Locomotive: Building an Eight-Wheeler - Hardcover

David Weitzman is the author and illustrator of OLD IRONSIDES, POURING IRON, SUPERPOWER, and his latest, THE PHARAOH'S BOAT. He lives in the mountains of northern California.

Grade 4-6-"The year is 1870, just a few months after laborers complete the transcontinental railroad....New routes require more equipment, and factories are turning out a locomotive every two days." Weitzman offers finely crafted black-and-white drawings in pen and ink and pencil to illustrate the two busy days factory workers spend manufacturing a "wood-burning 4-4-0, an eight-wheeler made for rapid passenger service." The handsome picture book begins with a double-spread diagram labeling 70 different parts of the locomotive followed by an engaging commentary on trains and railroading in the 19th century. This leads into a discussion of the factory itself and how the equipment was used. Descriptions of how each unit of the train was made become a bit dry and technical, and many pages go by before readers actually see a locomotive. The striking black-and-white presentation of historical manufacturing is reminiscent of earlier books by Edwin Tunis and Leonard Everett Fisher; this volume would pair nicely with Fisher's The Railroads (Holiday, 1979; o.p.), which covers the broader context. The human work and craftsmanship involved are well conveyed. The book will be enjoyed most by readers with a strong mechanical bent. Libraries may also find uses for it as a source on the Industrial Age as well as on railroad history.
Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
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