Re: What lb rail is used on...

I recall that in the first few years of Bradshaw's ownership of the Silverton branch that the D&S replaced certain sections of lighter weight rail for heavier relay rail. Bradshaw wanted to run the heavier 480s and the 497, and besides the rail, several bridges were upgraded and some rock work had to be done for clearance issues. Sweeping generalizations about what tourist railroads do or don't do is inappropriate when the record shows otherwise. This is the case of a common carrier run operation reverting to a tourist line where the plant has been substantially upgraded over the years since 1981. And the previous 60 years had seen a gradual situation of deferred maintenance that resulted in a barely satisfactory rail line. Not every tourist line is held together by band-aids.

Fritz