Fascinating French biography of André Chapelon (26 October 1892 - 22 July 1978). Chapelon was a noted French mechanical engineer and designer of advanced steam locomotives. Engineer of the Ecole Centrale Paris, he was one of the very few locomotive designers who brought a rigorous scientific method to their design, and he sought to apply up-to-date knowledge and theories in subjects such as thermodynamics and gas/fluid flow to the field. Chapelon's work was an early example of what would later be called modern steam and influenced the work of many later designers (such as Nigel Gresley of Great Britain -- who used the Kylchap exhaust system on the Mallard -- and Livio Dante Porta of Argentine). Illustrated throughout with black and white photos and schematic diagrams. With bibliography. 317 pages. NOTE: Text is entirely in French.