(*Sigh) Okay, I will give you an explanation for my post. I don't expect it to change your mind but I'll do it as a courtesy. The question was raised as to what happened to the #9 after it supposedly was restored to operation. I believe you and some of the others have given very accurate and technically informative answers and for that I thank you. As far as bringing up the CHS and the Loop, I will apologize for upsetting you but I really can't see how anyone can give a proper explanation as to the
reasoning for taking an irreplacable historical artifact and doing an incomplete restoration, sending it up to a tourist railroad and then putting it into regular service!
As far as wasting millions of dollars, I originally thought to say "hundreds of thousands" but considering the purchases necessary to keep the Loop running (including two diesels which required a replacement of a bridge) as well as the "first" restoration of #9 and the complete restoration of #12, I upped it to the millions. I acknowledge that I might have exaggerated so I will grant you that point and change my statement to be "hundreds of thousands." I will not include loss of revenue in my figures.
You say I need to take an anger management course. If I needed to do that I would probably retort back something incindiary which would do nothing to further this "conversation." I believe I used the term "galls" which I will stand behind. The people responsible for this particular "bad decision" have never been held accountable! I suppose you could argue that, since I am no longer a citizen of Colorado, I have no legitimate right to criticize. So be it. Considering the mess your state is in, I'm delighted not to be one of the unfortunate taxpayers that are going to be forced to pony up to fix it! If the #9 was owned by a private entity such as the D&S or even the CRRM then I wouldn't feel that I had the right to criticize. I know that sounds hypocritical but the CHS isn't private! The hubris of some of the people directly involved was stunning!
Most of the people on this forum are damn tired of hearing any kind of bitching (no, I'm not going to censor myself this time. I'm tired too.) so, when they read a post like mine, it's easy to visualize someone rolling their eyes and muttering,"Oh, not again!" If you took that to mean I was directing my comment at you and you took offence... well, you now have my explanation.
I don't initiate these threads anymore. The people running the Loop now are, in my opinion, just fine! I am content that the Loop will survive and hopefully thrive again. My original comment was aimed squarely at the people
in the CHS (so sorry to bring that little niggling detail up again) that allowed the #9 to sit on the Morningstar siding rusting away for
over a decade (not an exaggeration) before deciding that it could be used on the Loop for regular service!
I'm not going to repeat the details as you are very well aware of them other than to say that the amount of funds necessary to restore the #9 to the excellent condition it currently is in (as a static display and
not with it's proper tender!) pretty much makes my point that the decision makers who chose the $250,000 bid didn't have historical preservation as a motivational factor when making their decision to go with the lowest bidder (by over $500,000 from any other estimate!) The fact that these people have never even been publicly remorseful for their mishandling of the #9 restoration is what I am still angry about. No, I don't "brood" on it but I am also not one of those people that figure that, sooner or later, the public will forget any problems so we can do what we want! We'll just "spin" the information the way we want it to sound and the public will buy it. Sometimes, reminding people of "unpleasant truths" makes you unpopular. I have no doubt that you would be just fine with me leaving this forum and never posting again! (Hey, I get to apologize to you again! Sorry, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon...) Okay, I'll admit that was petty but it also is true! Now, I've done more explaining than I have in a LONG time. That's all I have to say on the subject.
