We have a similar situation at a museum I am a member of only instead of letters we receive phone calls. The individual calls several times a week and whichever of us unsuspecting members answers the phone we endure a run down of all the steam locos coming through town that week. Big Boys, triple headed Berks, NYC Hudsons, etc. The line-up is never the same two days in a row because the individual is incapable of remembering he even called us the day before. Early on it came across as a nuisance and no one would answer the phone allot of days. But then one open house one of our members brought a person who had no family, lived in a home for the mentally challanged because he could not live alone, loved steam trains and could recite every number of every loco ever built. I learned he was in his seventies although he didn't look a day over fifty and all he had to live for was to think/dream about his trains. His eyes would sparkle as he told us 763, 759, 765 was triple heading through town the next day. Or 4014 & 3985 was coming to town for the weekend. He isn't a "flake" or "a few bricks shy of a load". He is a harmless guy who loves trains and has to depend on others to help him get his train "fix". Until you meet the guy on the other end of those letters and see what his situation is, don't pre-judge him. You might be his only link to his train world.
Jerry Feicht

So, did you give that guy the job of answering the phone when the other expert called?