Thor,
What Cort didn't mention was that he was only given a six month provisional use permit to run 71 by inspectors (which he overran by about 4 times). He also didn't mention that the hub liners were gone and that the rear driver ground a nice moon shaped groove into the outside of the firebox, necessitating new side sheets if it is ever to be run again.
While Cort may have seemed a nice fella, he left a very bad taste in the mouth of almost everyone in Central City and Gilpin County that had to deal with him. He left a legacy of broken promises, less than reputable dealings and unpaid bills. I was contacted by some Members of the Gilpin County Historical Society asking if I knew anybody to contact or had anything to do with that railroad (I didn't). There was a little matter of unpaid rent on the Locomotive and cars, unpaid rental on Right-of-way, unpaid fuel and water bills, and the list goes on.
Cort was instrumental in leaving Marie Cothran in bad financial shape when Floyd died, as he had sucked Floyd and Marie's savings dry by refusing to get a job in the off-season, insisting that the little railroad up there needed a full-time president. Floyd kept throwing good money after bad to keep the operation afloat. Cort kept spending more and more while contributing nothing.
Lindsey Ashby, in contrast, kept his job with Marathon Oil and his wife Rosa taught school until they were both able to retire and devote themselves to the Railroad full time, which wasn't until the entire operation was moved to Georgetown, well over 10 years into the Railroad's operation.
Cort was also very cavalier about safety, running the equipment on a 4% grade without working air brakes for a better part of the first season. There were some close calls several times before the brakes on the cars were put into service.
I was told that the trackwork was a joke, that he didn't match rail weights and just put down the rail helter-skelter wherever it fell, paying no attention to differences in height that should have used compromise joints and was very liberal with a cutting torch to make things fit.
I think that these are some of the reasons that nobody minded or protested when the original Railroad Right-of-Way was sold and obliterated up and down the hillside for the convenience of the Casinos.
Needless to say, as an old friend of the Cothran's, I still harbor some ill feelings toward Mr. Hammond and his shenanigans.
Rick
