Re: REast 30 years hope for 30 more

Jack, you couldn't be more right about having to work twice as hard to keep one step ahead, as you and John Bush amply proved under Kyle.
When the Friends in early 2000 were considering whether or not to take on the operation of the C&TSRR we researched the records of locomotive maintenance by Kyle compared to Bartholomew.
The records show that from 1987 to 1996 you guys did an average of two major running gear rebuilds or re-boilerings every year (plus lots of other work). By contrast in his three years as operator Bartholomew only completed one boiler (487) and no running gear rebuilds.
As for the FRA you also couldn't be more right about FRA oversight and inspections of the C&TSRR locomotives, but that was not the case for track. Perhaps someone out there knows better, but I'd always heard that before 2000 the states (e.g., CDOT) would check the right-of-way. The FRA really didn't exert its jurisdiction over track until the spring of 2000. Then it landed with both feet, prompted in no small part by the comments on railfan discussion boards about the deteriorated condition of the track.