Peter Dougherty Posted December 6, 2011 Share #1 Posted December 6, 2011 Hi folks, Just a quick reminder that the 2012 edition of Tracks of the NYC SUBWAY will be sent to print in just a few days and pre-orders are currently being accepted over at my Webiste (click the old cover image, below). Books should hopefully start shipping by the 14th or 15th with any luck. In the meantime, though, I'm looking for any last-minute updates, corrections, fixes, clarifications or additions. I'm specifically looking for accurate info on the East 180th Street rehab, White Plains Road line signal modernization, anything on the line's CBTC plans, signal and track upgrades and of course any new details concerning tracks, home signals, yards/shops and especially towers (and their control limits). Also, any last-minute entries to the annual front-cover photo contest are welcome. I have a couple of good contenders at the moment but I really don't have anything that pops out at me. I'll leave this open until noon on Thursday, December 8th. The book will go to proofing on the 9th and then to press on the 12th. This year's book will contain relatively few changes from the 2011 edition since the system itself hasn't seen any radical changes in terms of tracks/signals, other than CBTC being complete on the and the removal of the old ABS heads on that line, the Brighton Line's rehab being finished and the progress on the Culver Viaduct. Probably a couple of other items that escape off the top of my head. In any event, thanks to all who've helped by contributing research materials or who have bought copies in the past and shared this passion of mine. Cheers, Peter Dougherty, Author/Publisher 2012 Edition coming December 9th! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton Local Posted December 6, 2011 Share #2 Posted December 6, 2011 Hey Peter Let me know if you have received my emails I sent you from (12-6-11) Thanks Man Zach:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Dougherty Posted December 6, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted December 6, 2011 Yup, got two of them. Images are downloading. You've got some nice shots...and I'm trying to find one that really "pops" in my mind. ...EDIT.... ANDDDDDDD....I think we have a winner! Two, in fact (unless I get something else at the last minute that make mah head asplode ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redge Posted December 7, 2011 Share #4 Posted December 7, 2011 When do you think that the book will be in stock at Posman Books? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Dougherty Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted December 7, 2011 The book goes to print on Monday, and if everything goes the way it usually does, I'll have them here on Thursday, mailing them out Friday. Posman should have their stock the following Monday, maybe sooner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Dougherty Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share #6 Posted December 9, 2011 And there winner is.... . . . . . For the second year in a row, ZACH SUMMER, for his gorgeous twilight shot of a Manhattan-bound Q at West 8th St. Congratulations are in order once again for another terrific image. In other news, the files were given over to the printer last night and they're expecting to run the print job next Monday. Books should be in my hand by Thursday or Friday and mailed out to everybody who pre-ordered by Saturday. Cheers, Peter Dougherty, Author/Publisher 2012 Edition now on sale, shipping Dec. 15th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan05979 Posted December 9, 2011 Share #7 Posted December 9, 2011 What is this book about? Pictures of trains, tunnels or maps of tracks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Dougherty Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share #8 Posted December 9, 2011 What is this book about? Pictures of trains, tunnels or maps of tracks? It's a 150-page book the details every mainline and yard track, most if not all critical home signal indications, closeups of complex interlockings, details about towers (which tower controls what) and a lot more. Head over to the book's site and check out the details. Tracks of the New York City Subway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lance25 Posted December 9, 2011 Share #9 Posted December 9, 2011 Congrats again Zach. That is a lovely shot you took there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan05979 Posted December 9, 2011 Share #10 Posted December 9, 2011 It's a 150-page book the details every mainline and yard track, most if not all critical home signal indications, closeups of complex interlockings, details about towers (which tower controls what) and a lot more. Head over to the book's site and check out the details.Tracks of the New York City Subway Ok that sounds good, I'll order soon. :tup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Far Rock Depot Posted December 10, 2011 Share #11 Posted December 10, 2011 Mr. Dougherty, about 2 months ago, i sent you a message on Facebook regarding the detail of South Ferry on your track map. I have only recently received your responce. I know its cutting it close but i have the updated version done to show you using the image from your 2011 map. The following is the 2011 version: This is the update i am providing. This can be veiwed from either the front of the train or from the windows sitting on the "east side of the railcars. The Current northbound track actually crosses at grade with the old Southbound track. They did not place the new track inbetween the old as shown above ive also included the crossover just west of the S. Ferry IRT station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NX Express Posted December 11, 2011 Share #12 Posted December 11, 2011 Just curious: What happened to these rules? Essentially, a winning image will be a front-looking view of complex trackwork What will NOT win or be considered is a simple view of train run-bys In this picture (and pretty much in the last one), no switches were visible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Dougherty Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share #13 Posted December 11, 2011 Of all the pictures I received (about 100, mostly by Zach and Anthony Maimone) this one was the best by far. Yes, I'd have preferred a bit more complex steel but the lighting here just did the trick. I had three finalists from him; two were of Westchester Yard and this one, and of my friends and family whose opinions I value, it was 12-1 in favour of the sunset. One of his Westchester Yard pics may show up elsewhere in the book as well The bottom line, the winning pic has to have strong visual appeal, little or no clutter, and be technically good as well. I got a fair number of entries this year that were more on-subject than Zach's winning submission but they were either shot with a camera-phone or some other poor quality lens/sensor, or weren't well composed or lit or were just not appealing artistically. What it boils down to is there has to be a mixture of the steel and some degree of artistry, and the image has to be good enough quality to be blown up to 9x12 and printed at 300 dpi. I prefer RAW or JPEG-fine at 10 or more megapixels directly out of the camera (unless the person submitting is very good with Photoshop and knows how to correctly retouch an image in post). The bigger the better. I had one image submitted that was OK in subject matter but was enlarged with Photoshop, making it pixelated at screen resolution, let alone printable. I'm hoping that for the 2013 edition I'll get a lot more submissions and by many more people. I'll choose the best overall photograph for the cover, preferably one that's remarkable and from an unusual perspective or with unusual lighting/conditions but that still features steel-and-signals, etc. The contest starts now and will run until next October 31st. Cheers, Peter Dougherty, Author/Publisher 2012 Edition now on sale, shipping Dec. 15th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VWM Posted December 11, 2011 Share #14 Posted December 11, 2011 I noticed there is a switch missing at avenue X to CI yards in the 2011 edition. The 2011 Edition only shows this track going to the Center+Southbound tracks. The track actually connets to the n/b one too just a suggestion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Dougherty Posted December 15, 2011 Author Share #15 Posted December 15, 2011 Hi Folks, If you pre-ordered a book, it was shipped Priority Mail this morning. Posman in Grand Central should have them by next Monday and I have about 50 or so in stock for immediate delivery. There's still time to get one before Christmas! Cheers, Peter Dougherty, Author/Publisher 2012 Now Available Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubwayGuy Posted December 15, 2011 Share #16 Posted December 15, 2011 Mr. Dougherty, about 2 months ago, i sent you a message on Facebook regarding the detail of South Ferry on your track map. I have only recently received your responce. I know its cutting it close but i have the updated version done to show you using the image from your 2011 map. That portion has been correct in the books for quite some time. You can't go by the track maps on nycsubway...much to the chagrin of the railfan fantasy map element, those "online track maps" are notoriously out of date since they were drawn specifically for the site years ago (I'm guessing Peter did it as a favor to Dave Pirmann, or as a way of talking about the book which actually is very impressive). The ones in the books are much more cleanly drawn and don't have a "microsoft paint" feel to them, and are updated every year. The only thing I'd like to see that would make the book more incredible would be an included expandable full size pull out that included the whole system in one place (like...wall sized). But that would raise printing costs a lot, so I'm sure that's why Peter hasn't tried something like that yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Dougherty Posted December 15, 2011 Author Share #17 Posted December 15, 2011 The only thing I'd like to see that would make the book more incredible would be an included expandable full size pull out that included the whole system in one place (like...wall sized). But that would raise printing costs a lot, so I'm sure that's why Peter hasn't tried something like that yet That's part of the reason. Printing costs are astronimical as it is. I just don't think as many folks would want to pay what it would likely cost. A more practical matter is that each page is its own separate graphics file, and it's in raster format (i.e. like a jpeg picture in Photoshop). As such, they can't easily be pieced together. There are some geographic ideosynchracies as well; the downtown portion of the original 1940 maps were at one scale and the outer portions were at another. You can see this if you were to try and stitch together Bergen St. and south in Brooklyn. To get this all together would likely require me to vectorize the entire subway system. This would take a couple of years (at least) and to be perfectly honest, I'd never recoup my lost time in terms of extra sales it might generate. Now if someone is a master of Illustrator and wants to vectorize all the base maps for me I'm all ears!B) Thanks for the kind words regarding the book, incidentally. They're greatly appreciated. Cheers, Peter Dougherty, Author/Publisher 2012 edition Now Available Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Young+ Posted December 16, 2011 Share #18 Posted December 16, 2011 Is it possible to see those pictures from the Westchester Yard, or do we have to buy the book ourselves to see it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Dougherty Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share #19 Posted December 16, 2011 They're not mine to distribute, unfortunately, but if you ask Zach nicely he may post them He sent me a bunch from up there and two were finalists for the front. One made the inside (P.73) the other didn't make it at all, but it, too was a really nice image and would have been my front if the one I selected hadn't been usable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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