LPCC Notes

More on the 12/1/04 LPCC meeting:
Committee members in attendance: Mark Graybill, Rod Wolthoff, Joseph Bell, Jo Ann Sorenson, Frank Young, Bob Bowland. Absent: Lee Behrens, Carla Chiles, Sara Walen.
Minutes from the October LPCC meeting were not available the December meeting. Mark Graybill stated the minutes would be available at a later date.
Public comment: Jim Poston opened by announcing the operation of GLRR #14 - re-lettered to the Argentine Central - for the Santa Train this weekend at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden.
Continuing, Jim stated the Railstar informational website, promised in October for availability in November, was nowhere to be seen, and that the toll-free Loop number (1-888-4-LOOP-RR) was mostly unintelligible, very unprofessional, and made no mention of the Georgetown Loop until well into the message.
Regarding the phone number, Ron Ruhoff and Kerry Ann McHugh also mentioned problems, and regarding the website, CHS stated that the website builder was in Florida and had been impacted by hurricanes. CHS did not know if, once constructed, whether the website would be maintained by the Florida firm, by Railstar or another New York-based company, or in Colorado.
Railstar/Society Marketing: Ron Trottier of Railstar sent a letter to the merchants of Georgetown and Silver Plume; AAA has been contacted for Loop advertising; a rack card has been designed and printed; and Heather Lopez stated that cooperative advertising is being developed with the Denver metro area.
Ron Ruhoff asked how many of the rack cards had been printed. Answer: LOTS, and Ron’s reply was that the back of the card advised tourists to take Exit #226 to “Sliver (sic) Plume”.
Railstar at the Georgetown Christmas Market: Ron Trottier will be at the Market on December 4th and 5th, with either himself, another Railstar representative, or the CHS filling in for Railstar next weekend 12/11-12/12). An $85.00 ticket package will be offered, the package to include four train tickets and admission to the Lebanon Mine. The audience recommended that local merchants have l-o-n-g chats with Mr. Trottier regarding the true future of the Loop.
Loop Rolling Stock: CHS has four gons being reworked by Jason Midyette (et al.?), with two more gons under negotiation for use on the Loop - the location and status of these two cars ‘confidential‘ according to Joseph Bell.
One 44-ton diesel in Pueblo is presently undergoing restoration for use as the first diesel on the Loop (by March? May?), with a second 44-tonner to be restored at an unknown, later date.
Engine #30/74 is undergoing operational restoration. When it was mentioned to the committee that 2-3 years and over $200,000 was the estimate for restoring #30, Joseph Bell stated that extra shifts/resources would be used to expedite the required work.
CHS did not mention the possible use of C&S #9 with #30 tender until prompted by Jim Poston. Only then did Joseph Bell confirm that that option was being considered.
The Committee stated that Starfire Engineering was involved with the potential use of Engine #60 in Idaho Springs. Jim advised the Committee and CHS to contact the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad regarding their experience(s) with this contractor.
Jim asked about locomotives from Cuba, and whether if Stone Design & Consulting was any part of the locomotive procurement process. Mr. Bell said that SD&C was used only for the RFP process.
Note: Any questions regarding the specific status of Railstar’s rolling stock was met with the usual response of ‘confidentiality’, and “Railstar will announce that in January’.
Loop Park Project: Timber maintenance in the Lebanon Mine, fire mitigation, and work on the Silver Plume depot and Mine mill building were either under way, or were due to begin soon.
Other: 12-15 resumes have been received by Railstar; job interviews were conducted at the TRAIN convention in Kansas City last month.
Next meeting: January 2005, date to be determined.