07-16-2021, 08:27 AM
While running trains is my objective I do admire well detailed cars. Many modelers on this forum are way beyond my capabilities to detail cars so I will admire them and the attention to details. I want to do some detailing but time is marching on and with each passing day I get more and more content with what I have done and thank God I am able to do what I can.
This reminds me of a walk around a full size passenger car with my FRA inspector 20 years ago. We were on the way to a cup of coffee and passing the B end of the coach and out of the blue he says "you are going to change that aren't you?". I replied "Harold, what the hell are you talking about" and his reply was "that cotter pin is illegal". Now said cotter pin was in the pin holding the brake rigging to the truck and was probably 50 years old. Now the replacement cotter pin has a little wedge that slides up to lock the pin and I can't even find a picture on line to show you, but I did find a cotter key and I did replace them. Actually I am guessing he was messing with me because he probably knew those cotter pins had never been replaced because there was no way he could have seen it just by walking by. Did I mention he was an ornery old cuss. This man had 30 years on the railroad before he went to the FRA and he had 27 years with the FRA when he retired in 2004.
So I really believe in the "it is your own little world so do what is right for you" way of thinking, and no good person will think any more or less of you for the way you do things, and we don't have MFRA inspectors.
Charlie
This reminds me of a walk around a full size passenger car with my FRA inspector 20 years ago. We were on the way to a cup of coffee and passing the B end of the coach and out of the blue he says "you are going to change that aren't you?". I replied "Harold, what the hell are you talking about" and his reply was "that cotter pin is illegal". Now said cotter pin was in the pin holding the brake rigging to the truck and was probably 50 years old. Now the replacement cotter pin has a little wedge that slides up to lock the pin and I can't even find a picture on line to show you, but I did find a cotter key and I did replace them. Actually I am guessing he was messing with me because he probably knew those cotter pins had never been replaced because there was no way he could have seen it just by walking by. Did I mention he was an ornery old cuss. This man had 30 years on the railroad before he went to the FRA and he had 27 years with the FRA when he retired in 2004.
So I really believe in the "it is your own little world so do what is right for you" way of thinking, and no good person will think any more or less of you for the way you do things, and we don't have MFRA inspectors.
Charlie