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Re: (erielack) Trains Screws up Again -- Anthracite RR Map

List,

First off, I haven't seen the latest TRAINS issue so I can't comment on the 
Anthracite map.

However, Henry and I were involved with the Buffalo area map last August. 
When we received TRAINS' original edition of their Buffalo map, it was quite 
poor. I really can't blame them as Buffalo is an extremely complex area. 
Actually, for not living here, they did a reasonable job.

We had about three weeks till publication. We started trading emails with 
the TRAINS' staff on a daily basis. Sending complex colored maps back and 
forth is quite time consuming. Henry and I were persistant and insistant on 
getting it right. Every change we sent, TRAINS incorporated. I'll bet at 
least 40 emails were involved. Fortunately Henry is a real map expert, and I 
had the archives of the WNYRHS to draw on. Without our resources, I don't 
know how TRAINS could have done it.

The TRAINS' staff was extremely helpful and cooperative. They made all the 
changes/additions/corrections we recommended. We still had a couple of minor 
changes to make but time ran out. These changes were not critical to the 
overall accuracy. We also had to make editorial decisions as to what time 
frame to incorporate. I think we errored on the side of including too much 
rather than too little.

Unless you have gone thru this experience, you have no idea how much time, 
effort, research and energy must go into producing these maps. We had to 
balance our final product with the time available and the size of the map. 
When I finished with this map, I didn't want to see another map for months.

There were a couple of changes we could have added but no one in the Buffalo 
area has pointed out any errors to me. I think we got it right. After the 
great experience we had with the TRAINS' staff and their dedication to 
getting it right, the statement "TRAINS Screws Up Again" is perhaps a bit 
harsh.

Ron Dukarm 



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