Multiple comments:
There was a "ceremonial" lifting the 3rd rail just west of the US 285 Crossing in Sept 1970 where the "official end of track was". It was later replaced, allowing a few pieces of equipment to be shoved back across the highway for storage on a long siding that ended just east of US 285. For those with a copy of Sundance publications "Rio Grande Pictorial", there is a pic looking west toward the 285 crossing, with 494 and/or 495 on the right. The Grande eventually leased the hunk of track across 285 to the C&TS, and did so for many years. Offers to buy it off them were regularly refused. Almost as if they wanted a little hunk of operating NG still around. When the UP merger was in the works, they finally sold it off. I can only imagine what the deal would have been if that piece of RR ended up in UP hands...
The C&TS has always been under partial FRA jurisdiction because it crosses public right of ways. As it does not connect with the general system of railroads, it does not file an engineer's certification program. However I developed such a program back in the 1990's, and I assume they still use it.
C&TS used to pay into RR Retirement. It was deemed an interstate carrier, so they were allowed to be in the system. I was told that Scenic Rys set the C&TS up with RRRe because it could not afford any other form of benefits, but they could do that for the employees. When George Bartholomew took over the C&TS, he petitioned to have the C&TS removed from the system. Thankfully, we got to keep all our accumulated months of service toward our pensions. For those who continually ask if I would ever return the C&TS, the answer is "no" because I am real close to getting my 30 years in with RRRe and need to keep that going. One of the big reasons to sign on with the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley gang was because they pay into RRRe and now all the folks in Cass are under that too.
