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Foggy Friday

 

Newcastle, California in the fog. F59 2013 (I think) leads Capitol Corridor train 729 west through Newcastle. I'd hiked from the grade crossing west to where the tracks split and set up expecting the train to be on the #1 track, but it was on the #2 track. Fortunately, I was in a position with a view of both tracks.





Mike Tisdale


Devore Thursday

 

A? couple of trains at Devore, Cajon Pass, California in April 1982








Mike Tisdale


Foggy Night for Wednesday

 

A foggy January 1981 night in Davis, California



Mike Tisdale




Lobato to Cumbres for Tuesday

 

Climbing the 4% grade of Cumbres Pass through the golden aspens of autumn behind a pair of K-36 2-8-2s.




Mike Tisdale



Caliente from Cliff Monday

 

A southbound freight rounds the horseshoe curve at Caliente, California as seen from the detouring Coast Starlight at Cliff. The Starlight went down the valley and over Tehachapi that day due to UP track work on the Coast Line. 22 June 2008







Mike Tisdale



Swiss Sunday

 

Trains of the Bern-Lotschberg-Simplon Railway at Kandersteg, Switzerland.? Kandersteg is located at the north end of the Lotschberg Tunnel.





Mike Tisdale



Roseville Sunset for Saturday

 

Some photos taken on Friday of UP at Roseville in the late afternoon and early evening.




Mike Tisdale



CZ Friday

 

Day two of our trip on the California Zephyr to Glenwood Springs in October 2019




Mike Tisdale



Cumbres and Toltec for Thanksgiven

 

Let's take a ride on the Cumbres and Toltec.? Chama and first bit of the 4% grade out of Chama to the Lobato Trestle.



Mike Tisdale




Waterfront Wednesday

 

UP 5113 leads a westbound manifest train along San Pablo Bay at Herculdes, California on a sunny day in July 2016.??




Mike Tisdale



Re: Book Page Counts

 

开云体育

This SPF (slobbering Pennsy fan) admits to a huge admiration for the NYC, earned by being able to visit so many hotspots when I lived in and around the Big Apple. But seriously, 800 pages? Mother of Jabbering God, that would probably cost more than $112 in shipping alone to get a copy over here to Germany.
Not today.?

But thanks for the review!
David Reaves
Today in Berlin, Germany



On Nov 26, 2019, at 8:56 AM, Dave Saums <dsaums@...> wrote:

?
Okay, let's get serious.? Enough about the Black Widow fiddle-faddle, you wild optimists.? We had New York Central lightning stripes on Metro North FL9s and on E8s, so us East Coast types have died and gone to heaven.

Now, here's a question:? how much is too much?

For those of us who are New York Central fans, and especially those who marvel at the concept of a railroad straight through the Adirondack Park, we are now twice blessed.? John Ham produced a book of incredible black and white photographs of the NYC's Adirondack Division.? Now, just a couple of years later, John Taibi has disgorged his own tome on said division with both b/w and color content.

Where's the problem?

Is 800 pages too much to bear? That's the page count for the Taibi book.

I am a reasonably healthy male with full use of arms and hands.? YOU try reading this boat anchor! It is not bedtime reading.? It is not favorite easy chair reading.? This thing ought to be read when flat on a table, so as to not tire arms or the binding.

I wonder if the binding will survive the handling required to even attempt one reading.? There is no indication of where it was printed, or by whom, that I can find, and the binding and boards appear to be sturdy -- for now.? Unlike many of the recently-produced books printed in China, it does not appear to have skimpy boards that are too thin to survive a good long life.

Why not split such a project into a two-volume set, if there is not to be any rational editing? Even as a lifelong New York Central fan, I can see that I have no hope of ever getting through this book even once, even if I did find 80 pages of section houses to be just absolutely fascinating.

In addition, even given the massive page count, I find that there are many, many photographs that could have been much larger.? There is no question that these medium format images would have stood up to half- or full-page rendering.? All told, odd decisions seem to have been made in editing and layout, in that respect.

