My understanding of the FDCs are that they are a set of procedures for designing the 'best possible' reciprocating steam locomotive. I'm expecting there will be plenty of discussion about the design aspects, in addition to the mathematical calculations themselves, but I would expect this to be like an expanded version of Ralph Johnson's book on the steam locomotive rather than the anecdotal storytelling in Red Devil.
From what I understand, this is one of the fundamental books that defines steam practice, and if you are a serious student of reciprocating locomotive design you should probably have a copy in your library. My father is having his copy signed by all the 5AT and AST people who were involved for so long, so it's likely I'm not actually going to see it for months...
BTW: apparently, as of this afternoon, the first 'batch' of printing has run out, and it will be 11-12 days before new copies are available again. I'm glad to see a book of this nature selling so well, but I'm not very surprised.
The 5AT Fundamental Design Calculations by David Wardale, edited by Chris Newman is being offered for sale by Advanced Steam Traction Services, the follow-on organization to the 5AT Project to develop a clean-sheet-of-paper steam locomotive design for excursion trains.
This is described as a "companion" to The Red Devil and Other Tales of the Age of Steam, a book long out of print that was reprinted a couple years ago when I bought a copy.
Anybody have any insight into what "5AT Design Calculations" is like? "The Red Devil" was described as "highly technical." It had lots of diagrams and charts and such on performance, but I wouldn't describe it as purely technical. It had a lot of great stories, accounts, and yarns in it, including an account of a hapless steam engine local train offered as an explanation of "why they put numbers on engines."
Will this book be equally entertaining, or will it be a dry compilation of formulas and charts? If it is just formulas and charts, will this be of interest to a hard-core steam enthusiast?
On one hand, I want to know these things, but on the other hand, the 5AT never got built and maybe this book will not be as interesting as "The Red Devil."
Any thoughts on whether to go out and order this book?
If GM "killed the electric car", what am I doing standing next to an EV-1, a half a block from the WSOR tracks?
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