Wow, what a load off your mind, I'll bet. I was trying to keep the topic somewhat private, so names could be mentioned. But we can do it this way, too.
I am quite familiar with your work in both the BIG RR magazines. Your Stampede Pass article in Nov. 1997 Trains is a permanent part of my railfanning reference materials. Your Hiawatha Trail piece in Nov. 2006 Railfan is also a personal favorite. I proposed to my fiancee' @ Falcon, ID., last Labor Day; we will say our " I Do's " in Reno the day after Winterail this spring.
My own credentials are more modest; a " Cover One " winner in 2002, and Winterail Shorts shows in 1995 & 2007. I am somewhat proud to say that a conversation with Vic Neves @ Portola in 1994 led to the Shorts shows, although it is rather indicative of the audience's current attention span. Anyone who sits in the stands and says " This show sucks", needs to try putting one together sometime. That's basically what Vic told me that day, and it gave me a new outlook on the deal. I can only imagine the work that goes into a feature - length show.
I totally agree with your thoughts regarding the " Digital Revolution". While there are decided advantages, the cost for decent quality camera equipment is substantial. Don't forget the cost of computer upgrades to handle the images afterward. And I'm not so sure the technology has matured. Remember when VHS was state of the art ???
Back to the subject of Magazines. It was a discussion with a certain editor in the wake of winning the " Cover One" contest that prompted me to send in an article & slides of Espee 4449 Daylight. I too have endured a long wait, ( 4 years), with no article published.( From your comments, this is not an unusual amount of time to wait. ) OK, so I'm no Ted Benson; my work & name don't sell magazines.But some of the images really wow'ed 'em at Winterail; a tough crowd to please no doubt. What is most frustrating, is having to ask, beg, and now threaten said editor to return my slides, to no avail. With today's Digital technology it would be a simple task to scan the slides and then return them in the return packaging I provided. So I'm left with the following questions :
1) Is the editor sitting on the article, waiting for a slow month ?
2) Is the editor sitting on the article, afraid it will end up in another magazine ?
3) Is the editor unkept & disorganized, unable to locate the slides in his office ?
4) Are the slides lost in the mail somewhere ?
In closing, I do agree with your assessment of the current content of the 2 big magazines. In this Digital age we are in, it is easier than ever to publish current topics while they ARE still current. But the trick is , are you buddies with the editor ???