Re: Of shortlines & NG, Ely and Durango - a short rant

GRRRRR! Somewhat testy comments follow. You've been warned.

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I think we should celebrate what it is, THAT it is, rather than bemoan what it isn't.

This is why I generally try to stay out of the "history vs general tourist" arguments. Try. Each side tries to marginalize the other by pushing the other's position into ridiculous corners.

Who the hell says that I don't appreciate that the fact that the D&S is there? I specifically stated that it's a great operation and that I DO appreciate and patronize it. My comments were in response to someone who said he found the D&S a more "interesting" line than the NN, and from an enthusiast's and an amateur historian's perspective, I strongly disagree. That's all.

The destruction of the Durango facilities preceded both Bradshaw and Harper, and were largely due to the Colorado Department of Transportation, so I certainly wasn't criticizing the way either have run the RR. In fact, because it's a private operation, I cut the D&S a LOT more slack than I do publicly owned operations who's charters are specifically oriented towards history.

However, getting back to economics, like any intelligent consumer, I DO vote with my money. I prefer those operations which have been able (through a bit of luck and a lot of hard work) to better preserve their original working environments, and the fact is that I spend far more time and $$ in Chama and Ely than I do in Durango. But that still doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the operation there.

Good grief.

Scott