Re: Food for thought (no pix)

South Park Wrote:
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> OK, .. help me understand this ... we keep
> getting suggestions raised about how to alter the
> running of the trains to cut costs.

You derailed right there, making the rest of your argument moot. The discussion is mostly NOT about 'cutting costs' It's about increasing options - for both the RR and riders - without huge increases in costs.

Maintaining an extra steam engine for a weekend midday short turn is probably much too expensive to even consider. As was shown by Scenic, it CAN be done with a diesel.

Running a steam engine during a forest service ordered shut down would be a liability suicide. A diesel may be able to operate when a steam engine definitely could not. Preventing a total loss of those season days.

Bringing in MORE revenue, without a huge cost increase means more MONEY available for stuff like... maintenance and preservation.

Those who have presented knee jerk negative responses, or ridicule, aren't supporting the railroad itself, but their own unsustainable (without a large and constant influx of someone else's money) dreams.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2011 04:06PM by Mik.