Thoughts on #30 & #9

In a post below, the two locomotives ( Colorado & Souther #9 and Colorado & North-Western #30, aka C&S 74)are referred to as "sad piles of parts" and it was mentioned that photos of them were used to at the Loop Communications Committee meeting on Wednesday illustrate their current status and show that they could not be restored. To the untrained eye, or two those who wish only to further a negative viewpoint, the engines may look bad. To me, they look like work is progressing and the locomotives are on the road to recovery. I visited the locomotives on Thursday morning and was pleased to see the progress.
What was truly sad was watching #9 decay on Morningstar siding for the past 15 years and watch #30 slowly return to the earth in Boulder for my entire life. Why wasn't everyone who is screaming about what is going on with these engines now doing anything about it then? Are you all so pissed of at the CHS that you would be happier to let the locomotives rot than see them restored in any manner?
Wake up and smell the damn coffee folks, to fix something you first have to take it apart! Thats what stage #30 & # 9 are in now, so of course they look like crap, but guess what, every locomotive on the Loop today has looked just as bad and been in as many or more peices several times in their carreers on the Loop. For that matter, why isn't eveyone moaning and complaining about GLR #40? It has been dismembered for the past few years, its boiler is in Denver, its frame is in Golden, its drivers are in Silver Plume, its cab is presently serving as a tractor shed, its tender is behind #40 and its sand dome and other parts are on a flatcar at Morningstar. Plus, there is no money available to fix it (That's what the $100,000.00 the GLR was requesting from the CHS in the early contract negotiations was for). #9 & #30 on the other hand have been apart for a couple of months and money is available to put them back together. Which locomotive sounds worse off now? (For the record, I am not bashing GLR Inc. for the current condition of #44, I am just using it as an example. It is in the hands of competant people who care about it and I am sure that I will see it run again)
For that matter #9 & #30 are in the hands of competant people who care about them as well (Marlin Uhrich and his staff)Uhrich understands and cares about the history and future of these engines more than most people.
Will #30 or #9 run by next year? I don't know. They are both presently being evaluated to see what they actually need. I would speculate that it would be possible for #30 to run late next year, providing the boiler is OK, but that remains to be seen. Money is what holds up most restoration projects. If the money is there, the project goes well, if its not it doesn't. The money seems to be there for these two locomotives.
I realize that people are upset about what is going on at the Georgetown Loop. I am sad to see the current operation come to an end, I have enjoyed working there and will miss all of the people I have worked with. I consider them all friends and they have been very helpful to me. I have a greta deal of respect for Lindsey & Rosa Asby and Dave Ropchan for waht they have accomplished at the Loop, they are good people and do not deserve to have their hard work end this way.
That said, none of us know everything that went on to get us to this point. I would have to guess that there is blame to go around on both sides. To me it seems like the GLR and CHS drew lines in the sand back in March and no was was willing to back down until it was to late.
For the sake of the towns of Georgetown & Silver Plume, as well as railroad preservation, it is time to move on. What's done is done, there is no going back. Focusing a bunch of anger and negative energy on the new operator and the CHS is not going to help anything, it will only make the failure of the Georgetown Loop a self fulfilling prophecy. Want to see the Loop paved over by I70? All you have to do is keep on the path of doing everything you can to show how the CHS and the new operator will fail and you will get your wish.
The circumstances that have lead us to this point are no good, but now we are at a crossroads. For the greater good, it is time to move on and figure out how to help the CHS and the new operator (Railstar) make the Georgetown Loop a continued success. The future of many small businesses in Georgetown and Silver Plume, along with the future (to some degree) of steam powered tourist railroads, depends upon it. If you don't like the course the CHS is taking, help them find other courses and options. They are not stupid people and they want the Loop to succeed. They had a hell of a learnig curve to overcome on this(did any of you learn all you know now about railroads in 6 weeks?), but they are willing to learn and listen to people who have knowledge to pass on. They probably are not however willing to listen to screaming rants and insults.
The fact is, Georgetown Loop Railroad Inc. is gone, they are moving equipment out and a contract has been signed with Railstar. No amount of negativity to the CHS and their efforts to find equipment for the Loop is going to bring GLR Inc. back. I will restate that I am very, very sad to see this happen, but for the sake of the future, we need to move on. Focus your energy on making something positive come of this, instead of working hard to show the world that the CHS can't do it (the time has passed for that tact), work to show them how they can do it, work to make sure that the shop owner in Georgetown can make his or her loan payments next year.
I am sure this post will make me unpopular with some, but I fell that it had to be said.
Jason Midyette