Thanks to Allan and the OGR staff!

My layout article "The NYT&B Railroad" also appeared in OGR Run 304 and I worked closely with Allan Miller to prepare it for publication. What became evident to me during the process is that Allan expends a great deal of time, effort and dedication in his work to produce OGR and we all should be very appreciative of what he does for the magazine and the O Gauge hobby.

MELGAR

Darn right, Mel, well said!

Bravo to Allan and the entire staff for putting out a first class magazine for us.

Thanks very much, Lee and Mel!

I truly do enjoy working with authors to provide the best presentation of their material that I possibly can. I am sure I sometimes try an author's patience when I keep going back to him or her for more information, or for new or better photos that I feel will enhance the article, but my only goal is to give our readers the best possible product. After all, they, along with our advertisers, invest their hard-earned money in our publication, and they deserve a good return on their investment.

A lot of credit for what finally appears in print form in the magazine also goes to Pam Gast, our copy editor/proofreader, and to Brian Dishong, my publication design specialist at W-Graphics. Believe it or not, I have never met either of these fine folks in person, but I work very closely with them via phone, text messaging, and, of course, through the digital world of computers.

I am in the enviable position of being able to combine my work with my hobby, and over the past couple of years have even been able to do both right here in my home, where my OGR office is upstairs and my in-progress layout is in the basement. It's nice to be able to "go to work" at 3 a.m. if I care to (I'm writing this at 5 a.m.), or to take a break and go downstairs to run a train or two when I need or want a bit of a break.

But the magazine is only as good as the material I receive from those who are willing to share their hobby with others. I always welcome and need new layouts to feature and new how-to construction articles that entertain, inform, educate, and inspire. You folks really deserve all the credit for making OGR what it is. 

Well Lee you are getting an "atta boy" from me. Just got issue 304 today. Remember we are on a rock in the middle of the Pacific. Your article was the first thing I read. Wonderful!!! Allan is an amazing editor. Great and fun to work with. Don

Reading his posts here on the forum, Allan Miller sure seems like a real nice guy, too.

Great work Lee and Alan. You both deserve many atta-boys!!!!!

EBT Jim posted:

Reading his posts here on the forum, Allan Miller sure seems like a real nice guy, too.

From my dealings with him, he very much seems so.

EBT Jim posted:

Reading his posts here on the forum, Allan Miller sure seems like a real nice guy, too.

Now that's going just a touch to far. LOL

He's a wonderful man. Don

Lee and Mel, your comments certainly are an encouragement to any of us who think we have something that could become an article.

Allan, it's an excellent tribute to you and the entire staff who put together the wonderful magazines we look forward to showing up in our mailboxes!!

Mark Boyce posted:

Lee and Mel, your comments certainly are an encouragement to any of us who think we have something that could become an article.

That was my intent, Mark.

Allan used pretty much what I sent to him, so he must have liked the way I can write (or was too tired to re-write it by the time he got to it? ). But many editors have to do a lot of re-writes on what they get. I suspect Allan has a lot of experience doing exactly that.

Look, I never thought anyone would print anything I sent in and it came as a shock the first time an editor said, "Yeah, let's run that!" on my very first submission to a model RR magazine. I can string together words coherently, but I thought my modeling was the upper edge of "Meh" quality.

My point, never assume your stuff is no good, you never know what a magazine might think of it. Give Allan a try if you have any interest in getting your name in print!