Re: What year did the Cumbres snowshed collapse?

I was going to come back and apologize for my (over)reaction to your comment -- especially the grinding axes part -- but you got here first. I think that I commented when I first got involved here a few weeks ago about not wanting to reopen old wounds, and that includes my own. Easier said than done, right.

The snowshed issue is another of those things that has been distorted and misunderstood through the years, and its probably good that this topic came up. Gives us a chance to clear the air a litttle bit. I especially appreciate Earl's dispassionate and practical contribution to the topic. I left Scenic for other pursuits in May 1979 so I did not know all the grusome details, but I was close enough to know that it was a traumatic event for all concerned and that the decisions made regarding the disposition of the snowshed were not made lightly.

Its not clear to me what other steps might be taken even today in that situation. The wye was critical to the operation, it had to be cleared and made safe. From a purely practical perspective, the snowshed was a totally useless structure and it was a hazard. Considering the difficulties currently being faced by the C&TS in restoring the absolutely essential Lobato Trestle, where would one ever come up with the funds to rebuild a "useless" structure, however historically and esthetically desirable that might be?

"Time spent with CATS is never wasted." -- Sigmund Freud

"Nothing endures but change." -- Heraclitus

"C'est le meilleur des mondes possibles." -- Candide