Arrow No. 37-2 On The Way

Wed Apr 28 17:51:45 EDT 2021

Hi Nigel

Actually, this question is far less common than you might think. I did a survey a few years back on it, and got a grand total of 4 responses, three were against the Arrow in PDF format, and one yes.

It is a double edged sword, unfortunately. Our membership numbers are not large enough to make the Arrow economical to print. As you might have noticed, I have brought that subject up several times, about the economy of scale. If we could double our membership, we can make it a lot more cost effective to do the Arrow. 

We do make a PDF version of the Arrow for our overseas members. That is simply the best way to handle it for them. Postage rates are insane, and service, in my opinion, continually goes downgrade. Witness the handling of Roger Huber’s replacement copy (see other email). Overseas postage became more and more insane, costing, in many cases over $15 a copy to mail. In addition, it now seems to take a huge effort to get anything to anyone overseas. We shipped a book to Germany back in December, went all the way there, address was correct, and then the postal service returned it with no explanation, was over $70 to mail the book, one time.

The magazine costs a lot to print and produce, that is a fact. I don’t believe anyone wants to downgrade to a lesser magazine, which honestly, would not save much money. 

If we further reduce the print run, then the per copy cost of the magazine goes higher. That is the simple reason we don’t offer it as such.

In addition, some folks who might be, shall we say, less than scrupulous, can easily share the magazine to their friends, who then share it with others, cutting our membership even more, which, again, runs the cost per copy up.

Unless we are willing to spend a pretty hefty amount on some software to protect the PDF and our other digital assets, any protection you put in a PDF, can be pretty easily undone if the person is slightly dedicated. The software can embed protection that is difficult to break. How do I know this? Well, pretty simple, in a former job, I used to need high quality vector company logos for sign or display production. And most folks in a company simply don’t understand what you really need, or know to ask for. 

In addition to the time factor of going back and forth, I was wasting a bunch of time before I figured out that most big companies produced Annual Reports or technical publications with logos in them by a professional designer. So, I frequently searched for such, found it, and in about 80 percent of the cases, found a workable logo. About 10 percent were locked where I could not easily get to them, so I was able to unlock the document, get what I needed. Now, how many did I run into that I could not, for lack of a better term, break in? Probably not but about one in forty, but they were locked up with a software control scheme.

I ran into this recently as well. You all have probably seen the Safety First logo with a Class J on the face mask. I drew that logo, based on one painted at Shaffers Crossing years ago, so by creating it, it was copyrighted. All of a sudden last summer, someone pointed out to me where that logo was used on a T shirt by a dealer. Now, how did they get my logo art? Simple, found it in a PDF on line, downloaded it, and stole it directly from my document. Nobody will go to the trouble to recreate my art unless you are really a die hard.

Anyway, you see some of the issues of the PDF and how it might factor into actually reducing our membership when something is put out for all to grab. I’d be more than willing to consider the software, but it is pretty pricey.

A very long answer to a short question.

Best
Ken Miller

> On Apr 28, 2021, at 4:19 PM, NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Ken;
> 
> I realize that this must be asked frequently: what is the chance of having the Arrow delivered digitally (not paper) ?  I turned all of my professional magazines to digital only many years ago to reduce wasted paper and allow for me to find things much faster.
> 
> Thankyou
> Nigel  Misso  0666
> 
> On Wed, Apr 28, 2021 at 1:54 PM NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> All
> 
> The next issue of the Arrow is in the mail, but we all know what the postal service is doing with its handling of things these days. So there is absolutely no telling when it will get in your hands, sorry, wish I had a better idea, but it is not in our control.
> 
> I’m generally proud of each and every issue, and a lot of blood, sweat and tears go into the production of every one.
> 
> However, this issue, I’m particularly proud of, it is yet another anniversary issue, this time commemorating the end of Norfolk and Western Passenger Service with the advent of Amtrak on May 1, 1971, 50 years ago this coming Saturday. While the story is maybe not as detailed as most might want, it is my recollection as a 14, very soon to be 15 year old. It has great photos from Dorr Tucker and Jeff Sanders, and you will be seeing more from their work in the future. 
> 
> We also continue Glenn Fisher’s excellent series, High Noon, with the first part of the Norfolk Division. 
> 
> There is also a contemporary feature by Sam Phillips on operation on today’s Dry Fork Branch.
> 
> I hope you all have been enjoying the Arrow.
> 
> I want to call attention to several things here, first when your magazine comes, be sure to look at the mailing label, if your membership has expired or will expire with the next issue, there is a notice there. Please help us out by renewing early, so we don’t have to waste money sending reminders to you.
> 
> Second, please be sure that your mailing address is correct, if it is not, please send an email to: membership at nwhs.org with the corrected information. Please note, make sure you check your own address through the postal service website, as we have two addresses this time that were not verified by the postal service, and therefore, no magazine could be sent.
> 
> Each issue, we will put a membership reminder on the mailing sheet.
> 
> However, this time, there is another reason to look at your mailing sheet, it contains your membership number. Now, why is that important? Very simple, this issue also features something new, some bonus content for the Arrow. I just finished uploading it, and it is 22 pages of photos, stories, and related content. That means that this issue, already a 48 page one, is actually 70 pages!
> 
> Now how do I get this? This content is a bonus only available to paying members, not available to non-members. This is to bring you more for your membership dollar. In the magazine, you will find a web address to log-in with your member number, name and zip code, this will allow you to download the bonus content.
> 
> Now, will you see the bonus content in a later print Arrow, entirely possible!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy.
> 
> Best
> Ken Miller
> <Arrow_37_2_Cover_only.jpg>
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