Industrial Heritage Photographic Workshops
Gordon Osmundson Photographs
Newsletter, December 8, 2006
PUBLISHING ANNOUNCEMENT
Hello -
I am pleased to announce that STANFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS has agreed to publish my book about the Nevada Northern Railway,
Where Steam Moved Mountains. This is a major milestone in the development of
this, my first book.
The book itself is coming along well and in addition to Stanford Press, I have some prestigious
names involved in its publication. The forward for the book will be written by John Tyson, reporter
for KOLO TV in Reno where he is host of Tyson's Journal
, a show similar to Bay Area Back Roads . John also acts as a volunteer locomotive
engineer at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, so his writing of the forward is particularly
appropriate. William L. Withuhn, Curator, History of Technology & Transportation at the
Smithsonian Institution has offered to write a preface plus a dust jacket endorsement.
The railroad itself just celebrated the centennial of its arrival in Ely with an appropriate re-enactment
of the driving of the copper spike.
Also, on September 27, just in time to be announced at the Centennial, Secretary of the Interior Dirk
Kempthorne announced the designation of the Nevada Northern Railway East Ely yard complex,
locomotives and rolling stock in Ely, Nevada as a National Historic Landmark, acknowledging it as
"the best-preserved, least altered, and most complete main yard complex remaining from the steam
railroad era." National Historic Landmark status is the highest recognition accorded by our nation
to historic properties possessing "exceptional value or quality in illustrating and interpreting the
heritage of the United States." So congratulations to the Nevada Northern Railway Museum.
Returning to the book, as an academic press, Stanford University Press seeks the opinions of outside
readers for an evaluation of the books which they are considering for publication. Where Steam
Moved Mountains was reviewed by Carlos Schwantes, the St. Louis Mercantile Library
Endowed Professor of Transportation Studies at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Carlos, who
has written a number of books on transportation history and the history of the west, had this to say
in his review.
"My, what powerfully evocative images of railroading. I can say that more than most books of
railroad history, this one also showcases the railroad as art somewhat in the style of
photographer-artist Charles Sheeler for Ford's River Rouge Plant. I think that this book should win
awards for its art, but it offers still more. It is a history of the copper industry and its railroad
connection in one part of the West. I especially appreciate the ties that Osmundson uses to connect
copper and the Nevada Northern. All but the highest grades of copper ore were impossible to
transport to market profitably without an extensive network of railroad lines connecting mine,
smelter and refinery to outside markets. For all these reasons I would like to see this book
published.
"University presses, notably Indiana, Washington, and Northern Illinois, have carved a specialty
niche for themselves by publishing high-quality railroad books. Stanford is to be congratulated for
doing likewise with its books on transportation generally. I think the high quality of this book will
only enhance the Press's reputation for solid scholarship packaged in beautiful books. And it should
sell well and enhance the bottom line. There are many people interested in railroad history and in
mining history, and this book should appeal to both.
"So, I strongly recommend publication without any reservations."
With the book, I am working on several new sections. I was in Ely for the railroad's centennial in
late September, while there I had a chance to interview Dave Tilford one of the founders of the
museum and get the story of how the museum concept was developed, how Kennecott was
approached , etc., so I have the story of the museum's founding.
Based on the article Ingoldsby Automatic Dump Cars by Al Clemens on the Nevada Northern & Railroads of White Pine
County website, plus some more photos from my most recent trip, I am putting together a piece
on the railroad's ore cars. This will be followed by a piece on the Railroad's six, 1912, wood, double
sheathed box cars, #1020 - 1025. Four of these cars are in operation and were recently repainted and
re-lettered. There will also be a section on the passenger cars and some of the maintenance-of-way
equipment.
The section on #40 and #93 is being reworked with new photo sections of close-up detail
photographs. Back in June, #40's rods were down and I was able to do some new and interesting
abstract studies of them. I have been trying for some time to get a good photo of #40's Nathan
Monitor Lifting Injector. On the last trip I caught one of the injectors in beautiful light in the engine
house. This photo, plus an earlier one of #93's Hancock Inspirator, form the start of a piece on
injectors. I found technical information on the web and then from Abe Books got a copy of
Locomotive Boiler-Feeding Devices, I love the title, published by the International Textbook
Company of Scranton, PA., 1937. With the photos, diagrams and information, I am putting together
a technical description of how injectors work including the special features of the Hancock
Inspirator.
For printing I have selected Hemlock
Printers of Vancouver, B.C., one of the worlds best, they win Benjamin Franklin awards for the
quality of their black and white printing. We will be using the stochastic line screen duotone
process. The pages will look almost exactly like the original photographic prints. I'm hoping that
we can win a Benny. If you read LensWork Magazine or have some of Nils Huxtable's
Steamscenes calanders you have seen examples of their work. In fact a couple of issues of
LensWork have won Bennies.
While the details of the contract have yet to be worked out, Stanford University Press and I are
expecting to enter into a partnership arrangement where I will do the book design and hold the
Copyright, they will provide the copy editor, the Stanford imprint will go on the book, they will do
marketing and they will handle order fulfillment. This arrangement will give me control of the look
and feel of the book and they are already comfortable with my abilities in this regard. I will also be
able to do my own marketing, sell books retail on my website and have my own merchant accounts.
While that is all subject to change, I really can't imagine a better arrangement.
As I mentioned above, I was in Ely from September 29 to October 3 for the Centennial Celebration.
