"It flashed by like a steel thunderbolt, the ground shaking under me, in a blast of air that almost sucked me into its whirlwind." Loewy’s description of this one-off locomotive he designed for the Pennsylvania Railroad company belies his talent for self-promotion. It also captures the excitement of this steel behemoth, a projectile at rest that’s more steampunk than anything Jules Verne could have imagined. Sadly, after debuting at the 1939 World’s fair, Loewy’s creation had a short career, retiring from the rails in the mid-1940s due to performance issues. Photo 3 of 10 in Design Icon: 8 Works by Raymond Loewy

Design Icon: 8 Works by Raymond Loewy

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"It flashed by like a steel thunderbolt, the ground shaking under me, in a blast of air that almost sucked me into its whirlwind." Loewy’s description of this one-off locomotive he designed for the Pennsylvania Railroad company belies his talent for self-promotion. It also captures the excitement of this steel behemoth, a projectile at rest that’s more steampunk than anything Jules Verne could have imagined. Sadly, after debuting at the 1939 World’s fair, Loewy’s creation had a short career, retiring from the rails in the mid-1940s due to performance issues.