Re: C&TS National Scenic Designation *LINK*

This isn't about putting the C&TS on the National Register. Rather than putting the railroad in an existing box, it's about creating a new box - a new designation.
The link below, about "wild and scenic rivers," seems to be in keeping with what the folks in Santa Fe were thinking.
Regardless of what happens with these resolutions, work to the structures would still be governed by the SHPOs, as they have been for years. The entire railroad is a National Historic Site.
National Register listing not only carries no financial benefits as you say, but it carries no protections. You can alter or demolish a National Register property at will - it is strictly ceremonial. From the NPS web site:
"Listing in the National Register honors a historic place by recognizing its importance to its community, State or the Nation. Under Federal law, owners of private property listed in the National Register are free to maintain, manage, or dispose of their property as they choose provided that there is no Federal involvement. Owners have no obligation to open their properties to the public, to restore them or even to maintain them, if they choose not to do so."
JAC