I was taken aback by the last two posts in response to my own
earlier post, where I was simply trying to helpful.

Why do I write books and magazine articles? Because I enjoy
sharing inforamtion and experiences. And, because the feedback
on these projects has been overwhelmingly positive.

Regarding my work, The Basic Railfan Book, my Web site
contains excerpts from a number of positive reviews of this
book, from a number of publications you may reccognize.

I wrote this book -- and my other books -- because I thought it/they
would be useful. And, I've received overwhelmingly positive
reactions from readers, in addition to the published reviews.
I'm always aware that the books (and magazine articles) may have
quite a diverse audience, with many different types of backgrounds.


I have a degree in journalism and have been covering transportation-
related subjects for some 40 years, both as a writer and photographer.
I have produced more than 50 substantial magazine articles on
railroad and rail transit subjects alone, though I often also cover
other subjects. These articles have ranged from somewhat technical
to more travel-related. In recent years, editors with
whom I had worked in the past have asked me to undertake some projects,
rather than having me propose the projects to them.

Though you'll find some familiar magazine names on the list, many of
them are specialty publications. For example, I did a whole series
of pieces on transportation safety issues for a trade magazine called
HSToday (Homeland Security Today).

I am a good listener, and over many years, I have talked to a wide
range of railroaders, ranging from company presidents to front-line
workes, both in the U.S. and Europe -- sometimes directly for a
particular project, but more often just for getting a better
understanding of railroading.

I do not claim to be an expert, but I listen to experts. For
example, before closing out the chapter on radio communications in
my railfan book, I had it reviewed by an acquaintance who is a
senior professor of electrical engineering at a major university,
a long time radio amateur -- and a railfan.


For about five years, I was in charge of producing user manuals for
a computer-based transportation and logistics management system
being developed by a small company that was jointly owned by CSX
and AMR (parent company of American Airlines). This system was
designed to handle all modes of freight transportation, though
initially much of the emphasis was on tracking the contents of
intermodal containers -- and air freight shipments.

Long ago, when I was a military journalist in the U.S. Army, both
in the U.S. and in Vietnam, many of the stories that I covered
involved at least some aspects of transportation and logistics.

In more recent years, I've done some contract technical writing for
the U.S. arm of Alstom, a European based company with major interests
in railroad operations, ranging from rolling stock to signaling.
For each of these projects, I was put in touch with the company's
top experts in the applicable fields. (Yes, in addition to my degree
in journalism, I've also participated in advanced workshops in
technical writing -- though not everything that I write is technical.)


I'd like to think that I've learned some things along the way -- and
that some of these things may be of interest to others.

My introduction to intermodal has also been well received -- by people
both within and outside the industry.


No, none of my books or magazine articles claim to be the definitive
treatise on any particular subject. That's why I almost always
include pointers to other sources of intformation. One of the things
I try to do with my writing and photography is raise interest in and
awareness of the subjects that I cover -- with the hopes that my work
will spur others to explore these subjects further on their own.

I think that if you talked to any of the people who know me in person,
the word "ego" would not come up. As I've already indicated, I'm
more of a quiet person who prefers to listen and learn.


Yes, I'm also a long-time participant in Operation Lifesaver, where
I donated my photography work for a series of safety posters, among
other projects. Samples of the posters can be seen on my Web site.
Though initially intended primarliy for distribution in North
Carolina, the NC chapter of OLI has now filled requests for copies of
these posters from organizations in many other states.

Yes, I've called in problems to railroads myself, and I hope that in
at least some of these cases I averted a more serious incident. I
commend anyone who takes the time and makes the effort to help other
people avoid a potential disaster.


If you want to know more about my background, go to the "Business"
section of my Web site.

I'm sorry if my previous posting was somehow taken in a way I did not
intend.

-- Ernest