Book Launch for Steam Memories of Lindsay

We have arranged with the Lindsay & District Model Railroaders for a release of our Lindsay book at the local show on April 10 & 11 (click on the link for information on the club, the show and the book release).

Friends Charles Cooper, Jim Clifford and the other fellows associated with the L&DMR group have been kindly providing assistance with promotion for the show and the debut of Steam Memories of Lindsay. They are arranging for various presentations with civic officials, library staff and the club itself. We have enjoyed participating in the Lindsay show in years past, and now that I am tackling the Belleville Division and points east, we may become a regular fixture at the show.

Two or three years before release of my first volume entitled Steam at Allandale, I was pleased to participate in the first Copetown Model Train Show. Ever since that day so long ago, I have been a steady participant. Regrettably, we have chosen not to attend Copetown this year, in order that I may put the time toward completion of the Lindsay book. For those of you who normally see us at Copetown, please consider our invitation to attend the Lindsay show on April 10 or 11. We will have fresh copies of the new book on hand for distribution from that weekend forward.

Haliburton Subdivision chapter finished!

At a whopping 5,747 words, the Haliburton Sub chapter manuscript which I finished four days ago is about 3,000 words more than I planned for! It turns out that the postwar era lumbering industry in the Highlands was too doggone interesting to resist.

I have some modeling friends who are working on layouts depicting various aspects of the Haliburton Subdivision over the 1945-59 timeframe. Fellows, you are onto something; I trust that a number of other railway modelers will latch onto the possibilities of the late steam era Haliburton Subdivision when Steam Memories of Lindsay is published next spring.

I am now immersed in preparing background notes on the Lindsay-Peterboro section of the book, which at present is involving an exhaustive study of the industrial customers on the western portion of the Campbellford Subdivision, the Lakefield Subdivision and Peterboro itself.

Steam Memories of Lindsay release in March 2010

Work on the Lindsay book is proceeding apace, but we have notified, in writing, all of our individual pre-publication purchasers and dealers of a rescheduled release date, for March 2010.

Briefly, this decision has been made in the interest of producing a top quality volume in line with previous releases. Steam Memories of Lindsay could have been released this month, but the depth and presentation would have suffered greatly.

Over the years, I have spoken with many people who are yearning for the "Ian Wilson" treatment of the network of branchlines radiating out of Lindsay. There have been a few excellent publications over the past quarter century which have covered various aspects of GTR/CNR Lindsay area history. Nonetheless, the consensus is that we need to have a re-creation of the fascinating operational details of this territory during the dramatic steam-diesel transition era (the overhwhelmingly popular time period among modelers, historians and enthusiasts).

Despite the very occasional individual who whines 'I don't see why he wants to do this when it has already been covered in detail' (and I always delight in showing otherwise), Steam Memories of Lindsay will not be a rehash, but rather a brand new kindling of a CNR railway network which has never been portrayed in the moment-to-moment, gritty, action-packed detail of all its glory of 1954. Not to mention the specifics so greatly sought by railway modelers and enthusiasts--just how much coal was shipped out of Century Coal in Midland day after day? (hint: it was not insignificant). What kind of grain tonnage moved over the Midland and Campbellford Subdivisions? (enough to put every other Bay Port and Goderich to shame). And why were hundreds of carloads of logs shipped onto the Haliburton Subdivision every year (later to be shipped out again)? And was the lumber era really and truly over in Haliburton County after 1920, with the Haliburton Subdivision never fulfilling its potential? (tell that to the lumbermen, railwaymen and forest overseers of the 1940-59 era.).

All this, and more, awaits in Steam Memories of Lindsay, but much work remains to be done. If I neglect this blog for any reason, it is in the interest of the finished product.

To Stratford Under Steam now out of print

Congratuations to Peter Paton, who purchased the last copy of To Stratford Under Steam on August 1st.

We printed 3504 copies of this volume in February 2000. With the ninth installment (Lindsay) now in preparation, it is unlikely that Stratford or any of its successors will be reprinted anytime soon. The London and Palmerston books will be the next to disappear (each with fewer than 100 copies remaining).

On the Lindsay book, I have written the Uxbridge Sub, Blackwater, Coboconk Sub, Midland Sub and Midland town chapters. Up next are the Haliburton Sub, the Campbellford Sub and two Lindsay chapters. The Midland town chapter has been especially interesting to research and write, with all the coal, grain and stone tonnage heading toward my hometown of Orillia for furtherance north, south and east.

Announcing Steam Memories of Lindsay

For the past five months, I have been working ahead on the next volume, which will deal with the network of branchlines surrounding Lindsay, Ontario. We have prepared a print flyer which will be sent to all recent (past three years) direct order customers. You can also read about the book on our webpage.

For folks going to the Lindsay model railway show this weekend, Charles Cooper has kindly assisted us in making sure a supply of flyers are available there.

Publication of this volume will be in the fall of 2009, and you can pre-order a copy (at a discount) until September 30 by ordering online or submitting payment via our mail order form (or wait for your flyer in the mail). At the moment I am working on the Midland (town) and Midland Subdivision chapters. This has involved unravelling and explaining the fascinating story of bulk commodities shipped off the CNR Midland Sub: grain from the Midland elevators, coal from Century Coal at Midland, and limestone from Uhthoff.

I should also mention that we are down to about a dozen copies of To Stratford Under Steam.

Stratford radio interview

Today I will be interviewed by Eddie Matthews on 1240 CJCSradio in Stratford at 8:15 a.m. You can find the station and listen live here.

Owen sound radio interview today

I will be chatting with Christine Curtis on CFOS radio in Owen Sound at 12:40 p.m. today. You can listen to the interview through the station's "Listen Live" button, found here.

Hamilton radio interview today

At 12:30 this afternoon, I will be chatting with John Biggs on Talk 820 radio in Hamilton. Three guesses as to which book John will want to discuss! Look for the "Listen Now" button on the Talk 820 web page here.

See you at George's Trains today!

A quick reminder to folks in the Greater Toronto Area that I'll be doing a book signing at George's Trains on Mount Pleasant Road in Toronto. Mary-Jo and I will be at the table from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., so feel free to stop by. If you have any books which are not signed, the store advises that they would be more than happy for you to bring them in to be signed. Of course, there will be good stock of all eight titles if you need any for Christmas!

Radio interview this morning

At 9:20 this morning (minutes from now!), I will be chatting with John Nichols on The Peak FM Collingwood. John will likely be especially interested in Steam Scenes of Allandale and the new Hamilton book . you can listen live here (look for the "Listen Live" button).

Interview today on CFOS Owen Sound

Today, I will be doing the "Georgian Bay Today" show on CFOS AM radio in Owen Sound. The show broadcasts from noon until 1:00 PM, and I believe we are taping the interview at 1030 this morning. Christine Curtis is the host and you can listen here. It is likely that we will talk about the Palmerston book, and possibly one or both of the Allandale books, and there will of course be a mention of the new Hamilton release.

Update: we recorded the interview this morning, and it will run on CFOS sometime next week. I will post the date and time when I get word from the hostess.

Free shipping, tonight only!

As part of a promotion to be announced on tonight's radio interview, we are waiving the shipping charges on any number of books ordered (North America only) for tonight only! If you need any of the titles, now is the time to go crazy on our book page!