The flags are flying this summer because Al Harper, who owns the D&SNG, wants them. Al is a very sincere, patriotic, and religious person who has put his heart and soul, not to mention all his personal financial resources, into this operation. He has a zeal for this railroad that is truly amazing. I have worked with both Bradshaw and Harper and both, in their own way, have put into action with their time, effort and money, what no one else has ventured to do.
Much to Al's credit, he stepped in and took over active operation of the D&SNG after a terrible, abortive start with one of the most abrasive and obnoxious individuals I have ever had to deal with. The town of Silverton almost went to war with the railroad over the heavy handed management style that emerged that first year or so of operation after Bradshaw sold the line. I've been involved with far too much of the "in the trenches" dealings with all three of the operators of the line from my arrival here in 1970. But, we still have the railroad, with its flags and paint schemes, though the "rails to trails" people would sure like the Animas Canyon for a trail system.
I went to the slide show in the museum Friday night and saw a great presentation. The railroad provided appropriate background sights and sound with the servicing and moving of engines. I was able to hook up with my old friend Jim Mayer, who is back working for the D&SNG--and Jim at one time was head of passenger operations for the D&RGW before the SP consolidated positions and eliminated his job. But, I was in awe of a room full of experts, each one who could probably do a better job of painting, lettering, and operating the line than its present (and in the long run, temporary) management.
In that same room, I was in a rather intense meeting last summer with Al Harper and the community advisory committee to the railroad in how to deal with the devasting results of the forest fire that almost did all of us in. The railroad lost 25 days of operation into Silverton and its revenues dropped several million dollars. We were all in a panic on how to save our business skins. I got the royal brush-off from our local US senator when a couple of us approached him about federal aid for the railroad, so the saving effort came from a $1.5 million loan package put together by the Region 9 economic development group, and that loan was funded by the state of Colorado. Loans have to be paid back, however, and with ridership still below pre-fire levels, any positive effort that keeps our line viable is required.
It's noon and the whistle of the train arriving in town just wafted through to me at the computer, so I now have better things to attend to as I can hear the engine coming up 12th street. Music to my ears!