Opinions?

Dave Saums
Amesbury MA


Re: Book Page Counts

 

Yes, ?I think 800 pages is more than a bit excessive. ?If you divided this up into two or three volumes, then a slipcover might be justified.

Unfortunately, many people with great subject knowledge do not have any real understanding of book publishing -- not just the business end, but also the aesthetics.


I have worked on both commercially and self-published books -- and, as a supplier of stock photography, I've contributed photos to many dozens of commercially published books, primarily textbooks.

Though I have a background in journalism, I decided early on that, in dealing with book editors, graphic designers, and others in the publishing business, I really needed to have a better understanding of book production. ?A photo editor at a publishing house with which I had done a fair amount of business -- and whom I also knew from common membership in some professional organizations -- recommended the book Bookmaking: The illustrated guide to design / production / editing by Marshall Lee. ?I have the 2nd edition from 1979 -- but understand that there are later editions. ?(Printing technology has changed, largely affected by computers, but the basic principles of design have not.) ?As you would expect of a book by a noted book designer, this book itself shows some of what can be done in this field.

For anyone interested in working on a book -- even if it is being done with a commercial publisher -- I would strongly sugest that investing a little time in learning about the book publishing industry. At the very least, you will get a good handle on some of the publishing terminology.

-- Ernest

-----
Ernest H. Robl -- Durham, NC, USA -- Photojournalism; writing, books.
Covering travel & transportation for 45+ years.  Now mostly retired!



Re: Book Page Counts

 

开云体育

Dave,

?

I’m also a born and raised New Yorker (Brooklyn and Queens).? I never thought much of the “I love NY” slogan, because I couldn’t see the point.? Another slogan, “If you see something, say something,” is much more useful these days.? It originated with the NY MTA, which runs the subways, buses, and many commuter rail lines. (rail content for this paragraph.)? I have even seen that slogan used in the American Airlines terminals at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, with credit to the MTA.

?

I get to NY fairly often.? I carry a Metrocard in my wallet, and I like to take the Airtrain from JFK Airport to Jamaica Station, and then the LIRR in to Manhattan.

?

The book topic interests me also, but not $112 worth and certainly not $250 worth.? There are so many good rail books out there, I’ll never read them all in my lifetime.

?

Phil Burton

?

From: ObservationCar@... [mailto:ObservationCar@...]
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2019 11:04 AM
To: [email protected]; ObservationCar@...
Subject: Re: [ObservationCar] Book Page Counts

?




Phil, greetings, again.

"Silver Rails Through the Heart of the Park" is the title, published by the NYCSHS.? The price through Ron's Books is $112.00, postage free.? The USPS Media Mail rate is probably still only $6, which is ludicrous, given the weight of this thing.

Keep in mind that this is 800 pages on coated stock! It is heavy, which is part of what makes it so unwieldy.

You can also order a signed copy through NYCSHS for $250, in a slipcase.? I have no idea why someone would want such a thing, or even why the society thought that this would be worth offering.?

The use of a large bright pinkish-red heart on the cover and repeated inside is, I can only assume, meant to be somehow a play on the I Love New York campaign of many decades.? That may be the concept for the book's title and the use, therefore, of the heart.? As a New Yorker originally, I've always found that campaign slogan to be childish and rather silly, but that's just one opinion.

What gets me about all of this is that I really am interested in the subject and couldn't wait to see the book.

Regards,

Dave.

Get

?


From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Phil Burton <philip-b@...>
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2019 1:23:21 PM
To: ObservationCar@... <ObservationCar@...>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [ObservationCar] Book Page Counts

?

Dave,

?

What you are saying, I think, is that Metro-North has more historical awareness than say Caltrain.? Kudos to NJ Transit for its recent Heritage loco paint schemes.? But it’s not fiddle-faddle, it’s probably just a vain hope.?

