This volume covers the development and decline of the steam engine from the late-18th century to the present day. It is not a history of the steamship, but the story of the machinery which powered those ships. It aims to tell the story of marine engineering development through the steamship and the job it did both in commercial and naval terms.

The development of steam propulsion machinery in warships during the nineteenth century, in conjunction with iron armor and shell guns, resulted in a technological revolution in the world's navies. Warships utilizing all of these technologies were built in France and Great Britain in the 1850s, but it was during the American Civil War that large numbers of ironclads powered solely by steam proved themselves to be quite capable warships. This book focuses on Confederate ironclads with American built machinery, offering a detailed look at marine steam-engineering practices in both northern and southern industry prior to and during the Civil War. It gives a contextual naval history of the Civil War, the creation of the ironclad program, and the advent of various technologies. The author analyzes the armored warships built by the Confederate States of America that represented a style adapted to scarce industrial resources and facilities.

In this book long-time model maker Stan Bray describes the construction of a range of uncomplicated miniature steam engines, for construction by the model engineer.