Edward A. Fagen
Here, Ed Fagen,
one of the nation’s foremost authorities on steam whistles, has
provided a broadly researched, eloquently written and marvelously
witty book, the first and only one on the subject.
It includes
comprehensive, illustrated chapters on: • the history of
the steam whistle and how it developed; • the various uses
of steam whistles on locomotives, ships, factories, firehouse
roofs, circuses; • the broad range of whistle manufacturers,
their histories and their product lines (including how to identify
and date whistles, as well as an extensive discussion on the relative
rarity of whistle types); • how to acquire, organize, and
preserve a whistle collection; • how to repair and restore
steam whistles in your shop; • how to blow steam whistles
on steam or compressed air; • how a steam whistle actually
works — a point that remains somewhat controversial even today.
Also included
are an illustrated glossary of whistle terms, an illustrated review
of the major whistle related U.S. design patents, and a comprehensive
index. A joy to read, this book is a true “must have” for the
railfan, collector, curator, historian of science, industrial
archeologist, and anyone for whom the sound of the steam whistle
has ever beckoned to adventures that live in the imagination.
