C&TS infrastructure has NOT badly deteriorated!

The C&TS infrastructure has NOT badly deteriorated!
It just need a good tie job and some follow up ballast surfacing and I will explain as you read the details. On Saturday afternoon Burr Hubbell made a very passionate reply to John West showing serious concern over the use of SG ties being cut to NG length without further treatment and he feared added expense in the future without the tie end treatment. He expressed considerable dislike of the Commissioners or of their concern of the way thing are.
I responded with knowledge that his fears were unfounded for tie deterioration, and he replied he could have done without my tone, remark, and that I was rude. He expressed his skepticism of the Commission and as to their failure to do their job. I will not challenge who is or is not doing their job here but he followed with some very common terms used by people who know the railroad industry. But the terms he used fit Class I - branch lines, Class II and other short lines and not the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR.
So that many readers of his post don’t develop a sad situation feeling about the C&TS, I will record some of his terms and then respond to them. This is no discredit to Burr and no disrespect as he seems to be very knowledge in the industry in general and very passionate, but it just does not fit the C&TS environment.
A:”…with the effect of the huge expenses caused by deferred maintenance.”
B:”C&TS infrastructure has badly deteriorated, and…
C …stop-gap measures have been used to keep the RR running.”
D:”The cost of digging the RR out of this hole will be enormous.”
E: “Capital intensive institutions, which C&TS is, don’t usually survive this kind of abuse.”
Let me start with (. The major infrastructure on a railroad is the rail and the C&TS rail is not bent, is not humped, is not joint end pounded down, with few exception is not worn or curve worn. The rail is good to fine for the service and the axle loading. There are few mud holes and bad pumping joints. A major infrastructure item would be insulated joints and signal failures- none on C&TS. Another major infrastructure item would be destroyed road crossing causing injury to cars, etc, again none of issue on the C&TS. This is not the Central RR of NJ with terminal yard and signals to fix. Switches and switch points: There are no derailments on such and none of the few switch points are worn back or need welding and grinding. There are no railroad crossing diamonds needing welding. There are no known shortage of bolts in the joint bar that I have seen, and I do not know if bolts are stolen from one joint to fix another. I do not see that happening to match you item (C).
(A): The ties are rotting and it is not a huge expense to change them and no additional damage has been encouraged by the recent delay in getting a tie program going. As I said above, there is no signs of rail damage by the lack of new ties, so it is just a simple tie upgrade which is needed. The new deal with the cheap ties is great. You got to understand that the axle loading of the steam locomotive is different than any diesel as every wheel is sprung and also linked to the other wheel. If the pilot wheel hit a dip it takes weight off the first driver and when the driver hit that dip, it puts more weight onto each adjacent axle. They are all linked and they all spread the weight the total wheelbase of the locomotive. Steam is very kind on rough track and bad ties and will not bend the rails like a heavy diesel.
C: Stop-gap measures---Please tell me which ones. Are they torch-cutting rails in main track? I doubt that they do not use rail saws. Are they using the wrong size of bars or bolts to join the rails? I don’t think that has been necessary as most of the rails are the same size and supplies are available. This is what you find on many shortlines or branchlines where there are so many prior owners and things don’t fit. These terms do not fit the C&TS.
(D):”The cost of digging the RR out of this hole will be enormous.”…NO! The cost will simply be a good 100 to 500 tie–per-mile production job and some ballast with a surface program to level it up. Ballast is the cheapest product to make good track retain it value. I’m impressed the new GM was out there on the track checking the most needy places even before he was officially approved for the job. And I am confident he knows what he is into by now, and has worked up a good program for when the $1.3 million arrives.
(E): The C&TS is NOT a very “Capital intensive institutions”. I only has 66 miles of two rails. It has none of the expensive things like most railroads: no interlockings, no signals, no road crossings, no mechanized yards, and few big bridges of expense. Yes, its has steam locomotives and wooden cars of various conditions but that is another story and not part of this track study that things are not so serious as some might try to make you think. HEADS UP AND DON’T WALK IN THE CENTER OF THE TRACK WITHOUT LOOKING BEHIND. C&TS WILL SURVIVE MORE YEARS TO COME.