?

About the John Taibi book.? I couldn’t find it listed on Amazon, even though the same author has a lot of other rail books, mostly on east coast roads.? I was wondering when it was published and just how much it cost to buy, and to ship.

?

Phil Burton

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:ObservationCar@...]
Sent: Monday, November 25, 2019 11:56 PM
To: [email protected]; Observation Car <observationcar@...>
Subject: [ObservationCar] Book Page Counts

?



Okay, let's get serious.? Enough about the Black Widow fiddle-faddle, you wild optimists.? We had New York Central lightning stripes on Metro North FL9s and on E8s, so us East Coast types have died and gone to heaven.

Now, here's a question:? how much is too much?

For those of us who are New York Central fans, and especially those who marvel at the concept of a railroad straight through the Adirondack Park, we are now twice blessed.? John Ham produced a book of incredible black and white photographs of the NYC's Adirondack Division.? Now, just a couple of years later, John Taibi has disgorged his own tome on said division with both b/w and color content.

Where's the problem?

Is 800 pages too much to bear? That's the page count for the Taibi book.

I am a reasonably healthy male with full use of arms and hands.? YOU try reading this boat anchor! It is not bedtime reading.? It is not favorite easy chair reading.? This thing ought to be read when flat on a table, so as to not tire arms or the binding.

I wonder if the binding will survive the handling required to even attempt one reading.? There is no indication of where it was printed, or by whom, that I can find, and the binding and boards appear to be sturdy -- for now.? Unlike many of the recently-produced books printed in China, it does not appear to have skimpy boards that are too thin to survive a good long life.

Why not split such a project into a two-volume set, if there is not to be any rational editing? Even as a lifelong New York Central fan, I can see that I have no hope of ever getting through this book even once, even if I did find 80 pages of section houses to be just absolutely fascinating.

In addition, even given the massive page count, I find that there are many, many photographs that could have been much larger.? There is no question that these medium format images would have stood up to half- or full-page rendering.? All told, odd decisions seem to have been made in editing and layout, in that respect.

Opinions?

Dave Saums

Amesbury MA

?






__._,_.___


Posted by: Dave Saums <dsaums@...>




For ObsCar &quot;tech support&quot; or questions about posting or list etiquette, please flag down List Co-Owner Mike Tisdale at tisdalem@..., Moderator Sam Carlson at hispeedpacer@..., Co-Moderator Bryce Lee at thb301@....

For a better understanding of some group discussions), please check out the &quot;ObsCar FAQs&quot; in the Database section of ObsCar. For the benefit of list members and digest readers, please remember to sign your full name to your posts and delete any excess text from replies. Thank You.







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Re: Book Page Counts

 

800 pages?? Yeah, I'd think volumes 1 and 2 would be in order.? David Myrick did multiple volumes for his Railroads of Nevada and Railroads of Arizona books, rather than have a massive book that would be difficult to pick up.? Beebe did the Trains we Rode as 2 volumes and apparently was planning to expand it to 3 volumes when he died, so Charles Clegg had to put together what he had as volume 2.??

There are things that should be a separate book unto themselves, such as doing a volume on the stations, section houses and other buildings of the line for those who are really into such things or modelers and having fewer station shots included in the overall volume.??

The boat anchor book I have is Richard Wright's Daylight book, which gives a lot of detail on SP 98-99, and is really too big to handle easily,? It could well have been done as two volumes.? It does have pretty much every detail about the train you might want, from builders photos of cars and locomotives, interior color schemes of the cars, lineside photos of the north and southbound trains, the whole history of the train, you name it, but it would have been more manageable was 2 books instead of the boat anchor it is.

I think that authors and publishers should think of when and where people will read their books and produce books that don't throw your back out when being lifted.?

