[New York Central Twentieth Century Limited steam locomotive 5453]

Steam Machines, Engines, Locomotives. In 1781 James Watt patented a steam engine that produced continuous rotary motion. Watt's ten-horsepower engines enabled a wide range of manufacturing machinery to be powered. The engines could be sited anywhere that water and coal or wood fuel could be obtained. By 1883, engines that could provide 10,000 hp had become feasible. The steam engine was one of the most important technologies of the Industrial Revolution.

Some of the superb engines that drove the cars in 1930s and 1940s.

Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984) worked as a free-lance commercial and industrial photographer for many large corporations including those in the automobile, aviation, chemical, mining, petroleum, railroad, shipping, steel and other industries, both in the U.S. and overseas. The collection, held by Southern Methodist University's DeGolyer Library, contains corporate and industrial photographs made by Richie from 1932-1975. Southern Methodist University's Central University Libraries (CUL) Digital Collections includes the digital libraries and online digital collections from the six Central University Libraries. Our ongoing projects include the creation of digital collections of Mexican photographs, locomotives, Texas history, art, and currency notes, and more.

This image dataset is generated from our world's largest public domain image database. Made in two steps (manual, and image recognition), it comprises of more than 35,000 images of all types and sizes - an astonishing number if keep in mind that the total number of steam locomotives ever built was just one order of magnitude larger. All images are in the public domain, so there is no limitation on the dataset usage - educational, scientific, or commercial. Please contact us if you need a dataset like this, we may already have it, or, we can make one for you, often in 24 hours or less.