Missouri-Illinois Book information and reservations

[jymrpvzdnskxnqtc]

Glad to see you are getting close. Really looking forward to it.

Joe

[peggyrothschild]

I should receive the first printed proof of the book today. Last week I got an electronic version and forwarded to a couple of individuals that helped with the history and the locomotives and rolling stock for review and to come back with additional information or corrections. The book is at 384 pages. The editor asked to get the changes back to her by June 12 so they could make the July print date. This was originally planned back before RPM was canceled in Collinsville. I’ve since told her we don’t need the books until October for the Missouri Pacific Historical Society annual meet so I and others now have more time to proofread and take more time with decided what photos to keep and enlarge and ones to delete. I purposely included different views of the same subject and those to be dropped are badly focused or redundant. I also want to avoid postage stamp images. I don’t know if you ever bought a railroad history book and had photos that had the locomotives cropped to where the tender or pilot were cut off. This has been the case in several photos and I’m having these changed back to the whole image again. Once I submit the changes I get a second proof for review to ensure all has been properly done and the index will have page numbers.

[amosluettgen1665]

Sounds like great progress and appreciate the revisions on images!

…gregg

[peggyrothschild]

For those who have reserved the upcoming Missouri-Illinois Railroad book http://www.mopac.org/store/m-i-book. Here’s some additional information:

For those that are members of the Missouri Pacific Historical Society, the book is discounted to $68 (plus shipping) until August 25, 2020. The non-members price before August 25 is $74.95 (plus shipping). Processing orders in advance of printing allows the books to be shipped directly from the publisher and avoids double handling and additional expense.
If you are not a member and would like to benefit from the discount, go to: http://mopac.org/mphs-membership to join. Members receive four 48 page magazines and a color calendar in addition to discounts on items in our Company Store. For those interested in railroad apparel, we also have a MR&BT ball cap available for purchase – http://mopac.org/store/mphs-gear/item/592-ball-cap-mississippi-river-bonne-terre-emblem. Joining the MPHS, now, will help us process member orders, with the discount, properly and in a timely fashion.

As a reminder books sold after August 25 will be $71 (plus shipping) for members and $78 (plus shipping) for nonmembers.

The book is still on schedule for printing in early September. Those reserving a book you will receive another email in August on payment options.

[peggyrothschild]

Shot of the cover. Book is going to production August 6 and we are still on for printing September 2nd. [attachment=0:18y2zzzo]BF456BB1-16B2-461B-8926-7C6EC3132B43.jpeg[/attachment:18y2zzzo]

[peggyrothschild]

The M-I books were shipped yesterday at 2:55 pm from Marceline, Missouri and my brother in Jefferson City just let me know the book arrived this morning – media mail. So individuals in central Missouri may start seeing their books this week.

[amosluettgen1665]

Mine arrived this morning in Parkville (KC), MO. Oh my, this is a wonderful book – Charlie, congratulations and THANK YOU for what is and always will be, _the_ definitive text on the M-I. Chocked full of pictures as well as text on operations, outlines and details of each depot, customers served along the line, etc. I can assure you this is not one to miss.

Have just thumbed thru it for now, but will start digesting tonight. It will certainly guide many changes as I resume progress on the layout.

…gregg

[peggyrothschild]

Gregg
After all the news about the overtime being cut and sort machines taken out of service I’m amazed that media mail is being delivered the next day. Hopefully my statement doesn’t jinx the others.

Happy to read your comments. After proofreading it a half a dozen times I’ve still found two errors in the captions. I wish some of the images could have been larger but it would have pushed the cost of the book higher and we wanted to keep it affordable.

My geography of Illinois has certainly increased since writing it too…

[John Pieroni]

I didn’t check my mailbox yesterday! I’ll let you know what I find this evening in SEMO.

[mopac]

Well as I live in the west in the Protest Capital of the world. But moved south from that last year. It is mild in Wood burn.

I will let yo know when it arrives, hopefully early next week.

Bill Basden Delta Models http://www.deltamodelsusa.com

[peggyrothschild]

Pat
I received tracking information on the review copies that were mailed out on 9/1 and it looks like several will be delivered today so they are taking the normal media mail time to get to the buyers. I know from a FB post David Huelsing sent me that a buyer in Festus got his and Jim Rose received his box of four he’d ordered. Several of us in Omaha received ours today so I’m thinking many will be delivered this week.

Media tracking doesn’t get the same details as priority mail but here’s your tracking number if you want to see what the post office has posted 9114902307224875845135.

[princessclyne69]

Mine came today in Houston.

I knew the page count, but I was actually surprised to realize this was twice the size of the typical ‘railroad book’. The insider’s view of the operations and the rationale behind the changes is something rarely written about, since even a very knowledgeable railfan isn’t normally privy to this. There must have been an unusually large number of the employees who cared enough about the railroad to keep so much information, and an unusually tight-knit group who knew about these collections.

I’ll offer a side note: I worked for Fluor for 45 years, and near the end of the period of time when the company was a relatively undiversified engineering and construction company of process plants, with its relatively cyclical nature, the management decided to buy a more stable business with more steady cash flow, so they bought St. Joe Lead, which had itself just bought Massey Coal. That was in 1981. Shortly after that, the prices of many metals collapsed and this asset turned into a very large liability. Took them years to unwind all those ownerships.

RG7

[robthathaway43]

I have received mine in southern Illinois. Looks great! I can’t wait to read it.

[bargetanika]

It appears from USPS tracking that it is arriving today.

[John Pieroni]

My copy arrived in SEMO on 9/8. Big thank you to Charlie!

James Hovis

[Author]

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