Bill Jamieson

What seems to have gone backwards is the normal offering from printers - I presume it's far easier to print everything using four colours, no doubt because colour output is now the norm. Duotone printing using two plates, black and a spot grey, should give excellent black and white, but this can only be proofed using wet proofing (i.e. using the same press and materials as the print run will be carried out on), which seems to be expensive. On the other hand, only two plates are required per sheet so that must save cost, but I have no idea how it balances out - that said, David Postle seems to be taking the duotone route (or possibly tritone using three plates) with 'Transition' so it can't be prohibitively expensive. There have been some excellent duotone printed railway books in recent years, but these are almost exclusively from the U.S. - the O. Winston Link book 'Life on the Line' and Victor Hand's 'A Steam Odyssey' (the latter has a reasonable number of UK images by the way) are two examples, and I've just come across a relatively new book called 'Essential Witness' featuring the work of another U.S. photographer, Jim Shaughnessy, which is specified as being duotone printed (I haven't actually seen it yet but it is listed on both the Ian Allan and W H Smith websites and I would be interested to hear from anyone who has acquired it ). The RRP is £48, by the way, but this will include the normal book industry mark-ups, which may not apply with 'Never Again'. On a more positive note, there are loads of stunning images in 'Never Again', too many to list, but could I just mention page 199 of Volume One, a Ken Hale shot of two unrebuilt Bulleid Pacifics emerging from Devonshire Tunnel (Bath) into Lyncombe Vale. This must rate as one of the best S&DJR shots ever taken (and I have most, if not all, of the Ivo Peters albums). Bill

Latest from David P.:- Update 24th December 2018 The first paragraph which I wrote on the previous update can be repeated word for word again as it is still very appropriate. "Firstly once again a very big thank you to you all for being so patient for so long and for the countless messages of good will and support we have received from you all, as we continue to ensure we bring you a top quality product for you to savour and to indeed do justice to Colin Gifford's artistic craftmanship. I have shared many of your comments with Colin and he has told me he has been humbled by your response and wants nothing but the very best for his loyal readership." The previous update mentioned that I was awaiting some more running sheets which were specified to match the proofs which I had approved rather than repeat the exercise of producing sheets which did not match the proofs. Those new running sheets took a bit longer than promised to come, but the positive news about them is that they very nearly came up to our expectations, and there was a definite rich black taking the place of the more brown colour previously supplied. If you were to ask on percentages, I would say we are 90-95% towards producing a really good book with the intensity of black I have been looking for since we started. Unfortunately the Christmas holiday has now halted further progress for a couple of weeks, but I am seriously hoping that this time is really 'third time lucky'. I am currently looking to specify a slightly different ink so as to bring the best out of the lighter tones, and when we have seen the results of that I am sure that we will be able to give the go-ahead for what hopefully is the final time! As far as timing goes, we have, much to my disappointment and no doubt yours, missed giving you something to read at Christmas and for which I am truly sorry. As you know the whole world seems to shut down for some time over Christmas and I do not expect further sheets to be available until the first week or so of the New Year. However, once I am satisfied that all our expectations will be met, I would hope that we will see a finished book being dispatched before the end of January. As with previous updates, the offer is always there for any of you to have a refund if you wish as I know I am holding your money far longer than it was originally intended. However, if you are still willing to persevere, and hopefully not for too long now, then I am, as I have said before, very grateful for you patience and understanding. Until I receive the latest sheets in the first week or so of January I am not able to give you a firm date, but I would be disappointed if we do not see the book appear before the end of that month. I will however, keep you informed and write again in early January, but the most recent advances are very encouraging I have to say. This is by way of a general circular and there are a few of you for whom I need to write an individual reply, so if you could bear with me for a few days until after Christmas, I will respond to you individually as well. In the meantime, I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year. Many thanks Best Wishes David Postle

I opened my set yesterday, albeit I have not looked at the books in any great depth yet. Initial impressions? - the content doesn't disappoint, in fact much of it is superb, with a good balance of text and pictures. But it is rather obvious that all of the set has been printed using a four colour process, hence the brownish tinge mentioned above. That said, viewing the books under daylight or daylight balanced artificial light minimises the effect and I'm loathe to make too much of it given what good value for money the set of books represents, particularly at the early special offer rate. Bill

