Western Railroad Discussion > Altamont Press West Central Timetable

Hello All,

I just received my (2) copies of the Altamont Press Central West Timetable
which covers Nevada, Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, and parts of border states and
I must say what a great piece of work. Except for California, this one is the
best I have ever seen. There are several "new" items in each subdivision that
were not listed in previous timetables. If you are interested in a valuable "book"
to take while railfanning, this is it.

Unfortunately, along with the timetables was a long letter by David Curlee stating that
probably will the final timetable that he and Altamont Press will do. It will truly
be the end of a great service. Those of you that knew Rob Carlson should definitely pat
David on the back for a great job. I know Rob would be proud.

Anyway, I'm not sure if it is for sale at local hobby shops (as of yet) but I'm sure if
enough people display interest, it will be on sale for a while.

I want to be the first to say, Great Job David and Altamont Press. I know you can't get rich
making these timetables, but they sure are great. Thanks David for all your great work over
the years.

TopCat

Available immediately on the Altamont Press website.

Regards, Jim Evans

I've been involved with the AP timetables since 1996 when I met Rob Carlson, the founder etc. Worked every year at his booth at Winterail (with David Curlee who eventually bought it after Rob's death)---David has done an outstanding job with not only this but the last California 20 TT---------------you cannot believe what goes into putting these timetables together and upon how many people Rob and David were/are dependent for the information to keep them timely. David has done a masterful job on this new edition-------------no question. But------the sources of information and what it takes to gather it aren't there anymore if you don't have the time to spend. Sad.. Many high fives to David for carrying this tradition as far as he has-----
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

Yes I received mind today and I have all of the Altamont Timetables. Better then railroad timetables. THANK for all the good work that went into printing the Timetables.
Dennis

I'll echo what everybody has said above. It's a great effort and I'm sorry to see this as being the last effort from Altamont Press but I understand what Dave Curlee is saying... Sad commentary on the hobby and where it's headed. Thank you Mr. Curlee!

I just ordered the new Central West timetable and also new copies of the Pacific Northwest and California 20 as backups in case I lose my current copies. I have hand-written updates in both of those timetables to reflect changes since their original publications and will greatly miss the opportunity to purchase new and fully updated timetables every few years. The Altamont Press timetables are a great resource and it's a shame that no person or organization has both the time and the ability to keep something like them alive.

Perhaps David can jump in and answer this question.

Are the proprietary rights to the Altamont Press Timetables up for sale or will they become public domain?

I ask this because if they were to become public, perhaps regional collectives could carry on the work using the same format and material. Rather than trying to publish in hard copy, each regional timetable would be available online and downloadable (using the existing size and format).

Actually, having the timetables online on TrainOrders would be a great promotional fixture for Todd, since we on the left coast no longer have any web cameras.

We could call them WikiTables! ...or TO Tables...

frcanyonsub Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Perhaps David can jump in and answer this
> question.
>
> Are the proprietary rights to the Altamont Press
> Timetables up for sale or will they become public
> domain?
>
> I ask this because if they were to become public,
> perhaps regional collectives could carry on the
> work using the same format and material. Rather
> than trying to publish in hard copy, each regional
> timetable would be available online and
> downloadable (using the existing size and
> format).
>
> Actually, having the timetables online on
> TrainOrders would be a great promotional fixture
> for Todd, since we on the left coast no longer
> have any web cameras.
>
> We could call them WikiTables! ...or TO Tables...
That sounds like a great idea. I don't know if Todd would embrace it, but having them online as PDF files (for sale, I assume) would be great.

