Re: A Possible Wild-Eyed Resolution: 09/27 & 28 ...

Hello John -

Suppose - just suppose, as you did not reveal the exact dates of the possible conflict - that
the RMRRC charter is on the weekend of September 29-30, 2012,  AND that the C&TS RR
(having hired an astrologer)  sponsors their own MoonLight Dinner Train on Saturday, Sept-
ember 29, would it be possible for your charter to run on Thursday & Friday, Sept. 27 & 28,
or even Wednesday & Thursday, Sept. 26 & 27?  Any of those three days would provide an
increasingly gibbous moon for evening photo shoots, and with the Rocky Club's trip being so
close there should be at least a few people interested in having several days of activities who
might want to participate in both charters.  Also, the expense of accurately re-lettering both
of the locomotive cabs and tenders to whichever era is acceptable to the two charters could
be shared between them ...

Even if only three K-36's are operational at that time, it would be possible for both days of your charters to have helpers IF #463 is also available -

Day One:  With the three K-36's all in Chama, #463 handles the westbound regular passenger train from Antonito to Osier, one of the K-36's handles the eastbound regular passenger train, and both of these engines turn on the loop at Osier and return to Antonito and Chama, respectively. The other two K-36's provide a road engine and rear helper for X-487* East. (IF a helper is needed from Chama to Cumbres on the regular train, your charter would have to wait until the helper returned from Cumbres to Chama in order to have two engines - unless #19 is adequate as a helper if there are only two or three extra cars.)  The helper for your train would then pull the "Chase" train from Cumbres to Antonito, in order to be available as a mid-train helper on ...

Day Two: Engine #463 again handles the regular westbound passenger train from Antonito to Osier, freeing up both of the K-36's which arrived from Chama on Day One to be the road engine and mid-train helper from Antonito to Osier and Cumbres. Even if #463 continues on to Chama, she should be adequate as a helper to the K-36 arriving there from the day before to allow a double-header on 09/29 (or 09/28). The only day on which the C&TS would have to limit ticket sales to the capacity of a single K-36 from Chama to Cumbres would be on Day Two of your charter.  Unless #19 is available to pull a short "chase" train on Day Two, rider cars for the photographers would have to be attached to the rear of the charter - hopefully far enough behind the helper to not have an overly adverse affect on photos and videos of the majority of run-bys.

- Russo (MUY) Loco, Curmudgeono Apprenticio de el Hefe - Señor Curmudgeono del Norte

* IMHO, if she is available, #487 should be the road engine on Day One at least, when the right (engineer's) side of the engine will be on the sunny side of the train in most locations - just be VERY sure her tender lettering has the right slant on it for the era being re-created ...  
(see [ngdiscussion.net].)