Yes, I presume that is the case - in fact SR seems to use very few B&W images these days, and those seem to be mostly archive material). A couple of years ago I emailed them a monochrome shot of Flying Scotsman on Borthwick Bank when it visited Tweedbank, and the response (it is perhaps noteworthy that I actually got a response) was 'nice shot, have you got it in colour'. Of course still being a film user, I didn't! Bill

Latest update - anyone who has been following the 'Media > Books > Transition Colin T Gifford' thread on this site will see that I have just had the books delivered but I am not happy with them due to a very obvious (and to my eye unpleasant) purplish-brown colour cast under warm (2700K) domestic lighting. The root cause is the four colour printing process used (CMYK) which delivers reasonably neutral results under daylight balanced lighting but is subject to a phenomenon often referred to as 'metamerism' but more correctly, I believe, as 'metameric failure'. I am currently investigating a reprint with my printer using a different process, and am not actively promoting the book in its current form. That said if anyone is still interested by all means get in touch by email or phone - sparrowcastle@btinternet.com / 01578 730262. Bill

There's a classic example in the current issue of Steam Railway magazine, I think around pages 66 & 67 (I don't have it in front of me). A black and white photograph spread over two pages exhibits completely different colour casts one side to the other. Bill

The question is, what is 'normal' black and white? To get outstanding (rather than run of the mill) quality B&W reproduction needs at least duotone printing i.e. using two plates, black and a light grey but printers seem to be very reluctant to offer this route (partly, it would appear, because pre-proofing isn't possible). Having had two pallets of my Vale of Rheidol album delivered on Wednesday, I will now rescind what I said previously about CMYK printing being the route to go for best quality B&W - if neutral B&W is the goal this is the very last way to choose. My book looks fine under daylight (or daylight balanced artificial light e.g. as the sheets of six pages did in the viewing booth next to the printing press) but get it under warm domestic lighting (2700K) and the purple-brownish cast is really quite unpleasant (at least to my eye). I understand this is the issue that David Postle is grappling with, but a solution seems to be on the horizon - if I recall what he told me the other day when I 'phoned him for advice, the solution is to print a CMYK separation using two black plates (the K channel as normal and the C channel) and light grey for one of the other two channels. I'm not sure whether this qualifies as tritone printing, which I thought used black and two shades of grey, but perhaps someone out there can clarify. Having discussed it since with my own printer, he is going to do some duotone trials to see what can be achieved and I will reprint if it can be done cost-effectively. If I can bring Never Again into this thread, I still haven't opened my parcel of books (waiting for Christmas Day!) but I have received comments that the B&W reproduction has a brownish cast - inevitable given that it is a mixture of B&W and colour shots, so must have been printed by the four colour method. As the comments on the Never Again thread have been so favourable I'm hopeful that any colour cast will not be too obvious but it would be interesting to know what anyone else's thoughts on this are. Bill

I'm sure it is one of Robin Barbour's colour shots. Bill

A large, heavy box was delivered this morning but I don't intend opening it until Christmas Day - that will take some self-restraint! Bill

