[Reposted from the "Strasburg 31" thread for those who might miss it otherwise, with a couple additions......]

[June 2009--Linn Moedinger, caught in a moment of weakness, agrees to address the first gathering of TrainOrders users.....]

" . . . I hope you enjoyed the slide show, I'll be happy to take any questions of yours now..."

"Yeah, why did you give a slide show and not a Powerpoint show?"

"Errr.... well, I don't even use a camera. Kelly took the photos, and he was just more comfortable taking slides. Yes, you, sir...."

"When is the Strasburg going to come to its senses and buy the Blue Mountain & Reading steam locomotives?"

"Well, first, they're not on the market, as far as we know, and second, we don't really have use or room for such big locomotives. Yes?"

"But Chessie 614 IS up for sale. You have a responsibility to preserve that majestic locomotive."

"First, it's far too big for the Strasburg's needs; second, it would beat our track to shreds; and third, when is someone else's property my responsibility unless he owes me lots of money? Sheesh. Next?"

"What do you think of the theory that the builders' plates off of 31 were stolen by the United Nations?"

"Next, please?"

"When are you buying that Chinese steam locomotive everyone knows you have a reservation on?"

"First, we don't have any such reservation; second, we don't care for Chinese locomotive construction standards; and third, there are plenty of more worthy locomotives here, including a couple Chinese steamers sitting around already."

"Hello, thanks for coming out, what do you say to the thoughts of installing welded rail on the Strasburg?"

"As soon as you find a way to make it go 'clickety-clack' for our nostalgia-seeking tourists, get back to me. Yes?"

"Yes, can you verify for us that Baldwin locomotives are superior to Alco locomotives? ["Are not!!" "Are too!" "Are NOT!!" "Are TOO!!"]

"Really, our engines are so different, it would be like comparing a Ford car to a Chevy SUV to a Jeep wagon to a sports car. Next? Do we have a question on something besides steam locomotives?"

"Yes, I find it historically inaccurate to have a dining car on your trains. The Strasburg Rail Road--two words, mind you--never had food service on its trains, and I can't see why a short line of your size would ever have dining car service. Will you be adding sleepers next?"

"Well, those short lines never had a picnic grove mid-line either, but our passengers sure seem to like both the picnic grove and the food service cars. The Red Caboose Motel can handle the sleeper issue if they want. Yes, you in the Tuscan suit with gold pinstripes....."

"Are you going to pull that Pennsy 0-6-0 out of the quarry near Birdsboro and use it to replace #31?"

"[Rolls eyes] Get back to me if you ever find it AND it has a valid FRA cab card in it. And you, sir?"

"Hello, sir, I noticed that when you cast new replica plates for #7312, you used the wrong metallic alloy in your casting. Also, you should have numbered that Pennsy 4-4-2 back to its real number, 8063. I just wondered if--"

"Okay, guys? Can I just say something here? GET A LIFE!!!!!! MOVE OUT OF YOUR PARENTS' BASEMENTS!!!!!!! Dear goodness....... have any of you even kissed a girl?!? There's a whole wide world out there waiting for you!! Get out there! Lose the engineer's caps and patched vests! SHEESH!!!!" [storms off muttering.......]


with apologies to both Mr. Moedinger and the Strasburg staff--and maybe, just maybe, to TrainOrders members as well.......

To delete or not to delete??? Maybe we should apologize to the readers of RyPN too.




Ed

Leave it Ed. There's nothing wrong with a little humor here every now and then. I'm old enough to remember the original SNL skit (William Shatner addressing a Star Trek convention), and this was a very good satire.

Hey Ed
you had better be careful. Our feerless leader (Hume Kading) doesnt like Smilies
Andrew

Ed, I have seen Lynn speak, and there is no way I would delete that post. It’s too close to home.

Some years ago Lynn spoke at the Virginia and Truckee Symposium in Carson City Nevada. The gist of the talk was what he would do if he was the benevolent dictator of railroad preservation. There were lots of equipment trades, all based on common sense. The talk was funny and too close to true for too many of us.

Randy Hees
The other moderator

Is there anybody in the industry or seriously involved in preservation who at sometime has not wanted to scream that last paragraph (or something quite similar and probably a bit less delicately phrased) at any three of those guys? I strongly suspect that every one of those questions has been asked of Brother Moedinger or one of his colleagues within the past several weeks.

Well done Mr. Mitchell, I needed the laugh.

GME

Hence my choice of the gent poking the horse in the behind.

Ed

I agree, leave it.

As the one who started the line of questioning yesterday about SRC 31, I am not the least bit offended. In fact, I think it is funny, intelligent and very relevant.

When I asked yesterday about the "rumor", it was only to clarify something that was out there, part because I was slightly curious, but mainly because I doubted it, and just wanted the truth to squash it, it it was indeed false. And of course it was. The other person who posted here, Strasburg_Fan also seriously doubted it...based on logic.....but had only reported something someone said to him. It was a silly rumor, that we both wanted to make sure was addressed by real people in the know, and of course, that was done.

Kelly made an excellent point. I had initially stated that they (Strasburg Management) must be annoyed by all of these rumors. I said that because, I was almost embarrased asking something that I was very certain wasn't true. He said, not really, more amused, which makes sense. He made me laugh by alluding the the famous William Shatner skit, and Alexander Mitchell made me, (and apparently everybody) laugh themselves silly! It's just really good.

