Quick summary of how to order on-line...  1).  Find what you want from the catalog pages listed on the main Index.-2).  Type what you want into an e-mail, or "copy" and "paste" items of interest into an e-mail.  3).  Send the e-mail.  4).  I will reply with the grand total and payment options.  5).  You send payment by check, money order, or PayPal.  ...Done...

For the computer newbies, let me explain things a little more thoroughly.  Don't let my lengthy tutorial below intimidate you.  The process is actually very simple.  Ok...  You've been to the Index, and now have the catalog open in the "Adobe Acrobat Reader" program or browser.  If the details look too small to read, as they probably will when it first opens, use the "Zoom In" and "Zoom Out" tools along the top of the window to bring the details up close and personal...

Place the mouse cursor (which will now look like a "+" sign inside of a circle), over the area you wish to enlarge, and then "left click" your mouse as many times as necessary.  Do the same for the "Zoom Out" or "-" function to make smaller...

Of course, you can always type what you want directly into an open e-mail, the quick and easy way in most cases, but if you wish to copy a selection to e-mail, simply highlight the item(s) of interest with your mouse cursor in the following manner...  Hit the "down arrow" next to the big letter "T" along the top menu...

To select a product which is showing on a A SINGLE LINE OF TEXT, use the "Text Select Tool" ("T" icon next to a small box)...

At the beginning of the line, "left click" your mouse and hold it down, dragging the blue selection all the way across the item line.  Now release the left button of mouse.  The area should now be highlighted blue (or another color).  Place your mouse cursor over the blue line, right-click your mouse, and from the mini-menu that appears, select "Copy"...

OR... To select a product which is shown as a PARAGRAPH COLUMN several lines in length, use the "Column Select Tool" ("T" icon enclosed in a box)...

At the upper left-hand corner of the paragraph, "left click" your mouse and hold it down, dragging the box selection all the way to the bottom right-hand corner.  Now release the left button of mouse.  The area should now be highlighted blue (or another color).  Place your mouse cursor over the blue selection, right-click your mouse, and from the mini-menu that appears, select "Copy"...

To paste either of the copied lines or paragraphs into an e-mail, simply open a blank e-mail, and in the text area, right-click your mouse.  Select "Paste" from the menu that appears, and there you have it...

Once all items are pasted-in, type a short note asking me if the item(s) are still available, and any other questions you may have about said items.  I will get back to you.  Once you e-mail your request to me, I will reply (usually within 24 hours, sometimes longer) to let you know if said items are still available, will give you a grand total, and will temporarily hold the item(s) until your payment arrives. The minimum you must order for this particular catalog is no less than $20, due to the special "Inventory Reduction Sale".  Check or money order is accepted, payable in my name:  Dave Cramer.  Also see the credit card option below.Wisconsin Residents must add 5.5% Sales Tax.

To maneuver around each page of the catalog (or catalog section), use the scroll bars along the lower right-hand corner of the Acrobat Reader window.  Don't forget that once you move beyond the first page, each new page may take a few moments to load.

Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted through PayPal.  Once you confirm availability of items by e-mail, all you need to do is click on the link below, sign-up if not a member, and submit your order amount through this free credit card service provider via the Internet.  Once a member, all you need to do is provide them with my e-mail address, which is...

trainsite@aol.com

...and your credit card number!  Simple!

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A typical example of items I sell would include employee & passenger timetables, freight schedules, tourist booklets, menus, postcards, magazines, published books, miscellaneous employee book & paper items, and many rare & unusual items.  While I sell those and many others, I specialize in engineering-related books and materials, much more so than other railroad items.  These engineering-related items would include track charts, condensed profiles, interlocking & signal diagram books, blueprints, station maps, locomotive & car diagram books, spotting code booklets, structure plans, track & signal standards, and misc. rail maps.

My primary specialty is in track charts, alignment charts, and condensed profiles.  For those of you unfamiliar with these, here is a brief description:  First of all, the above named items are basically three different names for the very same format of map book, usually issued by railroad engineering departments.  Calling them by a single name, "track profiles", these tend to be far more detailed and all - encompassing than your average map, and are far more difficult to obtain than most other forms of railroadiana, since they are not issued as frequently, or made as available as other forms of railroad material.  Most are designed either in book format, or continuous strip ("fan-fold" book) format, with +/- 5-10 miles shown per page, and a railroad division or system highlighted per book.  The average scale would generally be about 1 inch = 1 mile, give or take, depending on the railroad.