David and Colin have gone for four colour (CMYK) printing, something with which I would totally agree if rich blacks and fine-art quality are the aims. However, having gone down the same route with my album on the Vale of Rheidol (see link at bottom to Narrow Gauge Prototype here on RMWeb), I can confirm that it is far from straightforward to get consistent results. It's perhaps easiest if I paste in below.what I emailed to David at the weekend. I understand that the printing of Transition is being done in Poland, which obviously makes supervising the printing more difficult. Bill If it’s any consolation, I'm in the process of self-publishing what should be a high quality B&W album covering the last years of BR operation on the Vale of Rheidol line (see link below) and have also been suffering significant problems. Like you I went down the four colour (CMYK) printing route and I can sympathise with the issues you have had. The first problem was with the proofs, which was obviously nothing to do with the printing process itself, and we eventually pinned it down to my monitor not being set bright enough during the photo-editing process (the initial editing was done using the same screen brightness as I use when printing at home and this produces the correct print density on my Canon inkjet printer). We eventually decided that my monitor needed to be about twice as bright as normal in order to get the correct density on the proofs and I then spent a day and a half at the printer’s (Bayliss in Shireoaks, Nottinghamshire) while a satisfactory set of proofs was produced, using a monitor in their studio to do the final tweaking if necessary. I thought that was it settled and that the actual printing would then be straightforward - I had decided that I would be there (last Monday and Tuesday as it happens) but I was hopeful it would just be for the interest of seeing it done, not that my presence would be vital. Not a bit of it; it was far from being a case of putting the four plates in, pressing the start button and letting everything run automatically. Bayliss use a £2M state of the art press, but it still requires a skilled printer to operate, and for the output to be judged subjectively, with adjustments made manually via the computer controls to the feed of individual inks if necessary, I’m not sure how many sheets were used to get each plate (generally six pages per plate) looking right, but I guess it must have been something like 50 sheets were run through the press every time before a satisfactory result was obtained. I’m reasonably happy with the final result, but I would have to say that it was extremely difficult to get a consistent, reasonably neutral colour cast throughout the printing, and in a few cases there were variations of the colour cast on individual sheets (a magenta cast in shadow areas was impossible to eliminate on a couple of shots, for example, without making adjacent areas look unacceptable blue). Such variations seem to be inevitable with CMYK printing (although hopefully they won’t be too obvious to the average book purchaser) but I certainly can’t complain about the density of black obtainable using this process - the blacks are excellent (much better than the proofs, which Bayliss produce on an Epson inkjet printer, supposedly to emulate the look of the paper and inks of the final output) as, by the way, is the sharpness of the final prints. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/139068-30th-anniversary-of-the-end-of-br-steam/

Update - I was down at Bayliss Print in Shireoaks (near Worksop) Monday and Tuesday last week to supervise the printing, and the 500 sets of pages are now over in Stockport for binding. I expect to get a pallet of books delivered to my house at the end of next week. If anyone is interested please contact me at sparrowcastle@btinternet.com and I will email particulars of content, cost etc and a few sample pages. Bill

A bit after the end of steam, but you might still find this shot of mine useful. RAILSCOT | Wakefield Kirkgate Bill

Yes, it does seem an odd choice of loco when viewed over a longer timescale, but the original was purchased by the IG Preßnitztalbahn as far back as 1991 so I suppose there is some logic to it. My apologies if this seems pedantic, but 99 1542 should really be considered as dating from 1963. The original 99 542 would have contributed little more than the wheelsets and numberplates (certainly not the frames) to what emerged from Görlitz-Schlauroth works in 1963 as a so-called rebuilt loco. Bill PS Ditto 99 1568 but constructed in 1964.

No, it's not a typo, 4th November was the last day of the 1988 season on the Vale of Rheidol and in my book qualifies as the real end of BR steam (OK there were a couple of specials run after 4/11/88, but it was the last day of normal operation under BR). To mark this anniversary I will be self publishing a large format album of black and white photographs covering the period 1977-88. As I'm experiencing the same sort of problems with getting satisfatory proofs as Colin Gifford and the MNA with their books marking the end of main-line steam, I hesitate to give a definite date for publication, but I'm hopeful that it will be well before the end of the year. Attached are the front and back covers. Bill

Latest update from David Postle:- Update 3rd November 2018 First of all a big thank you to you all firstly for being patient for so long, and secondly for the many messages of support I have had from you as we try and ensure top quality and to make this Colin Gifford book something special. After all the trials we have done over the last few weeks, we have finally reached a stage where we have had proofs which look really good. As long as we can match those proofs on the press, then we will end up with a superb book, and we shall know that within the next few days as the book rolls off the presses. I cannot imagine that we will have any more delays as everyone has made the effort to get it right, and I am looking forward to seeing the end result as I am sure you are too. The date for delivery here has been given to me as 5th December, and if there is any change to that, then I will let you know. The hard work for us then starts here! A lot of you wanted signed copies, so I will be driving down to see Colin armed with several boxes of books for him to sign. Once I have returned we will get extra staff onto the job to dispatch them to you. So please be that little bit extra patient as we get them signed and dispatched. This email will be going out to those who have already ordered the book and paid for it, so for you there is nothing else for you to do unless you have since changed your postal address and in that case, please let me know so the book does not go to the wrong place! Cheques will be cashed as we dispatch the book, so please ensure you have not spent all your money on Christmas shopping! This email is also going out to those who have expressed an interest in purchasing the book but have not yet paid. If you want to take advantage of my original offer to have the book posted to you free of charge, then I would be grateful if you would send a cheque for £30 made out to Kidderminster Railway Museum to arrive before the end of November. Once the book has been delivered, any fresh orders will be subject to a post and packing charge. For those of you who would rather buy your books at a retail outlet, I will try and furnish you with that information before the end of the month. The ISBN number of the book is 978 1916 400108, but that number will not appear on the retail lists for a few days yet. As with the last update, I am sorry this is all a bit impersonal but I am trying to cover everyone who has expressed interest in the book in one form or another, as there are so many of you that if I were to write individual emails I would probably still be writing them after the book has arrived! I will contact you again as the book goes through all its print and binding processes, let you know how all that is going and confirm the delivery date. If there is anything else you need to know, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Best Wishes David Postle Kidderminster Railway Museum

Delivery is now scheduled for mid December - https://www.mnabooks.com/latestnews/ Bill

Hi Ross, Yes, I'm sure 62440 is aware of the existence of the plan! If there's any specific information you would like, just ask. Bill

Sorry for not responding sooner, but I've only just noticed this thread. I have an original BR track plan on cartridge paper (on long-term loan from a friend) which gives details of rail and sleeper types as at the end of 1968. There's quite a bit of information on when lifting took place as well, but too much to list here now. Just as a flavour, lifting had reached Melrose station from the south on 16/9/71. By 28/9/71 it was at MP 35.75 (which I guess is around where Darnick Siding used to be), then the next two dates given are 8/11/71 at Bowshank Tunnel and 22/11/71 at MP27, just south of Stow. Bill

I would agree completely with your comments about putting the cost of Never Again into perspective, but as a comparator I would use the cost of top quality photo albums from the US which are available in this country - for example A Steam Odyssey (which includes a number of BR scenes) by Victor Hand and published by W W Norton retails at £60. The page size and count is similar to that of an individual volume of Never Again and the quality of printing is top notch - If the MNA can match this for half the price, I will be well pleased. Bill

Allocations in 1he 1969 Locoshed book are as reported to Ian Allan up to the following dates:- LMR December 9 1968 ER December 28 1968 ScR December 28 1968 SR December 28 1968 WR November 9 1968 Bill

I see that publication has now slipped to late October - an issue with the printer, it would appear (see yesterday's update on their website). Bill

The 1st volume of the MNA four book set entitled "Never Again" MNA Books - Never Again will have a significant number of Waverley Route shots, no doubt some of them never seen before. The set isn't cheap (£120 + £10 p&p) but looks as if it will be well worth the money. For anyone who lives within striking distance of Kidderminster, the photographic exhibition at the railway museum (next to the SVR station) to mark the 50th anniversaty of the end of BR standard gauge steam includes quite a few Waverley Route shots (I think mainly by MNA members), some of which were new to me. Nothing is captioned so it was quite entertaining to try and identify the locations. The exhibition runs until Sunday 19th August. Bill

See the August edition of Steam World magazine for the timings of Carnforth target workings T46 and T47 which served Kendal, Burneside and Windermere in the last months of steam. Bill

There's a long article about Hawick shed in the latest edition of Steam Days magazine - not sure if there are any completely new images as I haven't actually bought it yet! Bill

A very youthful Andrew Boyd at the extreme right of the third shot and I think that's Madge Elliot holding the placard with 'Progress' at the bottom. Perhaps Bruce can identify a few more. Bill