawings tie in closely, and paint a picture from a boy's viewpoint of history in the making. It would be difficult to overstate the impact of this book. It redefines the concept of classic. If you love the iron road, if you love steam and steel, then you must have this book. Through the eyes of a boy you will feel the awe and wonder of the creation of one of mankind's greatest constructions: the Superpower Locomotive