There are persistent rumors at the train shows that Bill Griffins fine book, All Lines North, will be reprinted. What is the true story regarding this? Ed Faggart Lincolnton, NC

-- Ed Faggart (Emfag108@aol.com), June 03, 2004

Answers

Bill, glad to hear that the latest A&D book is in the works at Tom Dixon's place. As the new gift shop mgr for the Old Dominion Chapter (Richmond Railroad Museum) I am sure we will be putting in an order as soon as TLC releases it. I certainly can't speak for the ODC board, but I know that the first edition of 'Raleigh' was certainly a hit. We have just about sold out the 3rd printing of Donald Traser's Va Railway Depots book (he may possibly approach the BOD about a '4th'), and of course we reprinted the late Carlton McKenneys "Rails in Richmond' about a year ago. There seems to be a great interest in railroad books.....

-- Greg Hodges (lynnhodges@earthlink.net), June 09, 2004.

Ed:

Thanks for your interest in my book "All Lines North of Raleigh". It has been out of print for a long time and I do get many inquiries about it. Perhaps the recent interest was stirred by the town of Alberta, Virginia that had been talking with me about reprinting it. The town got a federal grant this year for some projects and got the former SAL/SCL station from the railroad. They are turning the old station into a town office and were wanting to sell the book in that office. I would like to reprint the book, but want to update and expand it much as I have recently done with my A&D book. The A&D book is currently in production by TLC and will almost be a new book because it contains so much new material. I could do the same with "All Lines North of Raleigh" as I continued to record interviews with retired railroaders and collect photos of the Virginia Division after the book was published. I own the copyright to "All Lines" and it was originally published as a project with the Old Dominion Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, which advanced the funds for its printing. My arrangment with the ODC is that they have the first right to reprint it. If I ask them to do so and they decline, then I have the rights to reprint it myself. I have yet to approach the ODC as I have had so many other book projects in the works. However, I think the time has now come to address that. Sometime later this year I will ask the ODC if they desire to reprint the book. If they want to take on the project then I will work with them to do so. If they decline, then I will probably approach TLC Publishing to see if they have any interest. If they have no interest, then perhaps the ACL/SAL Historical Society may want to sponsor it. That's the long story on the book.

-- William E. Griffin, Jr. (Griffinwejr@aol.com), June 09, 2004.

I'm still waiting for the reprint of Bill's "Atlantic and Danville" book. 'All Lines North of Raleigh' is superb.

-- Greg Hodges (lynnhodges@earthlink.net), June 09, 2004.

You mean "All Lines North of Raleigh". Well, Bill won't say at this time...perhaps

OZ

-- Buck Dean (abdean@comcast.net), June 04, 2004.