This latest book from Pen & Sword covers the evolution through to the final developments of the German steam locomotive. A fully illustrated book of 173 pages, mostly in black and white but with a section in colour - mostly reproductions of evocative paintings or even illustrations on postage stamps. To the British enthusiast more used to the clean lines of home-produced locomotives with most of the innards kept on the inside, German locomotives can appear quite the opposite with pipework on display. Of course, there are exceptions and this is shown to advantage with the pre-war Maffei compound four-cylinder Pacifics.

Just as in Britain between the wars, attempts were made to streamline steam locomotives, The streamlined 05001 4-6-4 locomotive is illustrated as prepared for the Summer Olympics, showing the swastika on the fairing side and the Olympic emblem on the tender. This later developed into the 06 class 4-8-4 version weighing in at a staggering 208 tons!

Your reviewer must state that although having travelled in Germany he has not experienced steam on the main line, but to the student of steam development in general and German steam in particular this book can be recommended as a valuable addition to the library.

Bradford Railway Circle "The Circular"

The captions are lengthy, detailed, and informative, often going well beyond simply identifying the subject of the image... A broad survey, in terms of both time and scope, but also full of detail and clearly presented by an author whose knowledge of the subject is evident throughout.

Continental Modeller

First published in German in 2020, this English version starts the story in the 1840s, heading through the creation of the national railway in 1920 with its strict standardisation, before the turmoil of the Second World War and its aftermath. Copiously illustrated it contains much detail but doesn’t get bogged down with the minutiae of individual engines. You don’t need knowledge of Germany or its railways to enjoy it, as the author clearly explains the background and context. An excellent introduction, it’s of interest for the more knowledgeable too.

Trackside magazine

German steam locomotive development deserves to be better known in the UK so this book by an enthusiast is welcome...The book is well presented and lavishly illustrated.
Appendices give maps and overview tables of different classes. Overall, it is an interesting introduction to an absorbing subject.

The Journal of the friends of the National Railway Museum Winter 2022-23 (No.182)

Now available in English, this book was originally published in German by GeraMond Verlag GmbH in 2020 as Die deutschen Schnellzug-Dampflokomotiven. Author Andreas Knipping covers all the various classes with their different wheel arrangements and haulage capabilities from the 2-2-2, through to the 4-4-0, 4-6-0 and 4-6-2 ‘Pacific’ types with a wealth of photographs and illustrations. Tables are featured giving details such as operator, manufacturer and number built. There is also a detailed scale drawing of an S2/6 locomotive. A complete list of locomotive classes allocated to each depot (Bahnbetriebswerk) as at 1st April 1933 is included on pages 103-105 and under the section Appendices on pages 161-166 there are maps showing the German railway network in 1955 and 1961. On pages 167-171 tables give details of steam locomotive classes for the North German State Railway, Bavarian State Railway, Saxony State Railway 1920-1925, the German Federal Railway (Deutsche Bundesbahn) and East Germany’s Deutsche Reichsbahn, together with those rebuilt between 1953-1965.

It comes thoroughly recommended to all those with an interest in the history and development of the express passenger steam locomotive in Germany.

German Railway Society's magazine 'Merkur' Winter 2022