eye of the beholder, The

We're a diverse group, and a large one, with more than 2000 members around the world. Modelers, historians, railroaders, retirees, and family members all are represented in our ranks, and one of the challenges of assembling this magazine is to strike a balance-hopefully in each issue but certainly over the course of a year's volume-that appeals to as many readers' interests as possible.

In reviewing the Archives file of negatives taken by C&O photographers to illustrate a 1947 Tracks feature on the Expediter (the C&O's hot eastbound manifest at the timesee page 11 of this issue), I was reminded that the informational value of a photograph is in the eye of the beholder-how two observers can draw remarkably different benefit from the same image. Fifty-five years after they were taken, these images offer a wealth of information to a broad range of interests, far beyond recording the mere passage of a freight train.While not a modeling article as such, the photographs reproduced in this issue are rich in the details and context valued by modelers. Freight car enthusiasts, for example, will likely glean a nugget or two from the then-mundane refrigerator-car icing scenes, recorded as they were from unexpected angles.

The same holds true for Tom Dixon's bridge sign article, beginning on page 7. It's a study of prototype practice, but of immense value to modelers of the C&O who strive to "set the scene."

The C&OHS Archives serve as repository for thousands upon thousands of images of the C&O-its operations, equipment, people, and surroundings. These images are of little value unless they are circulated, and C&O HISTORY is one of the chief outlets. Prints are available for purchase at very reasonable prices-with proceeds helping to further the Society's work-and a searchable internet photo database on the C&OHS website is proving increasingly popular.

Over the past couple of years, every effort has been made to include Archives reference numbers in the captions of photos reproduced in C&O HISTORY. These are the codes beginning with "COHS-" or "CSPR-" and are the means by which the Archives staff can identify and retrieve images requested by members. If you see a photo from the Society's collections in the magazine and would like to purchase a print, simply quote this image number when ordering.

This issue marks the debut of "ViewFinder," a periodic album-format presentation of loosely themed images from the Society's collections. This will help strike that elusive balance by showcasing photographs of subjects not scheduled for treatment in articles. As always, though, this is your publication, and reader feedback is important. Ideas and comments are always welcome.

Speaking of "balance," the next issue will look back three decades to the formation of Chessie System-an important period of the C&O's history and one that will be receiving more frequent attention in these pages.

-Kevin J Holland, Editor

Copyright Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, Inc. Jul/Aug 2002
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved