We have a fabulous book for you carknockers out there in the preservation business.

First, thanks to Marty Knox, who shared this very rare and exceptional railroad car repair book from 1921 with me.

It is called "The Work of the Railway Carman" and it was published by the carknocker union. It is just fantastic and is the best car repair book from that era I have ever seen. It has sections on both wood and steel passenger and freight cars, truck work (even on WOOD-FRAMED trucks), upholstery work, brass work, cabinet work, paint work, and will even give you instructions on picking up derailments!

Most every section has a sub-section called "mistakes due to inexperience" that is just really great.

I think this book will be really handy to you people in the car departments as it is full of good information on the older technology and was obviously the standard practice in most car shops at the time.

Go to the website and click on "Modern Railroad Technology Books and Manuals" and it is in the "Carknocker Books" section.

Thank to all of you who use these books and have sent me all the nice comments about the project.


Little River Press
ken290@hiwaay.net

I'm quite impressed with the range of out-of-print steam technical books you have been reprinting, but the question begs to be asked--do you check into copyright issues when you reprint this stuff? I know the ICS folks have been concerned in the past with others reprinting their tech book series without permission, and the successors to the PRR have actually sued folks in courts of law for unlawful use of copyrighted material, included reprinted books and manuals under their jurisdiction.

Ken, I hope you have your legal bases covered when you reprint this stuff! Remember, lawyers are watching websites:)

> We have a fabulous book for you carknockers
> out there in the preservation business.

> First, thanks to Marty Knox, who shared this
> very rare and exceptional railroad car
> repair book from 1921 with me.

> It is called "The Work of the Railway
> Carman" and it was published by the
> carknocker union. It is just fantastic and
> is the best car repair book from that era I
> have ever seen. It has sections on both wood
> and steel passenger and freight cars, truck
> work (even on WOOD-FRAMED trucks),
> upholstery work, brass work, cabinet work,
> paint work, and will even give you
> instructions on picking up derailments!

> Most every section has a sub-section called
> "mistakes due to inexperience"
> that is just really great.

> I think this book will be really handy to
> you people in the car departments as it is
> full of good information on the older
> technology and was obviously the standard
> practice in most car shops at the time.

> Go to the website and click on "Modern
> Railroad Technology Books and Manuals"
> and it is in the "Carknocker
> Books" section.

> Thank to all of you who use these books and
> have sent me all the nice comments about the
> project.

Research that I have been doing in that area has turned up these results. All copyrighted works published before 1923 are public domain now as the copyright has expired. Works published prior to 1964 fall into public domain after the 28th year if the copyright owner did not file for a renewal during the 28th year. Basically, works published no later than 1922 are fair game. You should check the status of copyright of works published between 1923 and 1964 before using them. That can be done by contacting the Copyright Office to determine copyright status. This is just what my research has found and should not be taken as verbatim legal advice.

awalker2002@comcast.net

We have tried to keep the bases covered legally.

Most folks are very easy to work with, as long as you let them know ahead of time. We keep letters of permission on what we can track down, but there are some things that are just untraceable. The sucessors to ICS have been hot and cold on that, we were turned down flat when we first attempted it, then the company was sold a year of so later. The new folks were more than gracious with permission.

Simmons-Boardman has done technical books for many years, and they have some of the best, such as the cyclopedias that are so popular. We were able to persuade them to bring back the Ralph Johnson "The Steam Locomotive", but they wanted to reprint it rather than let us do it. We have almost sold the entire run out that they did for us and I am quite sure that when I approach them for a cyclopedia that we will get it, but, they want to do it. They are wonderful to work with.

I started fooling with these books because I was very fortunate to have gotten many different things from the old men when I was young, and I was a packrat. The old stuff had gotten expensive and I just wanted to see that the information was still able to be located by the young guys. I never really intended to have it become what it has.

The railroad stuff is just something that I want to do. The bills for Little River Press are paid by the home shop and live steam guys, who really buy a lot of books. The old railroad technical stuff is just there because I want anyone who wants to have the information to be able to have it at a reasonable price and not be afraid to get it dirty.

We have a dandy attorney who helps keep us out of too much trouble!

Ken Riddle

> I'm quite impressed with the range of
> out-of-print steam technical books you have
> been reprinting, but the question begs to be
> asked--do you check into copyright issues
> when you reprint this stuff? I know the ICS
> folks have been concerned in the past with
> others reprinting their tech book series
> without permission, and the successors to
> the PRR have actually sued folks in courts
> of law for unlawful use of copyrighted
> material, included reprinted books and
> manuals under their jurisdiction.

> Ken, I hope you have your legal bases
> covered when you reprint this stuff!
> Remember, lawyers are watching websites:)


Little River Press
ken290@hiwaay.net

There is something called "fair use" which allows for copyrighted works to be used for educational and possibly research purposes. Does the law regard a non-profit (engaged in this type of use) differently than it does a strictly commercial entity?

Is there an attorney in the house...?



SJHussar@aol.com

So it would be OK to reissue my 1893 "Electric Railway, Theory and Practice" by Crosby & Bell ???

lamontdc@adelphia.net

> There is something called "fair
> use" which allows for copyrighted works
> to be used for educational and possibly
> research purposes. Does the law regard a
> non-profit (engaged in this type of use)
> differently than it does a strictly
> commercial entity?

No, fair use simply allows you to reprint very, very small excerpts from a work for the purpose of reviewing it or commenting on it. It also allows you to make personal copies of works to assist research, etc. Any reselling of a duplicated complete copyrighted work, or even a large or not so large portion of it, without permission of the copyright holder, is not fair use. The profit or not for profit status of the reseller does not enter into it.

Note that this is a general reply to the quesiton about fair use, and not in any way to be construed as applicable to Ken's business in any way shape or form. Ken's given his own answer about his business elsewhere in the thread.

eledbetter@rypn.org

> So it would be OK to reissue my 1893
> "Electric Railway, Theory and
> Practice" by Crosby & Bell ???

Check with your attorney, just like we do, but I bet it is OK. That sounds like a very interesting book!
Ken


Little River Press
ken290@hiwaay.net