The museum put on a good program with special trains, driving of the copper spike re-enactments,
silent auction, bar-be-que, speeches, etc. In attendance were a number of members of the Requa
family, (for more in the Requa's, see my two previous newsletters, November 2005August 2006) Ralph
Requa, Kristine Requa Snyder, George Good and his family, but most significant was Marcia Russell
Good, the historian of the family. Marcia has written and edited a book of letters between Mark
Requa and his wife Florence from the time of their marriage until the driving of the copper spike in
1906. The book titled, A Vision in Letters, the Early Career of Mark Lawrence Requa was
completed just in time for the centennial and on sale there. It is available from the NNRy Museum Gift Shop.
This book filled in a number of missing details about Requa's career prior to his involvement in Ely
and outlined much of the work that he did there. Mark was very much a family man who was
devoted to his wife and children, but non-the-less he was away on business much of the time. Prior
to coming to Ely he was involved in mining ventures in the Owens Valley and Arizona and spent
time selling properties for the Southern Pacific Company in Southern California. Once he began
work on the copper mines he spent a great deal of time on the east coast working out of New York's
Hotel Netherland with side trips to Boston and Washington, D.C. handling financial and other
business matters. Interestingly his normal mode of travel to the East Coast was on the Overland and
Twentieth Century Limiteds.
As my book moves closer to publication there will be further announcements and prepublication
offers. Stay tuned.
The railroad itself just celebrated the centennial of its arrival in Ely with an appropriate re-enactment
of the driving of the copper spike.
Also, on September 27, just in time to be announced at the Centennial, Secretary of the Interior Dirk
Kempthorne announced the designation of the Nevada Northern Railway East Ely yard complex,
locomotives and rolling stock in Ely, Nevada as a National Historic Landmark, acknowledging it as
"the best-preserved, least altered, and most complete main yard complex remaining from the steam
railroad era." National Historic Landmark status is the highest recognition accorded by our nation
to historic properties possessing "exceptional value or quality in illustrating and interpreting the
heritage of the United States." So congratulations to the Nevada Northern Railway Museum.
Returning to the book, as an academic press, Stanford University Press seeks the opinions of outside
readers for an evaluation of the books which they are considering for publication. Where Steam
Moved Mountains was reviewed by Carlos Schwantes, the St. Louis Mercantile Library
Endowed Professor of Transportation Studies at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Carlos, who
has written a number of books on transportation history and the history of the west, had this to say
in his review.
"My, what powerfully evocative images of railroading. I can say that more than most books of
railroad history, this one also showcases the railroad as art somewhat in the style of
photographer-artist Charles Sheeler for Ford's River Rouge Plant. I think that this book should win
awards for its art, but it offers still more. It is a history of the copper industry and its railroad
connection in one part of the West. I especially appreciate the ties that Osmundson uses to connect
copper and the Nevada Northern. All but the highest grades of copper ore were impossible to
transport to market profitably without an extensive network of railroad lines connecting mine,
smelter and refinery to outside markets. For all these reasons I would like to see this book
published.
"University presses, notably Indiana, Washington, and Northern Illinois, have carved a specialty
niche for themselves by publishing high-quality railroad books. Stanford is to be congratulated for
doing likewise with its books on transportation generally. I think the high quality of this book will
only enhance the Press's reputation for solid scholarship packaged in beautiful books. And it should
sell well and enhance the bottom line. There are many people interested in railroad history and in
mining history, and this book should appeal to both.
With the book, I am working on several new sections. I was in Ely for the railroad's centennial in
late September, while there I had a chance to interview Dave Tilford one of the founders of the
museum and get the story of how the museum concept was developed, how Kennecott was
approached , etc., so I have the story of the museum's founding.
The section on #40 and #93 is being reworked with new photo sections of close-up detail
photographs. Back in June, #40's rods were down and I was able to do some new and interesting
abstract studies of them. I have been trying for some time to get a good photo of #40's Nathan
Monitor Lifting Injector. On the last trip I caught one of the injectors in beautiful light in the engine
house. This photo, plus an earlier one of #93's Hancock Inspirator, form the start of a piece on
injectors. I found technical information on the web and then from Abe Books got a copy of
Locomotive Boiler-Feeding Devices, I love the title, published by the International Textbook
Company of Scranton, PA., 1937. With the photos, diagrams and information, I am putting together
a technical description of how injectors work including the special features of the Hancock
Inspirator.
For printing I have selected 
While the details of the contract have yet to be worked out, Stanford University Press and I are
expecting to enter into a partnership arrangement where I will do the book design and hold the
Copyright, they will provide the copy editor, the Stanford imprint will go on the book, they will do
marketing and they will handle order fulfillment. This arrangement will give me control of the look
and feel of the book and they are already comfortable with my abilities in this regard. I will also be
able to do my own marketing, sell books retail on my website and have my own merchant accounts.
While that is all subject to change, I really can't imagine a better arrangement.
As I mentioned above, I was in Ely from September 29 to October 3 for the Centennial Celebration.
The museum put on a good program with special trains, driving of the copper spike re-enactments,
silent auction, bar-be-que, speeches, etc. In attendance were a number of members of the Requa
family, (for more in the Requa's, see my two previous newsletters, 
This book filled in a number of missing details about Requa's career prior to his involvement in Ely
and outlined much of the work that he did there. Mark was very much a family man who was
devoted to his wife and children, but non-the-less he was away on business much of the time. Prior
to coming to Ely he was involved in mining ventures in the Owens Valley and Arizona and spent
time selling properties for the Southern Pacific Company in Southern California. Once he began
work on the copper mines he spent a great deal of time on the east coast working out of New York's
Hotel Netherland with side trips to Boston and Washington, D.C. handling financial and other
business matters. Interestingly his normal mode of travel to the East Coast was on the Overland and
Twentieth Century Limiteds.
