"Civil Engineering for Outdoor Railroads"

[BClemens]

Hello,
Looking for Volume 2 - "Bridges".... Wrote Douglas van Veelen but get no response... anyone know an alternative way to order this text? I have Volume 1 and it's so very good, like to get Volume 2 as well.
Thanks kindly!

[Loco112]

Hope Doug is OK.

[SZuiderveen]

Doug passed in March, 2018.

[BAdams]

You might try Trainmaster Models in Georgia.
According to a capture on the "Wayback Machine" in 2009 of Doug's website they were selling his books.
https://www.trainmastermodels.com/

Brook

[STRR]

Mr. Clemens,

I just perused the books on the site linked to by Mr. Adams. Sorry to say, I did not find Doug's book on their list of books.

If you have a specific question please ask as I worked with Doug proofreading his books for him. I have a copy of all his Civil Engineering for Riding Railroad books.

If you're not looking for specifics, Doug stated that taking real-life dimensions from the bridge you want, then reducing those dimensions to your scale will result in a bridge that has a larger safety margin than the real one has/had.

If you're looking for the formulae to calculate your own bridge, thus having proof on paper for governmental agencies, you will need to have his book and study it. Understanding his method of calculating is imperative.

I will be happy to answer your questions if I can.

Good Luck,
Terry

[BClemens]

Doug passed in March, 2018.

So sorry to hear this... also sorry to open profound wounds. With greatest respect.

[BClemens]

Mr. Clemens,

I just perused the books on the site linked to by Mr. Adams. Sorry to say, I did not find Doug's book on their list of books.

If you have a specific question please ask as I worked with Doug proofreading his books for him. I have a copy of all his Civil Engineering for Riding Railroad books.

If you're not looking for specifics, Doug stated that taking real-life dimensions from the bridge you want, then reducing those dimensions to your scale will result in a bridge that has a larger safety margin than the real one has/had.

If you're looking for the formulae to calculate your own bridge, thus having proof on paper for governmental agencies, you will need to have his book and study it. Understanding his method of calculating is imperative.

I will be happy to answer your questions if I can.

Good Luck,
Terry

Thanks Terry,
No specifics...volume 1 is such an informative and inspirational text, I was interested in more of the same with volume 2 and 3. I knew Douglas had 'kicked the publisher aside' and had taken on selling his books himself - I was not aware that these books were gone altogether. Seems such a shame for them to be no longer published. I appreciate your kind response - I intend to continue to search for copies of volumes 2 and 3 of DvV's grand books.
Thanks Most Kindly,
BillC

[BClemens]

You might try Trainmaster Models in Georgia.
According to a capture on the "Wayback Machine" in 2009 of Doug's website they were selling his books.
https://www.trainmastermodels.com/

Brook

Thanks Brook,
I checked - to no avail... Still searching.
BillC

[STRR]

Bill,

The reason these books are not being sold any longer is Doug published them himself. When he wrote the first volume, the publishing expense was way out of his reach, so he did it himself.

As for volumes 2 & 3, they are very informative but highly technical for the most part. Doug went into great detail about HOW to calculate the stress/strain factors on EACH component of the bridge. The last volume leaves you feeling that it is not complete as the end of the volume doesn't "sum things up" and complete the volume. Again, there are lots of calculations and less common information.

I had corresponded with Doug about a tie spacing chart I had found. It was hard to read for different track gauges. I used some of his basic formulas and expanded the chart. I added the basic calculations so anyone could accurately figure out proper tie spacing for any track gauge, rail size, and maximum expected rail loading. At the end of Vol.3, Doug added a chapter to include the work I had done with his guidance and proofing.

I hope you find the volumes you want. As a side note, Doug included a CD with vol. 2 that had his formulas on it. So, if you find a volume, ask if the CD is with it. If it's not, you'll know what Doug is talking about when he wrote: "This is all included on the accompanying CD." While all of this is copyrighted, Doug did not transfer the copyrights to anyone that I know of. He and I had talked about me taking over the publishing and copyrights but it never happened. Thus, there is no one to complain about copyright infringement issues or to publish volumes for sales.

Have a Great Weekend,
Terry

[Loco112]

Did Doug have any family?

[STRR]

Evidently not. He confided in me that he ended up homeless due to several circumstances seemingly beyond his control. One would think if there had been a family, they would have given some sort of assistance. As far as I know, he had only two sources of income: Social Security and book sales. So sad to see but it happens more often than we would like to know.

[dnevil]

I've posted what I could find out about Doug here:

http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?tit ... van_Veelen