Going into a little more detail, track profiles illustrate highly-detailed graphic and technical information dealing with railroad main, yard, and side tracks, branch lines, wyes, and interlockings, including details such as rail weight, speeds, grade percentages, degree of curvature, elevations, CTC & ABS territories, signals, stations, mileposts, ballast & tie maintenance, bridge types, road crossing locations, types of crossing protection, roundhouses and other facilities, trackage rights, abandoned lines, line changes, industry tracks, tunnels, detectors, drainage pipes, fiber-optic line locations, special yard schematic drawings, etc...

However (and this is the big "HOWEVER"), the amount, type, clarity, and quality of information, while generally very high, may vary greatly per chart or railroad, especially true for those issued by shortlines and regionals, based on the year of issue, and on the standards each railroad used for creating their profiles.  Most major railroads divided portions of their trackage into separate operating divisions, districts, and regions.  Each profile illustrates one of these territories, highlighting a specific area of trackage, covering a major portion of one or more states.

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Once the catalog is open, you should see a "Save" button and "Print" button along the upper left-hand side of the Acrobat Reader window.  Feel free to save the catalog to your hard-drive for browsing while off-line, or print a complete copy of the catalog for the same purpose.

The on-line catalog may also include a few new categories, such as "Amtrak Timetables" and "Private Party Ads", that the paper version does not.  Choose from THOUSANDS of quality items, some of them very scarce, and one-of-a-kind!

The on-line catalog, like the paper one, will be updated with new items about every three months, give or take.  If you would like to receive notice every time a new catalog is issued on-line, CLICK HERE and send a BLANK e-mail to the address that will appear, then follow the directions as prescribed by the FOLLOW-UP E-MAIL you should receive from Yahoo Groups.  If you don't receive the follow-up e-mail immediately after sending the blank e-mail, CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER, in case it accidentally ends up in there.  It's as easy as that.  You will then be notified each time a new catalog is available on the Internet.  Please direct ALL OTHER E-MAIL PERTAINING TO ORDERS to my personal e-mail addresses (or click the mailbox icon at the bottom of page).

E-mail is never sent unsolicited, meaning that I do not participate in sending the dreaded "Spam" that everyone hates.  This is a "SUBSCRIBERS ONLY" service!  The catalog update notice is sent to all subscribers every time the catalog updates.

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All orders are sent with free "Delivery Confirmation" tracking.  Note that there are times when things get bogged-down in the USPS system.  If you ever need to know where your order is (if you live in the US), drop me an e-mail.  If you would like to use another USPS service such as Insurance or Signature Confirmation, just ask, but they will cost you a little extra.

Barring any unusual circumstances (described above), note that most orders are usually filled within A FEW DAYS of payment, but during peak order periods during my special sale, and especially with VERY LARGE orders, it may take ONE WEEK OR SO, AFTER your payment arrives, for me to fill and ship the order.  Orders are not prepared prior to payment, since there have been several instances of people reserving items, and then not paying.

Foreign customers:  please read the column below for special ordering information.

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PayPal is by far the easiest and fastest way for you to pay on foreign orders, and it makes it easy for me to send you an instant refund for any overpayment on shipping.

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A single "paper edition" catalog issue is $3.  A 5-issue subscription to the paper catalog is $15 USA  ($18 Canada, $22 Foreign), issued roughly +/- 1 to 2 times per year, subject to change.  You may ask for a refund for remaining unsent catalogs at any time.  You'll be notified when to renew your subscription on the front of the mailing envelope.  This catalog is formatted to fit into a standard 3-ring binder, one that either you provide, or purchase from the order form for $2.50.

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Are you having trouble viewing the site?  On this page, the Index, and on the pages for "Private Party Ads" and "Amtrak Timetables", you should see a black background with a variety of colored cells, and in certain spots on the Index, a blue starfield.  In some cases, if you have an older browser version, the backgrounds will not appear, and most of the page will just look all white.  If this is the case, you'll need to upgrade to the latest browser version (at least INTERNET EXPLORER 5.0 or NETSCAPE 4.7 or higher).  Click here for troubleshooting.

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Here's a break-down of the above line...

CofGA = The name of the railroad in question, in this case meaning CENTRAL OF GEORGIA Railroad.

1953 = The date of issue of the original profile, also indicating the year of the trackage being profiled.  The date the profile was originally drawn may be several years earlier in some cases, but this date would indicate the latest revision.

MACON Div. = Name of the operating division (for CofGA) being profiled.  Older profiles tend to include many now - abandoned lines, and former track arrangements.

(Wli,Xlbpc) = Miscellaneous abbreviations which are explained below.

(GA,AL) = Abbreviations for portions of states included in this operating division.

151p = Number of pages.

$30 = Price, prior to any applicable discounts, if any apply.  See Below.

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