Re: "IN-Authentic" paint scheme - for P.R.

Russo and Gothpapa,

In the world of real-time historic preservation, there are two schools of thought and approach.

There is literal historic preservation, where you try to identify, preserve, and present every nut and bolt, every button and zipper, every book and chalkboard, just as they were created or discovered. Many artifacts, however, are much altered over their lifetime, and by the time they are discovered by preservationists, they are rather different than at their creationtion. Consider all of the part swapping that has gone on over the decades on Rio Grande locomotives. Unfortunately, it is pretty hard to make money off of literal preservation; ask any museum.

Then there is adaptive historic preservation, much beloved by building preservationists. In adaptive preservation, the owner or manager of a historic artifact or building tries to preserve as much of the original historic fabric of that object as possible, while making such adaptations as are necessary (bringing a building up to code, for example) to make that object economically viable. A good example is the many cotton mills that dotted the waterfronts of Massachusetts rivers. Up and coming towns have rescued those structures, none of which have been functional mills for decades, and converted them into upscale condos, offices, and storefront businesses. Decaying cities have seen this result in new vitality and financial success for what were once massive eyesores.

Unfortunately, feelings often run quite high on both sides, literal and adaptive; hence the heated exchanges on this forum.

The C&TS walks a fine line between literal and adaptive preservation, Whatever railfans may have thought the reasons were for the two states purchasing what became the C&TS, the legislators of both states clearly intended that the railroad would serve as an economic engine for that region. Without economic success, there would be no C&TS, so the management and operators must make what adaptations they must to insure that the revenue continues to flow. Included in that adaptation is branding yourself as what you are, not what you once were. Thus the Rio Grande's Silverton branch became the Durango & Silverton, and the Rio Grande mainline between Antonito and Chama became the C&TS. The C&TS has not been the Rio Grande since the late 1960's; the D&S has not been the Rio Grande for almost as long The Rio Grande corporate and public identity has been submerged into the Union Pacific and is no longer identifiable by the masses. This does not mean that we cannot point out both railroads' historical antecedents in the Rio Grande and pay tribute thereunto. But slavish obsession with these two railroad's historic roots does not pay the bills. That statement may be discomforting to the historians and literal preservationists among us. But it is reality. In all marketing efforts, the C&TS must uphold its corporate brand: Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Regarding rotary operations, museums and historic railroads everywhere are finding that it is no longer sufficient to throw open the doors and wait for the public to arrive. They will be waiting for a long time. With more and more entities and activities clamoring for our attention, the name of the game is special events.

At my own little arena for volunteerism, the Colorado Railroad Museum, I have witnessed in the past couple of years a significant growth of special days and events, most of which usually involve running a train (each takes a huge volunteer effort). For example, when the Little Blue Devil is at the museum, attendance jumps from a few hundred on a busy day to something close to 5,000. Of course, we have the advantage of being sited in a major metropolitan area. But we are competing for attention against hundreds, if not thousands, of events and activities occurring all across the region. So the museum, to remain competitive, does a German heritage weekend (taking advantage of Coors' presence across the street), Buffalo Bill Days (in cooperation with the City of Golden), Halloween trains, Santa trains (three times as many weekends this year), and the like. All these special events serve to raise the museum's flag above the teaming masses. So do your rotary trains, not as a playtoy for a small bunch of railfans, but as a marketing ploy to add value to the C&TS brand. Just remember to apply the physicians' oath: DO NO HARM!

I think I have used up my allocated amount of forum space--and then some!

Now where did I put my asbestos suit...

Mike