Size of photos also matters.? I would rather see fewer photos big enough to actually see than a photo album if 3x5 inch wedgies of similar looking trains in similar looking surroundings.? You have a dozen photos of a 4-6-0 bringing the 3 car local into Podunk Jct. taken about the same spot?? Great.? Publish 1 or 2 of them full page or half page...maybe 2 if one is in the snow and the other in summer, not a page of all of them the size of postage stamps.

Mike Tisdale





Re: Book Page Counts

 

开云体育

Phil, greetings, again.

"Silver Rails Through the Heart of the Park" is the title, published by the NYCSHS.? The price through Ron's Books is $112.00, postage free.? The USPS Media Mail rate is probably still only $6, which is ludicrous, given the weight of this thing.

Keep in mind that this is 800 pages on coated stock! It is heavy, which is part of what makes it so unwieldy.

You can also order a signed copy through NYCSHS for $250, in a slipcase.? I have no idea why someone would want such a thing, or even why the society thought that this would be worth offering.?

The use of a large bright pinkish-red heart on the cover and repeated inside is, I can only assume, meant to be somehow a play on the I Love New York campaign of many decades.? That may be the concept for the book's title and the use, therefore, of the heart.? As a New Yorker originally, I've always found that campaign slogan to be childish and rather silly, but that's just one opinion.

What gets me about all of this is that I really am interested in the subject and couldn't wait to see the book.

Regards,

Dave.

Get


From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Phil Burton <philip-b@...>
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2019 1:23:21 PM
To: ObservationCar@... <ObservationCar@...>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [ObservationCar] Book Page Counts
?

Dave,

?

What you are saying, I think, is that Metro-North has more historical awareness than say Caltrain.? Kudos to NJ Transit for its recent Heritage loco paint schemes.? But it’s not fiddle-faddle, it’s probably just a vain hope.?

?

About the John Taibi book.? I couldn’t find it listed on Amazon, even though the same author has a lot of other rail books, mostly on east coast roads.? I was wondering when it was published and just how much it cost to buy, and to ship.

?

Phil Burton

?

From: ObservationCar@... [mailto:ObservationCar@...]
Sent: Monday, November 25, 2019 11:56 PM
To: [email protected]; Observation Car <observationcar@...>
Subject: [ObservationCar] Book Page Counts

?




Okay, let's get serious.? Enough about the Black Widow fiddle-faddle, you wild optimists.? We had New York Central lightning stripes on Metro North FL9s and on E8s, so us East Coast types have died and gone to heaven.

Now, here's a question:? how much is too much?

For those of us who are New York Central fans, and especially those who marvel at the concept of a railroad straight through the Adirondack Park, we are now twice blessed.? John Ham produced a book of incredible black and white photographs of the NYC's Adirondack Division.? Now, just a couple of years later, John Taibi has disgorged his own tome on said division with both b/w and color content.

Where's the problem?

Is 800 pages too much to bear? That's the page count for the Taibi book.

I am a reasonably healthy male with full use of arms and hands.? YOU try reading this boat anchor! It is not bedtime reading.? It is not favorite easy chair reading.? This thing ought to be read when flat on a table, so as to not tire arms or the binding.

I wonder if the binding will survive the handling required to even attempt one reading.? There is no indication of where it was printed, or by whom, that I can find, and the binding and boards appear to be sturdy -- for now.? Unlike many of the recently-produced books printed in China, it does not appear to have skimpy boards that are too thin to survive a good long life.

Why not split such a project into a two-volume set, if there is not to be any rational editing? Even as a lifelong New York Central fan, I can see that I have no hope of ever getting through this book even once, even if I did find 80 pages of section houses to be just absolutely fascinating.

In addition, even given the massive page count, I find that there are many, many photographs that could have been much larger.? There is no question that these medium format images would have stood up to half- or full-page rendering.? All told, odd decisions seem to have been made in editing and layout, in that respect.

Opinions?

Dave Saums

Amesbury MA

?




