Trains at Work

Elting, Mary, 1906-2005Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 71K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Trains at Work by Mary Elting. Author: Elting, Mary, 1906–2005. Language: English. Class: TF: Technology: Railroad engineering and operation. Release Date: Sep 11, 2017.

Editor's review

Trains at Work is a work by Mary Elting (1906–2005), made available as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg. Judging by its classification TF (Railroad engineering and operation), it is an informational book about how trains work, most likely a popular introduction to the practical operation of rail transport. Elting wrote extensively for children and in nonfiction, and books of this kind are typically illustrated and plainly written, explaining mechanical principles and everyday transport scenes clearly and accessibly. For Chinese readers its value lies in offering a window into mid-20th-century American popular writing on railroading: one can read basic knowledge about locomotives, lines, and dispatching, and also get a feel for how technology was explained to young people in that era. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to obtain and suits readers with an interest in the history of technology and of popular science. One caveat: the technical details reflect the level of the time when the book was written and differ considerably from today's high-speed rail and automated dispatching, so it should be read as historical popular science rather than a current technical manual.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Young readers interested in trains, railways, and mechanical principles
Adults who enjoy the history of technology and popular science and are willing to read older books
English learners who prefer short nonfiction

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the latest information on contemporary railways or high-speed rail
Professionals expecting in-depth engineering discussion
Readers with no interest at all in machines or transport

Reading tips

Read it as historical popular science, taking notes as you go on how railway technology has changed since.
Read it together as a family, with parents explaining the differences between old locomotives and today's trains.
English learners can read it closely chapter by chapter to build vocabulary related to transport and machinery.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book about modern high-speed rail technology?

No. The information shows it belongs to the railroad engineering and operation category, and the author lived from 1906 to 2005, so the book reflects the railway knowledge of its time. It is better read as popular history of technology than as a source on contemporary high-speed rail and automated dispatching.

Is it suitable for children?

Trains and machinery are naturally appealing to young readers, and the language is usually fairly simple, so it suits family reading or independent reading from the upper primary grades. But the technical content is dated, and parents may want to add some information about railways today.

Is this a fictional story or an informational book?

Judging by its classification TF (Railroad engineering and operation), it is a nonfiction informational book explaining how trains and railways work, not a novel. The exact format should be judged from the text itself, but readers should expect popular science rather than narrative literature.

Related on WeRead

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Elting, Mary, 1906-2005 Author

Mary Elting (1906–2005) was an American author of science books for children. Public information about her life and education is limited, and what is known comes mainly from her works. Three of her books are held here, all titled "at Work" and dealing respectively with trains, ships, and machines, which shows that she was skilled at turning knowledge of transportation and mechanical devices into content accessible to children. Books of this kind usually use concrete scenes as a thread, explaining how things operate and what parts they consist of, often with illustrations that help young readers form intuitive understanding. Her writing emphasizes practicality and readability, with a plain tone and attention to letting young readers learn the principles behind everyday technology. Although a fuller account of her life and work awaits more material, these books still reflect her sustained commitment to nonfiction science writing for children and are of positive value in popularizing basic knowledge of machines and transportation.