I picked up the term "foobie" from Tony's blog as meaning a stand in that will just have to do until I find the right parts at a reasonable cost to reasonably accurately model the prototype or I can afford to buy that brass engine (painted SP C-9 consolidations) that never comes on the market at a price I can afford. A lot of background freight cars on my layout are probably foobies to give the illusion of a certain level of the correct freight traffic car type mix. I will admit to being more of an impressionistic freight and passenger traffic modeler while I strive for higher accuracy in the structures and the physical railroad environment.

I certainly wouldn't display them on this or other extreme modeling groups.  However, I will tolerate a certain level of stand in on my own Plastic Freight Car builders group as long as the modeler acknowledges any major shortcomings and explains the reason behind the compromise.  
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Ken Adams
Still in splendid Shelter In Place solitude, about half way up Walnut Creek
Have had my second jab of Pfizer and can see light at the end of the long dark tunnel
Owner PlasticFreightCarBuilders@groups.io