IIRC, didn't John Allen get a similar letter after using some magazine ad to put a billboard on his layout? We always tend to think of lawyers getting worse all the time, but it was bad even in the way back whens.
I just remembered reading MacGregors first book on the South Pacific Coast RR (originally narrow gauge from Oakland to Santa Cruz - later standard gauged by the Southern Pacific and then the southern part was abandoned). That book told the STORIES of the railroad being built and some were very funny. The one I seem to always remember was about Ardenwood (still existing as Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont CA and still has a small working railroad museum). The railroad wanted to build thru the Ardenwood farm but the farmer (George Washington Patterson) didn't want a railroad in his farm so the railroad graded right up to the fence, but everyday the farmer sent armed workers out to guard the fence and keep the railroad out. At some point the farmer got married and was leaving for his honeymoon and the railroad shipped out a handcar with liquor on it as a wedding present. The farm workers, seeing the 'gift' and no one else from the railroad around, quickly sampled the present and fell asleep. As soon as the guards were out, the railroad (who was well prepared and waiting for just this opportunity) cut the fence and laid rail across the farm. When the farmer returned from his honeymoon, he was not very happy, so the railroad gave him a very small whistle stop depot.