Re: Short answer

Last summer I got to read the report from the RRR Board that was issued a while back. The attempt to get out of RRRet was instigated by Kyle Rys not GBart. It was settled shortly after GBart left. It was RRRet's decision that the C&TS should have never been included in RRRet as it did not perform interstate commerce (sold a significant number of one way fares or haul freight or interchange with the general system). Why Scenic got into it in the first place was a mystery to them.
As much as I'd like to see RRRet come back to the C&TS, I think it's a lost cause. I was very glad to read the paragraph that stated that dispite the fact the C&TS never should have been in RRRet, all the employees that paid into RRRet over the years would keep thier benefits.
Not every shortline in the US pays into RRRet. I have run into a couple that did and several who did not. It seems to be an optional deal. As RRRet is more expensive for the employer, unless the owner or manager of the property is already into RRRet from his past employement, owner/managers are reluctant to pay into it.