Coal Burners and Dry Grass

Excellent post, Wade.
It does seem curious to me that the D&S is being allowed to operate, their engines burn coal same as the C&TS.
The C&TS covers an area that is, as you so well point out, largely remote and "low priority" as they range across two watersheds. The D&S runs along the Animas River, and has less chance to start remote grass fires is the only reason I can fathom for letting them continue to run. I'm sure if things don't improve soon, the D&S will be forced to quit also.
Dry grassland and coal-burning locomotives have a bad history in Colorado. The C&S banned all coal burners South of Denver in the 1920's, as I recall. The last run of a steam engine on the C&S was in 1961, when the coal burning 638 was run down to Trinidad to be placed on display. It was the first time a coal burner had been south of Denver on the C&S in many many years.
Pray for rain, indeed. Thanks again for the time you spent on this, Wade.