(More) Opening Day Rambling

Opening day is behind us and things went reasonably well. We screwed up a couple of bus connections, were short a couple of meals at Osier, and were too optimistic about how much tonnage 489 and 463 could pull up the hill. And the new whiz bang computerized reservation system still needs some fine tuning (where's the sledge hammer?).
But watching 489 and 463 labor so hard brought back memories of Cumbres turns years ago. The C&TS is no run of the mill tourist railroad....it pushes man and machine to the limit.
Sunday's trip seemed to go without a hitch, so we must have learned something. Former Governor Cargo was on hand and enjoyed his ride. I wonder if the computer ever found Jay's prepaid ticket? We're clearly not perfect, but most things seemed to go okay.
Much gratitude is owed a very hard working shop crew that labored very long and hard hours in April and May to pull three engines together. And a dry Spring gave Max Pacheco and his crew an opportunity to also put in some long hard days working on the track. Ten hours days were the norm. And most folks probably would overlook the hard work that went into creating an accounting and payroll system...Dick Cowles and Candi Martinez worked hard. Ed McLaughlin and Bob Wright provided key leadership. And while a whole lot of people worked very hard, I have to single out Marvin Casias who not only led the crew putting 487 back into service (he obviously knows how to do it blindfolded, because the Antonito engine house has no effective lighting), but found time to come to Osier to put the water system back together. But in mentioning Marvin I don't want to minimize the work of any of the others....it was a long hard Spring for everyone.
While opening day went pretty well, there is a lot of work ahead. The 497 needs to be finished, the 484 remains to be worked on (not to mention the 488), and EDA track work is just getting started. The EBT cars need lots of work, the passenger car fleet needs a lot of TLC, and George Greenbaum is fighting a lonely battle in Antonito getting the 19 fixed. And while passenger demand would support a daily operation right now, the forestry folks would be happy to see the whole operation shut down until the Monsoon season arrives.
Ed and the crew have their hands full. But unless something unexpected hits us, the outlook seems pretty favorable, so long as ridership holds up.