Hey Tony
Where's your anorak, thermos & note book for the train numbers
Stick to GPL - BTW I'm still being thrashed at Combe by my son.
Chris

"Tony Rickard" > wrote in message
.uk...
> My train analogy for FIRST Racing:
>
> Back in 1990 a company made its first passenger train. It was the best
> passenger train ever made and defined the design of trains for the future.
> The engineers and designers were heralded as innovators.
>
> A competitor surpassed it in 92 as new techniques and better tools were
> available. Undaunted our heroes redefined the genre again in 93 and
followed
> it with their first goods train in 94. The goods train was bigger and
> heavier than the passenger versions and even though many preferred
passenger
> trains the new technology in the new goods trains made many drivers make
the
> switch and whilst they waited for the new technology to be incorporated in
> the passenger trains. This duly arrived a year later. Goods trains slowly
> improved but the real innovation was the new passenger train of 98 which
> again represented a major leap forward. Again the engineers and designers
> were viewed as heroes.
>
> Having created the greatest passenger train the company concentrated on
> their goods trains. Other companies launched new passenger trains but
> despite some successes the 98 passenger train was still regarded as the
best
> by many of the drivers. Whilst the goods trains have a large following
many
> drivers waited patiently for the next passenger train from the best
> designers.
>
> Years passed and it never arrived. The 98 trains were continually updated
by
> their owners such that it looked up to date, but it lacked the technology
> being incorporated into the goods trains.
>
> As more years passed greater modifications were made to the 98 train by
the
> customers to improve the technology rather than just the aesthetics.
> Furthermore goods trains were being converted to passenger trains in an
> effort to incorporate the new technology into passenger trains. Remarkably
> the manufacturers made no updates to passenger trains, leaving the
customer
> base to modify the old trains and convert the goods trains as best they
> could.
>
> Fortunately for the manufacturers the continual improvements made by the
> customers kept them as a household name, despite their lack of involvement
> with passenger trains, such that when the company split up the key
designers
> were able to form a new company credible to the passenger train market.
>
> The customers continue to modify and convert the old trains but are
waiting
> expectantly for the new generation passenger trains to fill the 7 year
void.
> At which point the old stock will finally head for the sheds.
>
>