My original title might be interpreted as claiming the good old days are behind us. Maybe. But it is equally possible that there are even better days to come. What is changing is the audience, as us older folks who are nostalgic for the DRGW of the 60's with its big trains are disappearing, and a new generation is stepping in that may well be more interested in something else. Until now a lot of the C&TS was all about preserving what was there immediately before the C&TS took over. Now we are seeing more recreation of other eras of the railroad. Not good or bad, simply an evolving market so to speak. My title was simply reflecting that us old folks (and a few younger ones as well) have had a good run for the past 50 years, somewhat capped by the great HTP charter in 2015, and the incredible rotary run last year. So we have nothing to complain about, other than we don't want to see the good times end. The Victorian is not my cup of tea, but it certainly appears to be VERY popular with others. And the work done to create the historic passenger train is incredible, especially the tourist sleeper. Lots of good stuff going on, and the addition of variety is undoubtedly a good thing.
JBWX