Mallard by Don Hale

Mallard by Don Hale

On the third of July 1938, the superbly streamlined A4 Pacific class steam locomotive "Mallard" set a world speed record on the East Coast main line of 126mph, a record which still stands. Since then millions of people have seen "Mallard", either at the Science Museum in London or, more recently, at the National Railway Museum in York. Now, some 65 years on, Don Hale tells the full story of how the record came to be broken. It's a tale that goes back to the late 19th century, when the rival railway companies first began to vie with one another to set speed records between London and Scotland. It charts the technological development of the steam engine through the early decades of the 20th century into a hugely powerful and truly locomotive machine. It shows, surprisingly, how the international quest for technological supremacy developed, during the 30s, into a battle of national prestige between Britain and Germany under the nascent Third Reich. And above all, it focuses on the singular and larger-than-life character of Sir Nigel Gresley, Mallard's designer and one of the most gifted engineers Britain has ever produced - who was to the steam engine what the Spitfire designer R.J. Mitchell was to aviation. Then, in an account that includes interviews with surviving crew members and their relatives, the book sets the scene for the big day itself, and follows hour by hour the nailbiting attempt to break the record, as the giant "Blue Streak" thunders up the main line through the heart of England and into the record books. Illustrated with many archive photographs from the National Railway Museum's collection, "Mallard" is a piece of nostaliga that should appeal to anyone interested in one of Britain's finest hours in technological history.

Don Hale is a prolific true crime writer and investigative journalist who has produced several significant best sellers and received numerous accolades for his work. He is a former professional soccer player. In Denial of Murder, one of his writings, was adapted into a two-part BBC TV drama starring Stephen Tompkinson and Carolyn Katz. He also wrote Town Without Pity, a memoir about his successful efforts to free a man who had been imprisoned for 28 years for a murder he did not commit. In addition, he has authored several books about 60s music and Joe Cocker's early career, including The Last Dive, a true story about British secret agent and spy 'Buster' Crabb, who disappeared in strange circumstances during a visit of Soviet warships to the UK in 1956, and Mallard, How the Blue Streak Broke the World Speed Record.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9781854109392
ISBN 10	1854109391
Titel	Mallard
Autor	Don Hale
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Hardback
Verlag	Quarto Publishing PLC
Erscheinungsjahr	2005-04-06
Seitenanzahl	256
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
Hinweis	Nicht verfügbar