**NOT FOR RELEASE**

This is only a mock-up of a potential cover for my new book, coming spring 2017. The cover that my graphic designer Bryan will produce will look much more professional! However, I do want all books in this series on Canada's VIA Rail to have a family resemblance.

Highball into Happy New Year!

Eric

Houston...We Have a Title

Well, at least it's a working title. Trackside with VIA: Research and Recollections. Keeping the same prefix as the rest of the series, but the second part changes. Alliterative. Meaningful to me, because that is how I can classify just about everything that's going into this book. 

Research - done by me or my knowledgeable contributors. Summaries of data, delving into a bit of VIA history, finding a niche undiscovered. Not necessarily scientific research, but data-mining and presentation in useful form.

Recollections - this part is a little less clinical and a lot more personal. Trips and trains, trackside and on board. Things that are in my recall and that should be shared.

So there we have it. Research and Recollections! It somewhat rrrrrrrolls off the tongue.

Highball!

Eric

Word written Excel accelerated

With many of my text pieces for my upcoming fourth book on VIA Rail now finished, it's time to turn my attention to data. Spreadsheets. Original and contributed. I need three facets working together to make my books a success: text (gotta have lots of good content), photos (a picture truly is worth a thousand words, though these will never be coffee-table books) and data (to substantiate the first two).

So now that words have been written in Word, it's time to compile data in a coherent, readable form. Rosters, paint schemes, refurbishing and first sightings will fill the spreadsheets with material that has not been shared before.

And then, the fun of sifting through photos to include will begin!

If I don't post again before, have a Merry Christmas!

Highball!

Eric