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Steam
U.S.A. in Spain and Portugal is a
work of historical and photographic summary of all the locomotives
with traction to steam constructed in the United States of America
that have worked in the railway networks of the Iberian peninsula.
The motives for which
some Spanish networks turned aside of the European habitual markets
(British, French, Belgian and German Locomotives) for the Americans
were those of his rapid construction especially when the European
builders were immersed in the warlike conflagrations of the first
1914, and some 1939 later. The disability to construct in Spain and
Portugal steam locomotives them forced to acquire rapidly North
America in three clearly differentiated epochs:
- Between the last
third of the 19th century and beginning of the XXth. The economic
structures and the contacts proceeding from Cuba played a key role
in the arrival of American locomotives even after the war of 198
against The United States.
- The I World war. The
Spanish neutrality forced to acquire with character of urgency a
considerable park of locomotives for the increase of traffics and
the improvement of the transport tied to the mining developments.
- The World War II. Not
belligerancy of Spain in the war praised towards the countries of
the axis it did not make her a beneficiary in the first moment of
the American help to the reconstruction like to most of the European
countries. On the other hand, Portugal benefited from a lot of
American locomotives for his network. In the 50s, the American help
to the pro-Franco government made possible the arrival of railway
material of 2 ª hand like the steam locomotives is
U.S. Army
to the “Fc. de
Langreo”.
The American inventors
have contributed great part of the innovations of the steam
locomotive or in other cases they have improved them,
versioned
or spread elements designed by Europeans. The standardization, the
increases of power in the traction steam and definitively the
innovations of the last locomotives of steam were proceeding in his
most of American builders. In addition, the aesthetics of the
American locomotive, fruit of the standardization and his production
in series have characterized his attraction.
The book also dedicates
a part to the American locomotives conceived to the military
services in the world wars, and the given ones for the
reconstruction of the European networks. |
