I agree with Earl and Jerry on this one. Hermosa would be like starting the Antonito to Osier Run at Sublette or Big Horn. Not practical for auto access. Besides missing the climb from Hermosa to Rockwood, which us fans enjoy a lot, starting at Rockwood skips the boring stuff in the flatlands, and gets you right into great scenery at the start and to the end of the trip with no monkeying around. It solves a lot of problems for the railroad, with not having to run a second Silverton train if they don't want to, especially in the dry season like now!
Greg