Re: "Quality" charters (redux) ...

Russo Loco Wrote:
=======================================================
> BrianJ Wrote (on another thread):
> ========================================
> > Even if they aren't up for painting #315 green,
> > just #315 'as is' would be worth while in my
> > book. A quality charter with a 'rare' engine on
> > the C&TS ...  It defiantly falls under the
> 'some-
> > thing you don't see everyday' category, kind
> > of like the green 489 did ...
>
>
> Unfortunately, Brian -
>
> "Quality" charters cost money - and since there
> have already been some high-quality charters with
> #315, the pool of potential customers who haven't
> yet ridden behind her - or who would be willing to
> pay a bit extra for yet another "quality" charter
> - is smaller than it was five years ago when she
> first came to the C&TS.*  One of the main
> reasons I asked Dennis D'Allesandro about the
> possibility of painting #315 up as #268 in
> Bumblebee was to be able to offer something
> different to spark renewed interest in her. 
> Per Dennis, some members of the DRHS board were
> emphatically opposed to the idea, so I presume
> they would be equally opposed to back-dating #315
> from her present 1936-1940 appearance to an
> earlier, possibly green-jacketed 1930-1935
> appearance, even though this is one way to help
> avoid the 'same-old, same-old, yet another run-by
> at Hangman's Trestle or Lava Tank' syndrome.
>
> On an entirely different note - IF an adequate
> number of supporters could be found - I would be
> VERY interested in re-creating a combined
> Cumbres-Turn / Flanger Train such as those
> photographed by Tom Gildersleeve on March 14 and
> March 22, 1963 - see the thread beginning at
> [ngdiscussion.net],
> especially
> [ngdiscussion.net]
> 46418.   If the requisite minimum of eight
> tank cars are available, the remaining major
> downsides to such a charter are:
>     1. The significant added cost of a
> second engine and crew.
>     2. Too many freeloaders on its
> Chama-to-Cumbres route.
>     3. Near-Perfect cooperation by
> Mother Nature is required.
> About the only time such a charter could
> conceivably be run would be IF there is still some
> snow along the line the weekend before Opening
> Day, but not so much snow that the RR is
> impassable.**  Another complication is that
> 05/11/14 is Mother's Day - most likely further
> reducing the number of potential customers. 
> Of course it's possible that there could be snow
> by the end of the season, but guessing when and
> making travel plans on short notice precludes
> anything other than taking a chance on
> Thanksgiving weekend.
>
> A third possibility is to revive John West's 2011
> sugggestion of a 2012 "Toltec Rattler Done Right"
> - a two-engine train leaving Antonito after lunch
> so as to have optimum lighting on its front, with
> a mixed consist like that he caught leaving
> Antonito in December, 1961.***  I have had
> preliminary discussions with John Bush regarding
> running such a train on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014,
> but no details whatsoever have as yet been worked
> out.  Since the livelihoods of those involved
> do not depend on making a profit from this
> charter, we are hoping to keep costs low enough to
> allow both the use of a second engine and a good
> income for the C&TS without having to charge an
> excessive fare.  The primary reasons for
> selecting this date are:
>     1. It is between the end of the
> summer tourist season and the beginning of the
> Fall Colors rush, usually a quiet time on the
> C&TS.
>     2. There is a full moon only two
> days later, so maybe this time we can get the
> moonrise shot at m.p. 317.5 that we missed in
> 2010.****
> If enough interest is shown, perhaps a second day
> could be added - maybe even van service between
> Osier and Antonito on Saturday night and Sunday
> morning - so that the second day could emphasize
> some of the fabulous and rarely-exploited run-by
> locations found between Osier and Cumbres.
>
> - Rüsso MUY Loco
>
> p.s. Any lawyers out there want to help some of us
> notorious Curmudgeons put together 'Phraud-O-Graph
> Charters, Inc.' ®
>       as a wholly-owned subsidiary
> of 'Zachman, West, Sperious, Poston, Holmes, Hogan
> & Forney - Instigators at Large'?
>       Of course Earl Knoob will be
> Chairman of the Board, Emeritus (see
> [ngdiscussion.net]
> 51867 et seq) ...    
>
>     * See
> [ngdiscussion.net]
> et seq,
> [ngdiscussion.net],
> and
> [ngdiscussion.net]
> et seq for examples.
>
>    ** See
> [ngdiscussion.net]
> et seq.
>
>  *** See
> [www.lifewastedchasingtrains.com]
> _itemId=22498 et seq.
>
> **** Just call me "Captain Ahab" - I'm still
> trying to land this fish!

With a flanger turn from Chama to Cumbres it does depend on mother nature. However the snow at the end of the season looks like snow but is more ice like in April, May. When a flanger turn would be cool is at the beginning of the snow season which can be anytime but is really early December. Then the snow is mostly fluffy, plowable, flangerable. Is that even a word, flangerable??? lol!!!

What would be a good situation is a flanger turn charter one day and the next a Christmas train for the kids. I haven't seen a Christmas train out of Chama in the last couple years.

And if anyone hasn't been to Chama in December, it's about as pastoral as possible. The low angle of the sun provides excellent opportunity for photos, video. In Dec, the area looks like a Christmas post card. Camping in the campgrounds isn't really possible and would require the riders to be in hotels. So the question is if this is a workable scenario? A few years back a flanger turn in Dec was offered but not enough riders signed up. It also wasn't timed to open a portion of the line for the Christmas train. And it all depends on mother nature. If it's a big snow winter, it could only be to Dalton. If it's a minimal snow, could be to Cumbres. Only do what's safety wise ok.