__._,_.___


Posted by: Dave Saums <dsaums@...>




For ObsCar &quot;tech support&quot; or questions about posting or list etiquette, please flag down List Co-Owner Mike Tisdale at tisdalem@..., Moderator Sam Carlson at hispeedpacer@..., Co-Moderator Bryce Lee at thb301@....

For a better understanding of some group discussions), please check out the &quot;ObsCar FAQs&quot; in the Database section of ObsCar. For the benefit of list members and digest readers, please remember to sign your full name to your posts and delete any excess text from replies. Thank You.





? ? Unsubscribe ?



__,_._,___


Re: Book Page Counts

 

开云体育

Dave,

?

What you are saying, I think, is that Metro-North has more historical awareness than say Caltrain.? Kudos to NJ Transit for its recent Heritage loco paint schemes.? But it’s not fiddle-faddle, it’s probably just a vain hope.?

?

About the John Taibi book.? I couldn’t find it listed on Amazon, even though the same author has a lot of other rail books, mostly on east coast roads.? I was wondering when it was published and just how much it cost to buy, and to ship.

?

Phil Burton

?

From: ObservationCar@... [mailto:ObservationCar@...]
Sent: Monday, November 25, 2019 11:56 PM
To: [email protected]; Observation Car <observationcar@...>
Subject: [ObservationCar] Book Page Counts

?




Okay, let's get serious.? Enough about the Black Widow fiddle-faddle, you wild optimists.? We had New York Central lightning stripes on Metro North FL9s and on E8s, so us East Coast types have died and gone to heaven.

Now, here's a question:? how much is too much?

For those of us who are New York Central fans, and especially those who marvel at the concept of a railroad straight through the Adirondack Park, we are now twice blessed.? John Ham produced a book of incredible black and white photographs of the NYC's Adirondack Division.? Now, just a couple of years later, John Taibi has disgorged his own tome on said division with both b/w and color content.

Where's the problem?

Is 800 pages too much to bear? That's the page count for the Taibi book.

I am a reasonably healthy male with full use of arms and hands.? YOU try reading this boat anchor! It is not bedtime reading.? It is not favorite easy chair reading.? This thing ought to be read when flat on a table, so as to not tire arms or the binding.

I wonder if the binding will survive the handling required to even attempt one reading.? There is no indication of where it was printed, or by whom, that I can find, and the binding and boards appear to be sturdy -- for now.? Unlike many of the recently-produced books printed in China, it does not appear to have skimpy boards that are too thin to survive a good long life.

Why not split such a project into a two-volume set, if there is not to be any rational editing? Even as a lifelong New York Central fan, I can see that I have no hope of ever getting through this book even once, even if I did find 80 pages of section houses to be just absolutely fascinating.

In addition, even given the massive page count, I find that there are many, many photographs that could have been much larger.? There is no question that these medium format images would have stood up to half- or full-page rendering.? All told, odd decisions seem to have been made in editing and layout, in that respect.

Opinions?

Dave Saums

Amesbury MA

?




__._,_.___


Posted by: Dave Saums <dsaums@...>




For ObsCar &quot;tech support&quot; or questions about posting or list etiquette, please flag down List Co-Owner Mike Tisdale at tisdalem@..., Moderator Sam Carlson at hispeedpacer@..., Co-Moderator Bryce Lee at thb301@....

For a better understanding of some group discussions), please check out the &quot;ObsCar FAQs&quot; in the Database section of ObsCar. For the benefit of list members and digest readers, please remember to sign your full name to your posts and delete any excess text from replies. Thank You.







__,_._,___


Book Page Counts

 

开云体育

Okay, let's get serious.? Enough about the Black Widow fiddle-faddle, you wild optimists.? We had New York Central lightning stripes on Metro North FL9s and on E8s, so us East Coast types have died and gone to heaven.

Now, here's a question:? how much is too much?

