I've been trying, with little success, to add to my limited collection of OG's. I'm particularly interested in the time period 1920 thru 1947. The few that are offered on ebay appear to be so fragile that they'd fall apart if you opened them. The occasional ones that look to be in a usuable condition are all pretty pricey and I get out bid in the closing minute of the auction period. There are some years available on CD's that I'd be interested in and I wonder if any of you have experience with them. Are the scans readable and relatively easy to use or would it just be a waste of money to buy the CD format? Also, have you any suggestions where I might look other than ebay for the older OG's?
Any comments you can share with me would be appreciated.
Mark
Because of the size of the publication the cheapest and lightest newsprint was used. And like a newspaper, it was assumed to have a parishable life. So they didn't care about longevity. Or collecting. Thus, the paper dries quickly and becomes brittle and flakes and falls apart. LIkewise, to find one in better, good, or even excellent shape is virtuallly priceless. So keep your eye out at train shows, especially, Ask around rail clubs and hobby shops, etc. I have found them in antique shops, too, with mixed success: i.e, high priced because it is a railroad item or in such bad shape not worth buying.
If owning an artifact is important, then go for one. But if you "just" want to use it for reference, then the CD format would probably work out ok...remember your computer, program, and quality equipment will have as much to do with how it looks as the production of the disk..
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I'm guessing you're being too pessimistic about the fragility of eBay Guides. They have curled spines and covers that are dog-earred and maybe partly detached, but they're not falling to pieces. Even if pages are threatening to fall out, the pages themselves are likely intact. If you keep watching for a month or two I'll bet you can get a late-40s Guide in usable condition for less than $20.
And of course you should watch for the Jan 1930 and June 1941 reprints, which use better paper. (There's a 2/26 reprint too, but I don't remember seeing one on eBay.)
But pre 40's are very crumbly....I have a 1927 which I keep in a plastic bag because of the frailty of the paper...everytime I use it I have a lapful of confetti and leave a trail!
Sure, a robust 1920s might be hard to get-- but 1940s will be easy.
Mark, I have the 1921 and 1938 Guides on CD and they work nicely. I got these from Cape Trains along with several other hard copy reprints, like 1945.
Their web site is capetrains.com
They have a 1948 CD now, but since I have the 1945 hard copy (on very nice paper!) I have a hard time selling myself on a 1948. The CD's were easy to use, but it's hard to take them to the 'Library' when you find Mother Nature is not responding satisfactorily.
Art
There were several recent OG's in the late 1940's - early 1950's on EBAY which were in the $15-25 range. I bid on a couple and lost at the last minute....there is a feature in which an automatic bid can bump it up, so I bowed out.
I have 1940 and 1945 editions which I seldom use. Both are in great condition. I have a working 1953 edition which is really in bad shape, with missing pages at the front and rear, but it has all railroads.
The guides are great reference tools for the history of the industry.
ed
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