Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Photos Matching Text

Dome
With LRC
Photos matching text
Lots of fun
Book

Haiku above! The blogging is suffering a bit as I immerse myself in the book creation process. Text pieces and spreadsheets of data are 99% complete. Storyboards started. Now scanning, editing and matching photos to each piece. 

The feeling of anticipation is palpable. Much as the arrival of a Skyline in Toronto for the Rapido product launch at Exporail must have been (photo).

Highball!
Eric

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Why a Book?

Commenting on his book The Revenge of Analog - Real Things and Why They Matter, author David Sax said that writing a book was "a terrible business idea. But you do it because you have an idea you want to solidify into something." Something more than a social media post. Having just received a finished copy of his book, which he cradled affectionately, he said, "I can literally rub my hand over my name. That's worth however many g**d*** years I put into this thing!"

Now that sounds like a book I'd like to read!

Highball!
Eric

Saturday, January 7, 2017

This Bud's for You. This Book's for Me.

Is it self-serving and indulgent to say that this fourth book is for me? Yes. Because it's really for you. My first book: Trackside with VIA: The First 35 Years (above) compiled and organized all my 2,700+ VIA consists garnered trackside from 1976-2011. My second book: Trackside with VIA: Cross-Canada Compendium (below) is what others asked for. More of a national focus, more text, more photos, more colour - and it got so big it spawned my third book, the Consist Companion.
Yet this pending book's for me. It is VIA history, operations, consists, photos, data and text that matters to me. That interests you. That I want to share. It can still be national, text, photo, colour and all those good things. Yet it still explores those niche areas of VIA that no-one else writes about. That no-one else experienced and if they did, they didn't share it very widely. Who else would publish this material? And where else would you find it?

It's research. It's recollection. It's review. It's remembered.

It's for me. And it's for you. And it's coming down the track.
And I can't wait.

Highball!
Eric

Monday, January 2, 2017

Easter 1982

Permit me a dipsy-doodle digression during my data digestion. How was it possible that I:
  • was trackside April 10, 11 and 12 in 1982 and not in high school?
  • was able to document the consist of the eastbound Corridor Canadian each of those days?
  • noted Club de la Garnison and three other cars each day?
  • am surprised my Dad noted each day's club as 'Garrison Club'?
  • that each consist is recorded in his handwriting?
  • that each consist includes the notation 'Eric Amherstview'?
  • that I have lost these consists until now?
  • that I have found them?
  • and I'm including them in my fourth book under the heading Discovered Consists?
Google tells me that those days were the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Easter weekend that year, that's how!

Once again, thanks Dad!
Highball!
Eric