Only about 107.3 miles (566,544 feet) to rebuild, more or less (assuming Durango depot at mp 451.5 and Chama depot at mp 344.2). "We can and we will rebuild the mainline from Chama to Durango !!
I'd be willing to head up and be a founding member of the "Friends of the San Juan Extension Main Line" to rebuild it and connect Durango and Chama together again.
My modest qualifications are as follows: A steam fan since age 7 (55+years), slim gauge for 28 years, and a member of Friends Of The C&TS. Presently retired and living in Golden CO so CRRM and D&RGW historical records records in Denver are close by.
Experienced in archival document location and information searching. A computer smart, detail oriented research chemist with 22 years of diversified experience, mainly in new product development and facilities planning areas.
Additional expertise as a science and computer science educator.
Proficient in grant writing, dealing with private companies and individuals, local and state govermental agencies on historical preservation and future development plans as chairman of a municipal planning and zoning commission.
MBA in finance and marketing with formal training in budgeting, new product cost analysis (from product inception to plant design and product introduction).
All interested persons please contact me via e-mail at
wmmalin@uswest.net so we can get the trains rolling again on that 100+ miles of track.
As Doug Van Veelen said in the previous post "It would not be a hard job I think, just a long and tedious one. If there is interest in trying to restore the main, the longer we wait the less likely we can reconnect the line. "I have a dream.... and it can and will come true" If we do nothing but talk about it that dream will be like the smoke coming out of the stacks on a doubleheader climing the big hill to Cumbres, "there for awhile but will soon disappear forever." LATER becomes an incrementally more difficult option as time passes (32 years so far and still counting).
