trainrider47 Wrote:
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> With at least six trains in each direction per day
> during the season, there really is no room for
> charters. One was attempted in June a few years
> ago and the participants reported spending most of
> the day in sidings, watching the main trains go
> by. Why the charter operator tried this is a
> mystery, since the WP&Y makes its money from the
> cruise ship trains and a charter is an
> inconvenience.
>
> Michael Allen
The nice thing about going there in April was that we got to experience Skagway as it is MOST of the year. No tourists, no tourist trains, and no sitting in the hole all day.
I was astounded to find that only 16 other guys (they were all guys) decided to go see them run the rotary. The railroad was OK with the low turn-out and really was not looking for a crowd. Still, given the amount of discussion here about rotaries and the WP&YR, it was amazing that so many passed on the opportunity. The railroad paid for the entire rotary operation.....mainly because they could. With 400,000 customers per year at $119 a head, you can afford to play with trains. All we paid for was the chase train. It was under $750 for 4 days! Of course, the cost to get there and stay there was a couple of grand, but hey.....it was an all WP&YR, all steam rotary fleet. A potential once-in-a-lifetime deal and only 17 guys went for it.
When I was there, I asked their Director of Marketing (who set the charter up) when they might do this again. At the time, she indicated it probably would happen again, but not anytime soon. Since then, most of the senior management has changed, including the President, Vice President, Superintendent of Operations, and the Director of Marketing. Few of the people who made the decision to run the rotary and offer it as a charter are still there.
/Kevin Madore
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2016 03:12PM by KevinM.
Re: WP&Y, who rides this, among train buffs?