But look, we have proof!

Not long ago, I gave my printer a USB stick full of material for this second VIA book.  Then I waited, not so patiently.  There was pacing.  There was nail-biting.  There was more pacing, followed by finger-drumming.  Then, on Sunday, I received a fantastic proof from Bryan.  He has done a great job combining tables, text and photos*.  It's lookin' good, real good.

I had no idea how many pages the proof would total.  I thought 50 or 60.  How about 92?  That's 92 pages of solely VIA material! Is this a problem or an opportunity?  All along, I've wanted to include all types of material, including relevant consists from across Canada, especially from the early years of VIA.  Aside from colour photos, some consists are the only thing to be added, and now they've gone to the printer too.  How big is this thing going to end up being??

Bryan and I are working through some revisions, as I try to squeeze a few more VIA data-points into the proof, and we're also working on some formatting.  I'm eager to see the colour pages, and I've selected photos that will look best in colour, highlighting all the colours of VIA, from B&W to B&Y via Action Red and grey&blue, Renaissance greenish-bluish and even Amroad red.  Amroad red??

*Funny formatting story....Bryan was concerned that I'd included four of the same photos of a baggage car.  Was there some mistake?  Had I lost my mind, uploaded the wrong photo, gone VIA stir-crazy?  So he started counting the rivets.  He looked at the stripe pattern and the details of the cars in the photo.  He realized they were indeed different.  A railfan was born?  Well, not quite, but these photos showed four ex-CP baggage cars that languished at CP's Glen Yard in Montreal well into the VIA era.  And I wanted to include each and every one of them for just that reason.  Good eye, Bryan!

A word about price.  All along, I've also wanted to keep this book affordable.  I would much rather see my books in more readers' hands at a reasonable price, than inflate the price to increase the profits, making the book more exclusive to a smaller potential readership.  I often buy railway books based on price, and I know for many of you, this is also an important consideration.  Now that I'm working on pricing, I am indeed endeavouring to keep the price reasonable.  I want the information I've gathered to get out there, among those who are interested in VIA as I am.

Longest. Blog post. Ever.  Well, not quite, but can you sense my enthusiasm in my typing?  Seeing the proof after over a year of work is rewarding.  Knowing this project is almost complete is like waiting to board your favourite VIA train after waiting so long for the departure date to arrive.  You know what comes next,

Highball!
Eric

Photo of No 1 Eng 6441 at Winnipeg, Manitoba by Manny Jacob, September 22, 2012.