Over drinks after the opening session of the first TRAIN Convention in Milwaukee, Bob Keller invited me to join the Scenic team in Chama. Well, naturally, I had visions of blowing the whistle and ringing the bell dancing in my head, and this is just what Bob had in mind for me. But not quite the way I envisioned it.
But first, he said, I must go to Chama and pass muster with the GM, Fritz Baur. At that time I was a graduate assistant at Kent State, so I took advantage of Spring Break to make the trek to Chama – on AMTRAK of course. Fritz met me at Lamy, took me on a tour of Santa Fe, and then we headed to Chama. It was still winter up there. He got me situated at the Chama Station Lodge and then we went to the High Country for dinner and to meet a few of the guys. The next morning we met in Fritz’s office in the depot for a more formal discussion.
After filling me in on Scenic’s needs and prospects (the good, the bad, and the ugly as he saw them) he asked me where I thought I might fit in. I told him about my experience with steam and train operations. His response was something like “Well, that’s nice, but we already have plenty of those. What we sorely need is a good PR person on site. Someone who can interface with the traveling public on the phone and over the counter; who can get involved in local and state tourism promotion efforts; someone who can train and supervise a first class front office staff. Bob thinks you’re just the man for that job. What do
you think?” Now, I learned early on in life that if you seriously want to be part of something, you look around to see what really needs to be done that no else is doing, and then make yourself useful. I thought “That’s not really what I had in mind, but if that’s the whistle they want me to blow I guess I can do it.” He asked me about my experiences that would fit me for this role, and was satisfied with my answer. Fritz said that my mission for the 1973 season, if I chose to accept it, would be to work as a ticket agent in Chama, to learn the system, to get to know the people and the area, that sort of thing. I would, in effect, be in training for the role they had in mind for me. By the end of the summer, he said, we should know if there was a future for me there. That was good enough for me.
My Impressions
Bob Keller was a cockeyed optimist. Fritz was a hard headed realist. Bob was a people person, Fritz was not. Fritz wasn’t unsociable; he just didn’t suffer fools gladly. Bob could have sold freezers to Eskimos, and Fritz would have come around and pointed out to them that they actually didn’t need freezers, but since they had them now, here were a few things they might do with them.
Bob had made it clear to me, in Milwaukee, that Fritz was in charge in Chama. That he, Bob, could recommend, but that Fritz made the decisions. Bob was president of Scenic; Fritz was GM of the C&TS. Fritz worked for Bob, the rest of us worked for Fritz. Bob came and went, Fritz was always there.
Oh, I know, in his well-known contributions to various NGRR forums Bob gave the impression, even stated I think, that he was the manager. Now, it’s true that Bob spent summers in Chama. But he headed back to California as quick as he could get away at the end of the season. When he
was in Chama, it seemed that he spent most of his time on the train – as conductor or good will ambassador or whatever – and the rest of his time at the High Country. He and Fritz would often put their heads together, and sometimes butt heads, over problems and situations; and occasionally Bob would override. But Fritz was the boss. During my time on the C&TS (June 1973 through May 1979) I never saw it any other way.
For the past 20 odd years I have worked for small school districts in New Mexico and Colorado. Districts where the teachers (and many of the students) were on a first name basis with the principal and superintendent, and where everyone in town was a friend, neighbor, or relative of the school board president. It makes for some dicey politics, and can wreck families, friendships, reputations and careers. The situation on the C&TS was a lot like that, and probably still is like that.
"Sometimes he remembers things that never happened and forgets things that did happen!" Mrs. B.
See also:
Scenic and the C&TS, an Oral History, Part 2: Expectations
Scenic and the C&TS, an Oral History, Part 3A: 1973, Filling Trains
Scenic and the C&TS, an Oral History, Part 3B: 1973, "If the world ended today...."
Scenic and the C&TS, an Oral History, Part 4: OM-74
Scenic and the C&TS, an Oral History, Part 5A: 1974, Biting the Bullet
About the author
Also of interest:
How Many Winter Specials did Scenic Railways operate?
Bite the Bullet Photo Gallery
"Time spent with CATS is never wasted." -- Sigmund Freud
"Nothing endures but change." -- Heraclitus
"C'est le meilleur des mondes possibles." -- Candide
Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2011 08:48PM by gothpapa.
