Although not about railroading, there's something in this story that translates to the foamer mentality (I think). See at:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... eMain/home

There used to be a Douglas DC-3 based at Perris Airport. It would get the call when a large number of skydivers wanted to go aloft at the same time. I always got a thrill hearing those radial engines roaring when it flew over Orange Empire. One day I went over to the airport for a closer look, and found a man working on one of the engines. "How old is it?" I asked. "Built in 1939. It flew 'the Hump' during World War II and then the Berlin Airlift in 1948." This told me it was a civilian DC-3 and not a decommissioned C-47 "Gooneybird". I told the man, "We have two streetcars at our museum that are newer than this plane." This was at least 25 years ago, and I heard of a similar plane (possibly this one) destroyed by fire a while after my visit. At least it had earned an honorable retirement, flying only for the benefit of "Perris-chute" jumpers.