So again, keep it. It is a classic.

Paul

That was absolutely the best injunction to self examination thats ever appeared here.. If anybody thinks it inappropriate, its only because the truth hurts.

Interestingly, its only a little hyperbolized version of a Q&A Linn gave at the RRMPA last summer I think.

P.S. I won't tell anybody you "borrowed" the idea fron an old Saturday Night Live skit with William Shatner addressing a trekkie convention..

Randy,

Yes, the immediate impression I had as I read the post was that Sandy had definitely captured Linn's pattern of speaking!

Steve

ROTFLMAO!


Please leave it up! This is the funniest thing I have ever read here. It's well written and so true.

Here's another example...

Back around 1988 or 1989, when we were running the 765 on the New River Train, I was easing the 765 out on to the main line at the Guyandotte River Bridge at the east end of Huntington one morning when I saw what appeared to be a VERY upset fan. He was looking through his camera viewfinder, when suddenly his head popped up from behind the camera. He then looked at me with a look of total disgust on his face, put his camera down, folded his arms and did not take a picture. His body language conveyed that he was obviously very upset about something, and I thought his camera had malfunctioned.

I saw this person several more times on our trip to Meadow Creek, where we turned and serviced the 765. Each time I saw him it was the same scenario...no camera and a look of total disgust on his face. I was SURE his camera had broken.

We were just about finished with the servicing in Meadow Creek when this person came up to me and in a very belligerent manner he asked, "Why have you people chosen to operate this locomotive in a non-prototypical appearance?" I quickly went through a mental check list to try to get a grip on what the heck he was talking about. The locomotive was painted black, it was lettered properly with correctly colored paint, we had painted the tires white, but they had been like that for years, that couldn't be it. Coming up empty, I asked him what he was talking about.

He said, "The frames! The number board frames! The Nickel Plate never ran them that way! They are supposed to be black!"

During the previous winter we had to replace the glass in one of the frames around the number boards. These frames had been painted about 43 times over the years and the paint was so thick, the frame would not close correctly. We carefully sand blasted the paint off the frames and found they were made from a lustrous nickel alloy that almost looked like gold. They looked SO nice, that we decided to simply clear-coat them and run them without paint. The gold look beautifully framed the number boards.

So...here we were in the midst of October's glorious fall colors in the New River Gorge with a steam locomotive on a 32 car passenger train making all the wonderful sights and sounds that steam engines make when working hard, and this guy could not enjoy any of it because a couple of number board frames were the wrong color! I told him that we were running the locomotive this way simply because we LIKED IT THAT WAY. The look of horror on his face at that moment was priceless. He sputtered, "But it's not historically accurate! The Nickel Plate never ran them that way!"

At that point I could do nothing more than echo Mr. Moedinger's fictional comment as I said to this person, "GET A LIFE!!!!!!"

Sometimes the old saying is true...we have seen the enemy and he is us!

I also agree, leave it.

The only people that I assume that this would offend is the know-nothing foamers that are always present around Steam and any other type of locomotive.

On another note, if one has ever listened to Linn's manner of speaking, as said before it just hits way too close to home. This is in no way an insult to Linn in any way, it's just a laugh for everyone on this board.

I think that old SNL skit with William Shatner and the "trekkie foamers" was a perfect fit for this scenario. Indeed well done Mr. Mitchell!

My point exactly.

This would offend the foamers...or more poignantly rail FANATICS. But to the mild manner railfan, such as myself, it is hilarious. Mr. Mitchell is a very good writer.

Hey, I am just a railfan. I have never written anything, worked for any railroad, or have any true industry knowledge. I am just a railfan, and have been for most of my 41 years on earth. My father, who will be 71 soon, has also always been one. He did develop his love for railroading a little more honestly than me. Both his father (engineer) and grandfather (conductor) had worked for the Reading Railroad. Unfortunately, both passed away before I was born, so I never had the chance to talk to either of them. But my father, of course, knew them both, and passed on to me this love for railroading. His railfanning tastes differ somewhat from mine, (his passion is 19th century railroading, ie the Virginia & Truckee ), but we both share this same passion.

Now I have seen a lot of people become WILDLY obsessive, and not only become a nuisance, but an outright hazard over the years. As far as being strangely obsessive, I always am reminded to a time I was standing in Mitchell's Hobby shop in Wilmington in the early 1990's and listening to a customer exclaim loudly that he was "going to challenge the Strasburg Rail Road to rebuild 1223 and 7002". And this was no child either, but a young man in his late teens or early 20's. Now I was polite, but one of the clerks there tried to explain, in detail, the economics of why all the "challenges" in the world, would never make that happen. But he just wouldn't get it. When I see obsessive railfans, I always think of him.

Anyway, I hope you all realize, there is (I hope, lol) a difference between railfans like that, and people like myself.

Paul

Very funny, Sandy. Have to ask if you were sampling "product" for the brewing news when you drafted (draguhted) this! ;-)

Rob

Is there any truth to the rumor about marketing Linn Moedinger action figures?

How about painting the Decapod's cab with NCC1701?