Re: Georgetown Loop Railroad (http://www.georgetownloop.com/) -- family train operation pushed out by Colorado Historical Society
This looks like a power-and-money grab by a "non-profit" bureaucracy.
Have ridden the Georgetown Loop, and found it (and its Gift Shop) to be attractive, responsible, well-run -- and not the trashy tourist-trap that most such operations have become. With some technical background, and some familiarity with steam technology, I closely examined the current trains, track and facilities, and carefully observed the operation of the train, up close. I was quite impressed.
Indeed, this is -- by far -- the most impressive historic/steam train operation that I have ever seen, and something for which Colorado should be proud and grateful.
Its historic significance is presented in a fairly clean, straightforward unsullied form. This would be in keeping with only legitimate justification for any "Historical" society or foundation.
The decision to put the Georgetown Loop Railroad contract up for bid suggests that the Colorado Historical Society is willing to turn the Georgetown Loop Railroad over to the low bidder, and into another of Colorado's cheap, glitzy, filthy tourist traps -- where history is prostituted for profit.
If there was any doubt about that, it was completely eliminated by the statement from Ron Trottier, general manager of the winning bidder, Railstar (which operates tourist trains in Maine and New York, and restores train equipment), to Denver's Channel 9 News (Denver Post, Wed., Aug.18, 2004) which says:
"We'd look forward toward maybe expanding into other areas, other possible ventures in the immediate area between Georgetown and Silver Plume, tourist-related activities that would be consistent with the railroad and historic park."
For those unfamiliar with this vague language, using parlance common in the tourism industry, such announcements generally mean that the winning bidder plans to turn the site into a tourist-trap / theme-park -- completely trashing the historical experience, and replacing it with $5 hot dog stands, $10 ferris-wheel rides, a strip mall of trashy knick-knack stores, and more pavement and flashing lights than a block in downtown Las Vegas. And where better than along I-70, between Denver and the ski resorts?
This would NOT be the first time that a "civic" organization has turned to whoring its icons for profit, with a host of not-so-clever excuses ("We wanted to be sure more people would have the 'experience'", "We wanted to be sure of the financial viability of the program," "We wanted to expand the offerings to the public") -- all to cover their real reasons.
For most such organizations (typically ruled by clannish, elitist, snobbish and possessive 'do-gooder' busybodies, who have never turned a wrench in their lives), the real reasons are petty spite and the egotistical thrill of arrogant authoritarianism, or to feed other less-popular historical project ambitions (requiring the "milking" of the popular operations for funds), or simply the desire of organization officials to get control of more money (some of which always finds its way into their pockets, or those of their friends and families).
The operation of historic steam trains (and other steam vehicles, such as steam tractors and steam fire engines) is an ungodly complicated, demanding and risky business, and requires a technical knowledge and sophistication that is utterly beyond most historical society people -- who know a pretty painting when they see one, but generally wouldn't know a steam whistle from a steam valve.
Steam-engine knowledge is almost exclusively in the hands of a few (almost purely male) blue-collar craftsmen, who have made a lifetime hobby/obsession out of steam trains, with precious little thought to their own fortunes. The most successful such operations, and the most spectacular, are typically those precious few family organizations which have succeeded in passing the knowledge down through the family tree.
While this clannish arrangement is justifiably criticized as too exclusive, that is remedied by contracts which require the family to submit to thorough historical and technical documentation by outside observers, approved by the organization. (With videotape, digital imaging and CAD technology being what it is today, this is incredibly easy to do, for those who know what the heck they're doing.)
But the family structure in these steam-machine restorations and operations is incredibly important, because it tends to reduce the dangerous carelessness, miscommunication, destructive turf-fighting and litigation which typically plague operations involving such complex, risky and expensive machinery.
More basically, family operations involve a closeness and informality which sharply reduces costs, improves communications, expedites operations and accelerates urgently needed changes. Commercial operations simply can't compete on merit.
Furthermore, in steam operations (and many other historic technology operations), the successful, LONG-running family organizations are vastly more stable and dependable than most commercial operations.
While executives of a corporation face little or no risk from safety disasters (all too possible with railroads of any kind), family operations have a powerful PERSONAL stake in the survival of those aboard the train, and are far more safety-conscious. (That's a major issue for a historical society, which chooses a 'low bidder' who later gets people killed: The Society's assets -- including all historic properties -- are subject to seizure in a lawsuit , and in some cases the officers of the organization are personally liable, despite any "corporate veil" or contract liability waiver).
Finally, there is the matter of family honor. A corporation -- legally defined by a balance sheet and income statement, and a diverse board of largely anonymous decision-makers and shareholders -- is only a THING. In itself, it has no soul, no personal dignity, no conscience.
A family does.
The constant battle in historic preservation is between the convenient and the conscientious -- between practicality and perfection -- between profit and quality. Commercial operations INEVITABLY gravitate towards convenient, practical profit. In historic technology, most long-running family organizations strongly gravitate towards conscientious, perfected quality. This clearly seems to be the case with the current family operation at Georgetown.
Trading off this outstanding tradition for a juicy show-biz contract is a level of sluttiness unconcionable for any civic organization, and most particularly any "historic society." While I have no personal or business affiliation with the Georgetown Loop or any of its people, I feel personally violated, as a member of the history-loving public, by this callous, calculated, radical -- and seemingly reckless -- devolution of one of Colorado's finest historic institutions.
This should not happen.
Richard Harris
Technical and Industrial Historian
Wichita, KS
cc:
Governor Bill Owens,
governorowens@state.co.us
and selected legislators.
