"burnt in a furnace surrounded by water created ; steam confined in a cylinder pushed a , and linked to wheels by rods that turned the straight thrust of the piston into rotatory motion, the moved and worked. The idea that hordes of people and commodities could be carried at such shockingly powerful speeds by a sort of articulated kettle, in which the water could never be allowed to fall below the top of the furnace or there would be an explosion, seemed amazing to me. What made it all so different from today's s, which run at set speeds, was the need to be aware at every moment of the perilous balance of fire and water, which also gave the possibility of going a little faster if the engineman was good, or of disaster if he was incompetent."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
p. 25
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eric_Lomax
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Eric Lomax
(30 May 1919 – 8 October 2012) was a Scottish railway enthusiast and British Army officer who was a of the Japanese from 1942 to 1945. His autobiography, ‘’’’ (1995), won the 1996 .
6 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Eric Lomax →
Related Quotes
"Some things that humans make transcend their function; instruments can be magical. That explosive, rhythmic sound we …"
"visited Thailand many times after that, and did charitable work for the surviving Asian labourers, many of whom were …"
"Sometime the hating has to stop."
"Watch ', which goes on general release in the new year, and you'll leave the cinema feeling you know all about the co…"
"Mr. Lomax, who was born in Scotland, was 19 when he joined the in 1939. He was one of thousands of British soldiers w…"
"Death at the headlands, Hesiod, long ago Gave thee to drink of his unhonied wine: Now Boreas cannot reach thee lying …"
"Togliatti is an educated, cultured Stalinist. Unfamiliar with Russian conditions and traditions, for several years he…"
"Togliatti was hated; he was considered an enemy, indeed the enemy, the cynical and diabolically skilled calculator wh…"
"One day, Togliatti held a rally in Castellammare and many people went to hear him speak. The communist spoke outdoors…"
"Vittorio Emanuele rarely talks about politics today, but he cannot be described as apolitical. He follows the life of…"