Is Rich Hunn your real name? How do I know it is? Can you prove it to me? No, you can't. Why? Because your "real name" is about as meaningful to me as "The Deity" is. I don't know who you are in the first place, so it really does not matter about real names. Most people on this board only "know" a very small subset of the entire readership. To think using your real name means anything to the vast majority of them is immensely narcissistic. Additionally, the constant, ad hominem attack focusing on the person's "real name" is becoming rather annoying because of it meaninglessness. I could sign my post John Witherspoon and none of you making this argument would question if that was my real name - but it is not, it only looks like one. If you disagree with a post enough to actually post a rebuttal, make a valid argument to point, not to the poster.

Besides, there is valid reason to remain anonymous on this forum, or on the internet in general. Much information (not as much as in years past) has been provided here about operations of specific railroads, internal workings of the railroads and so forth. Most of this information, while not considered sensitive by the consumer (ie those reading it here), is considered sensitive by its owning organization (ie the railroads). They would not be very pleased if they discovered the information posted here for all to see and would punish those who posted it (if sensitive enough, they could even demand Altamont Press remove it). So anonymity is a blessing here, not a curse. It permits employees of the railroads the ability to share what they know without sharing who they are and putting themselves at risk. And anyone who things an employer is not concerned about and follows up on the online presence of their employees is are either self-employed or are about to lose their job (For those of you in Rio Linda, please note the use of hyperbole here to make a point).

So lets get past the incessant whining of "use your real name" and stay on point. The only purpose the argument presents is to take the wind out of the sails of the rest of your post. Railroad history is replete with psuedonyms and nicknames. I would think their use on a railroad hobby comment board would be welcomed, not shunned.