Digitized copies of Maineline Modler

wgkandsk

Trainz Veteran
I don’t know if this is the correct place to start so I will toss my ball on the court.

I have many copies of Mainline Molder ( not a complete set) and have digitized a few copies. With the publisher out of business, I would like to find out whom to contact to get permission to digitize a complete set. I would than like to offer the digitize version for purchase. I extensively use these publications for asset creation importing the drawings into Gmax and 3Dmax as backgrounds.

Any suggestions?
 
I know that the firm sold off or stopped publishing all of the magazine titles about ten years ago, but they kept going publishing books for a while. I'd start with writing a letter to the publisher at the last address you can find. If no results from that (i.e., the letter comes back),, then I'd try phoning Wm K. Walthers and enquiring if they happen to know if Hundman is still in business, or has ceased all operatons.

Finally, if instead of digitizing the whole of the magazine, you limit yourself to selected articles and drawings, you can see if some of the creators of those items still survive. I had an email exchange with one of them a few years back, several years after MM stopped publishing. In the event of the folding of the company which owned the copyrights, the copyrights may revert to the creator.

Also, with permission, all of the Southern Railroad drawings were digitized and made available with permission through one of the Southern Historical society websites, I believe.

Finally, in the US, a copyright can persists after the disappearance of the copyright holder, but only the copyright holder can enforce a copyright. So if you proceed with the project, set aside a portion of the proceeds of the project so that if at some future point you are presented with a legal challenge, you can forward that money to the copyright holder.

ns
 
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