Oswald Stevens "Ossie" Nock was a British railway signal engineer and senior manager at the Westinghouse company. He is best known for his prodigious output of publications on railway subjects, including over 100 books, as well as a large number of more technical works on locomotive performance.
This is the sort of book which could be pretty nerdy. However, Nock really knew his subject matter and, just as importantly, knew how to write engaging prose. I really enjoyed it.