Kim Heusel

KimHeusel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> frcanyonsub Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Perhaps David can jump in and answer this
> > question.
> >
> > Are the proprietary rights to the Altamont
> Press
> > Timetables up for sale or will they become
> public
> > domain?
> >
> > I ask this because if they were to become
> public,
> > perhaps regional collectives could carry on the
> > work using the same format and material.
> Rather
> > than trying to publish in hard copy, each
> regional
> > timetable would be available online and
> > downloadable (using the existing size and
> > format).
> >
> > Actually, having the timetables online on
> > TrainOrders would be a great promotional
> fixture
> > for Todd, since we on the left coast no longer
> > have any web cameras.
> >
> > We could call them WikiTables! ...or TO
> Tables...
> That sounds like a great idea. I don't know if
> Todd would embrace it, but having them online as
> PDF files (for sale, I assume) would be great.
>
> Kim Heusel


Good idea. That's fairly common in the technical publications arena, where you can download stuff by the page, or by the article. Many versions of webfront store software support it.

Thanks for the kind remarks, everyone. I appreciate everything you said.


frcanyonsub Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Perhaps David can jump in and answer this
> question.
>
> Are the proprietary rights to the Altamont Press
> Timetables up for sale or will they become public
> domain?

No.

The only way the proprietary rights would be sold is if all the inventory went with it. Numerous people have shown interest but as I've told them, I can't recommend they buy the business with a clean conscience. Working sixty, sometimes eighty hours per week - for months on end - has serious quality of life implications. This is the primary reason why Altamont Press will be closing.

As for public domain, it's something I might consider in a few years, but no sooner than that. It's not fair to the people who have purchased copies, or to the hobby stores with inventory left on their shelves.

> I ask this because if they were to become public,
> perhaps regional collectives could carry on the
> work using the same format and material. Rather
> than trying to publish in hard copy, each regional
> timetable would be available online and
> downloadable (using the existing size and
> format).

This would be a challenging proposition at best. The software alone is going to run a person $2000 when you figure in Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, third-party plugins, and miscellaneous other programs.

David

Dave -

do you have additional Altamont Press inventory other than the items listed in the online store list? I ordered several items today, and would certainly be interested in seeing what else is available.

Thanks

Paul

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dave -
>
> do you have additional Altamont Press inventory
> other than the items listed in the online store
> list? I ordered several items today, and would
> certainly be interested in seeing what else is
> available.

No, that's all.

Any know of an online hobby/book store that might still have copies of the newest Southwest Region Timetable?? Amazon doesn't have it.

I would love too get my hands on a Southwest as well. I ordered my West Central Timetable wednesday. Thanks for doing these. I know can't be easy to run a business like this with such a specific but still small network only purchasing.

David.Curlee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> As for public domain, it's something I might
> consider in a few years, but no sooner than that.
> It's not fair to the people who have purchased
> copies, or to the hobby stores with inventory left
> on their shelves.
>
> David


If this doen't show how classy David is, nothing does.


Virlon

Great timetable, I think the Central West is superb.

Good detail of each coal spur on the Orin Cutoff, which mines are located there, symbols for these trains, etc. Good maps of Cheyenne, North Platte, etc.

I may order a backup copy, because I think this one will get a lot of work.

Ordered it last Thursday, got it in NJ on Monday afternoon. Can't beat that service.

> I may order a backup copy, because I think this
> one will get a lot of work.

I also ordered a second copy just in case I lose the first one. Also picked up the latest Northwest one since I did not have it. These timetables are an asset for anyone who travels these lines.


> Ordered it last Thursday, got it in NJ on Monday
> afternoon. Can't beat that service.

Wow, and I thought my delivery to Wyoming was fast!

Paul Birkholz
Sheridan, WY

It's a real shame that David has chosen to end his publishing of these fine timetables--though I certainly understand his reasoning that led him to that decision. I received my copies of the West Central Timetable and it is a gem. As a testament to how fine these timetables have been over the years, I know a number of railroaders who carry them because they contain better and more extensive information than their own employees' timetables. I really hope that someone will approach David with idea of taking over his business--it would have to be a labor of love for someone--but one thing my four decades of railfanning have shown me is that there are lot of people who will do things out of pure love for the hobby, spending countless hours with no hope of profit.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/11 08:56 by WW.