This is long, so bear with me--
As one of the early volunteers and someone who has long followed the goings-on at the C&TS, I have been watching these latest developments with a great deal of concern and anguish. After distilling the various reports and the videos, and based upon my own observations, I am going to make the following remarks.
First, this past year was encouraging in many respects to those of us who follow the railroad. Ridership was up. The addition of the two parlor cars was an inspired development. The track looks better than I can ever remember. Of considerable interest to me was the fact that the railroad’s history was made a real priority, as witnessed by such things as the “flying Rio Grande” on the locomotives and the repairs to the coal tipple and the depot. I was also pleased to see the 463 getting a complete overhaul and the rousing success that the visit of the 315 became. Who should be credited with this progress and these successes? Clearly, the employees and the Friends deserve much of the credit as does the commission and management company. However, in the end I have to give a great deal of the credit to last year’s general manager, Soni Honneger. I believe he set an agenda and a direction for the railroad that put it on a positive and progressive path. I went into the off-season with a strong feeling of optimism for the future of the C&TS at Soni’s helm.
So where did it all go wrong? Well, the obvious answer is that Soni was forced out as general manager. Yes, I know that he resigned, but as I see it, his resignation was based upon his being placed in what he saw was an intolerable position. Was it truly intolerable? I suppose only Soni can answer that question. However, from what I can see, I am certainly sympathetic to Soni’s plight. It was clear that the management group decided that they would bring in Elmer Salazar to “mentor” Soni, though as it turned out, it sounded more like daily micro-management, all at an annual salary of $60,000. Now, Mr. Salazar might be a fine person and even a fine manager—I do not know. However, I have not seen anything that convinces me that he was qualified to “mentor” Soni. But I also have to wonder why the management group would add a new $60,000 salary to the budget on one hand, when they are screaming “over budget!” and laying off shop employees on the other. I am also not the least bit encouraged when I read or view what the management company has been saying or posting in their defense. For instance, Mark Yates talked about the necessity to buy three sets of flues instead of one to save costs. This results in a representative or defender of the management company mocking Mr. Yates on this forum. I don’t think this speaks well of their management skills or their management- employees relations. I don’t think this situation looks good at all, and does not bode well for the railroad’s future.
I know some will say that I am one of Jay Wimer’s Dead Goat lackeys and I should not be believing what Jay has been saying. True, Jay can be a little strong in his choice of language at times and being subtle is not one of his many strengths. And no, I am not in Jay’s pocket nor do I do his bidding. But we should ask-- is he telling the truth when he has been sounding the alarm? I think he has been. This opinion is further reinforced by Richard Tower’s resignation from the management company.
There is a great deal that concerns me about the immediate future on the C&TS and I don’t see that anything is being done to address those needs. For instance, is there any plan in place for snow removal before the start of the season. We know the snow-pack is much greater than average this year. Since the successful “Snowzilla” was Soni’s creation and is owned by him, it is probably safe to assume they won’t be using it this spring. Does this mean hiring bulldozers to clear the snow? I hope not—the bulldozers and cats are notorious for damaging and tearing up the trackwork and the ties. Also, what is to be done with the 463 rebuild? Its boiler is off in Alabama. Who is going to bring it back? Who is going to oversee the rest of the rebuild? I suspect the Durango group will want their locomotive back this spring—who is going to transport 315 over to Silverton or Durango. As we know, this transportation work has been done by Soni and his converted tank transporter. Who is going to do it now? And then there is regular marketing, regular locomotive maintenance, etc. Is there a plan to see that all this gets done before the start of the season? I hope so, but I have not seen it.
To be clear, I am not into bashing the Friends and I certainly don’t want to see them run off the property. They have done immeasurable good for the railroad. I encourage their continued growth and success. However, I see the current management company in a different light. I hope I am wrong about this, but it seems that the management company is going in a direction that is not good and may even be destructive for the railroad. That is my feeling on this. It would appear from the notes and the video clips of the recent commission meeting that the commission has many of the same concerns about the direction the management company is headed.
So what should be done here to get things back on track? Well, I do think the management company needs to demonstrate to the commission within the next thirty days their willingness and ability to change direction to one that is more positive for the railroad. Simply making a few tweaks and glossing over a few issues will not be sufficient. If it means replacing certain people within the management company, then so be it. They should be able to demonstrate to one and all, that their top priority is the continued well-being and success of the railroad and not some individual’s personal agenda. If they cannot do this, it may be time to look for a new operator.
