Kevin,
Well if you keep the C&TS as your goal, what's the problem? Spend some time on the Ohio Central or the Durango & Silverton and get some good training in on full blown railroads. You'd probably have a much better shot at being hired on with the Cumbres & Toltec if you could include in your resume' that you've already worked on other railroads. Plus you'd have a much better idea of just what it takes to operate or fire large locomotives over challenging terrain. I doubt Kim was trying to ignore you or anything like that, running a railroad can get you horrendously distracted and a lot of things can fall by the wayside.
Thanks, Taylor