author
Louis Liston Tallyn
A civil engineer by training, he wrote a detailed early-1900s thesis on the design of a steel railroad warehouse for the Illinois Central Railroad in New Orleans. His surviving published work offers a practical snapshot of railroad engineering at the start of the twentieth century.
1 Audiobook
Design of a Steel Railroad Warehouse
by Louis Liston Tallyn
About the author
Born in 1878 and later buried in New Jersey, Louis Liston Tallyn is known today for Design of a Steel Railroad Warehouse, a thesis submitted for a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois in 1901.
The work was chosen with a practical goal in mind: he explained that he was especially interested in railroad work and intended to make it his specialty. His study focuses on the design of a steel warehouse for railroad use in New Orleans, showing the hands-on, problem-solving character of engineering education in that era.
Although little biographical information is readily available, Tallyn's writing still stands as a useful historical document. It captures the concerns of a young engineer thinking carefully about materials, structure, and the real demands of rail transportation.