Northern Pacific Supersteam Era 1925-1945

Main Street of the Northwest — a proud slogan for one of America’s most important transcontinental railroads — was an apt description of the Northern Pacific Railway. Begun as a national endeavor in the 1860s, the Northern Pacific opened vast areas of frontier land for settlement and industrial development. Its rails became a busy thoroughfare, crossing miles of open plains, rugged badlands and great mountain ranges, as it formed a link between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean.

This book tells the fascinating story of the development and operation of the Northern Pacific’s most powerful and advanced steam locomotives. Making extensive use of the corporate records of the railroad, as well as interviews with former Mechanical Department employees, the authors document the life of the Northern Pacific’s trend-setting 4-8-4, 2-8-8-4 and 4-6-6-4 steam locomotives.

Northern Pacific Supersteam Era 1925-1945 by Robert L. Frey and Lorenz P. Schrenk is a book that will appeal to rail enthusiasts, railroad historians, students of locomotive technology and anyone else whose pulse quickens at the sight and sound of a giant steam locomotive.

Lorenz P. Schrenk, a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a member of the headquarters staff of Honeywell. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the George Washington University and an MA and PhD degree in experimental psychology from Ohio State University. A long-standing interest in railraod history led Larry to found and edit a newsletter for fans of the famed Colorado Midland Railway for seven years. He then turned his attention to a railroad that once ran closer to home — the Northern Pacific. As a trained researcher, he has especially enjoyed the many contacts with fellow rail enthusiasts.

A native of York, Pennsylvania, Robert L. Frey is currently professor of history and dean of the college at Wilmington College in Virginia. Bob has been interested in railroads since his father took him to the railroad station in York, to watch the western parade of passenger trains during World War II. In addition to his love for full-sized railroads, Bob is an avid HO model railroader.