In a townhall meeting this spring, it was reported that the local CHS director told everybody at the meeting that he believed the workers and the equipment would stay for his proposed new Loop operation and everything would just continue like it always has. That's a very arrogant and naive assumption and is why CHS is going to have to shell out millions of dollars of the state taxpayers money to smite the current operators. That's a lot of money just to try to get your personal political views on top.
The current staff of the Georgetown Loop is not interested in working for a hostile socialistic landlord. The equipment will not stay under these conditions either.
Unless CHS takes humble-pie as an appetizer rather than the full course, they risk closure of the Georgetown Loop Railroad. Wait until that fat lady gets her first note out, and it is too late. This has become a personal vendetta of a few individuals who have no right or authority to assume the things that they have or propose/draft the things they have. These individuals should quietly find another occupation before they are exposed completely. OOPS, one of these people has already stated that he intends to quit CHS once this last season is over. That's because this CHS person is one of the people that has drafted the requirement to have 40% of the Loop's profits put into his other local special interest organization. Trouble is, he's assuming the same level of income and success as the current operation (aint gonna happen without unnecessary huge capital expenditure from taxpayer money).
History will record the names and actions of the people involved in removing the operator that made the Georgetown Loop a success. Perhaps the interactive placards along the proposed asphalt trails will explain how political differences and egos effectively provided the reason to desert the Georgetown Loop the second time. History will note that a dedicated group of people came and went from the Loop with a continually improving operation and an impeccable safety record.
For all the optimist-devil-advocates here that dream of seeing #9 or #60 operating again, you will see so only if the state is willing to inject mega-bucks of tax payer dollars. The current operator took 30 years of managing all the variables properly to get a successful mountain steam railroad that could properly accomodate the ever growing demands of the tourist industry. Since this mess started, everytime CHS makes a public promise, it is inaccurate, speculative, disingenuous, and slandorous. They continue to fail to acknowledge that they have a very good situation with the current operators that they are now destroying with wreckless abandon.
The misbehaving self-serving brats of this situation need to be removed so a more objective base can be established for future operations. If CHS has supposed problems with an established succesful operator and problems continue with the next operator (their current RFP = formula for business disastor), you think that by then they may realize they have bad apples in THEIR own cart? By then, the fat lady has already sung and nobody wants anything to do with the Georgetown Loop. This requires sooner resolution.
As assumed with the current mindset, the state of Colorado injects taxpayer money that they never had to before and the local politicos of Georgetown and Silver Plume are there and ready to skim 40% right off the top. This is pure genius - if you're a local and part of the select group that gets this money. This is pure corruption if you are anybody else, especially if you pay taxes for Colorado. It's also pure poison to the ability to continue to run steam trains.
There's a spanner in the works and I'm dumbfounded that it has not been removed from the works and thumped over the heads of the dingbats that are working so hard to remove the current owners.
The big question is, does anybody really give a damn? Does anybody in a high enough level see this entire situation really care enough to pull that spanner out and draw up a reasonable agreement (that doesn't give free money to local special interest groups) to keep the Loop in operation?
If no,
"Railroad Bridge for Sale, $500"
1939 & 2005