For those of us who are New York Central fans, and especially those who marvel at the concept of a railroad straight through the Adirondack Park, we are now twice blessed.? John Ham produced a book of incredible black and white photographs of the NYC's Adirondack Division.? Now, just a couple of years later, John Taibi has disgorged his own tome on said division with both b/w and color content.

Where's the problem?

Is 800 pages too much to bear? That's the page count for the Taibi book.

I am a reasonably healthy male with full use of arms and hands.? YOU try reading this boat anchor! It is not bedtime reading.? It is not favorite easy chair reading.? This thing ought to be read when flat on a table, so as to not tire arms or the binding.

I wonder if the binding will survive the handling required to even attempt one reading.? There is no indication of where it was printed, or by whom, that I can find, and the binding and boards appear to be sturdy -- for now.? Unlike many of the recently-produced books printed in China, it does not appear to have skimpy boards that are too thin to survive a good long life.

Why not split such a project into a two-volume set, if there is not to be any rational editing? Even as a lifelong New York Central fan, I can see that I have no hope of ever getting through this book even once, even if I did find 80 pages of section houses to be just absolutely fascinating.

In addition, even given the massive page count, I find that there are many, many photographs that could have been much larger.? There is no question that these medium format images would have stood up to half- or full-page rendering.? All told, odd decisions seem to have been made in editing and layout, in that respect.

Opinions?

Dave Saums
Amesbury MA


Re: Rainy Day SD9 for Tuesday

 

开云体育

I would be thrilled to see an F40 in black widow paint, even with the Caltrain logo on the side.? But I doubt that the Caltrain board, which is actually a “subsidiary” of SamTrans, the San Mateo bus system agency, has enough imagination for that.

?

Phil

?

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mike Tisdale via Groups.Io
Sent: Monday, November 25, 2019 4:30 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [ObservationCar] Rainy Day SD9 for Tuesday

?

Who know, maybe Caltrain might give us a black widow F40 or red/scarlet MP36.? :-)? I doubt if anyone would complain.? The cabbage cars Caltrans uses on the San Joaquins with the Comet cars are in the original Caltrain pain.

Mike Tisdale


Re: Rainy Day SD9 for Tuesday

 

Who know, maybe Caltrain might give us a black widow F40 or red/scarlet MP36.? :-)? I doubt if anyone would complain.? The cabbage cars Caltrans uses on the San Joaquins with the Comet cars are in the original Caltrain pain.

Mike Tisdale


Re: Rainy Day SD9 for Tuesday

 

开云体育

Mike,

?

That is one beautiful SD9.?

?

I sure miss the old SP from the time that they ran the SF-SJ commuter service.? I guess it’s too much for Caltrain to paint some engines and passenger cars in SP colors.? Connecticut DOT paints some of their passenger diesel units in New Haven colors.? Just saying.

?

Phil

?

From: ObservationCar@... [mailto:ObservationCar@...]
Sent: Monday, November 25, 2019 3:26 PM
To: [email protected]; Observation Car <observationcar@...>
Subject: [ObservationCar] Rainy Day SD9 for Tuesday

?




SD9 SP 5399 takes an Albany and Eastern excursion train back to the yard in Lebanon, Oregon after a pre-Winterail trip in March 2017.??

?

?

?


DSC_0392-Lebanon-5399

Albany and Eastern Trip, 17 March 2017 The day before Winterail, the Albany and Eastern

?

?

Mike Tisdale

?

?

?

?




__._,_.___


Posted by: Mike Tisdale <tisdalem2001@...>




For ObsCar &quot;tech support&quot; or questions about posting or list etiquette, please flag down List Co-Owner Mike Tisdale at tisdalem@..., Moderator Sam Carlson at hispeedpacer@..., Co-Moderator Bryce Lee at thb301@....

For a better understanding of some group discussions), please check out the &quot;ObsCar FAQs&quot; in the Database section of ObsCar. For the benefit of list members and digest readers, please remember to sign your full name to your posts and delete any excess text from replies. Thank You.







__,_._,___