As usual the rumor mill is moving faster than real life. Dan sure hopes Steven will be the new CMO, but there are i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed. Anything official will have to wait.
For me there's both excitement and melancoly. Assuming Steven joins us, he represents a talented younger generation of steam guys. And we need to build for the long term future.
But I'm in no hurry to see Bob Wright disappear from the scene. Bob came out of retirement and to our rescue last year when we needed help. The fact that he was Acting CMO and that one of his remits was to find a permanent successor never slowed him down. He spent long weeks in Chama, away from home and bride in Nevada. He not only supervised fixing locomotives, but he brought plenty of character as well. The movie and TV folks loved him. His gravely voice compliments a mean guitar. And he reportedly holds the land speed record for running a locomotive between Chama and Cumbres pulling not only his train but another locomotive as well. Bob was a genuine old steam hand. My personal hope is that he can learn to enjoy a new role as sage advisor to the next generation. And my guess is he will be in demand as guest engineer for TV and movie specials.