Re: Rio Grande's Attitude at the end

Anyone who has worked on the railroad (myself 30 years) will understand the "scorched earth" mentality of management that has been in place for over 60 years or longer, including even many of today's shortlines that are owned by a conglomerate peopled with class-one rejects. Bean counters at the top tell underlings "get rid of it" and the underlings either do so promptly or are fired. There is no questioning the decision, no matter how little sense it makes. Railroading is about the only industry where managers are rewarded for destroying the infrastructure they oversee. This attitude developed when the companies were strictly regulated by the ICC, when cost cutting made some sense, but still continues today, often turning away potential business with an "it can't be done" attitude.

If enough outside historians had not made enough noise over the years, I have little doubt the C&TS and even the Silverton would not exist today.