I have to agree with mleland,
I took my 2 young daughters and their cousins to see the Big Boy this spring, and the celebration of the Golden Spike at Promontory. They loved it. I gave my 11 year old my old SLR and she took a bunch of terrible pictures, but she was loving it. The double header blew her mind. Opportunity to get next generation interested in steam/trains. Even with the nutty crowds. Would
I have liked it if there were not a ton of people in my pics? Of course. But this was an opportunity to witness history not just for me and my clique, but for the many. 20,000 or so in Promontory, and I have no idea how many showed up in Ogden, or took pictures along the way, but I saw tons of people. Casual fans, passers by, whatever. I know it generated a lot of excitement. What is wrong with that? The C&TS needs to draw people to an area most people don't know exists. Here is a golden opportunity.
I understand the Safety aspect on mountain roads, but mostly that is a cop out.The concern is not for the public, it's for the unadulterated perfect shot. This to me is like it seems to go so often: exclude the masses so a select few can get their opportunity to be intimate. It turns me off of ever patronizing the C&TS again. I have too little disposable income to travel much. Why would I want to come to a railroad owned by the states of CO and NM, but treats the public in a caste type system? It stinks of politics
Those of you who have the money can participate, but those of you who do not are not allowed. You can't tell me that there is no way to get the event paid for, "reward" those who graciously provided money, and still allow the public to participate, use public roads, to witness something pretty cool. There are tons of options, preventing the public to see it is the one that involves the least amount of thinking.
I was never planning on coming for this event, I will not be blocking your shot. How many would be coming there this time of year anyway? Apparently I'm not wealthy enough to be a railfan anymore, and I probably never will be with the prices being mentioned. My meager few dollars, like many others, will be going elsewhere.
just my 2 cents worth...
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2019 10:34PM by Josh McNeal.
