Ed Kelley asked about this sentence:
"In late 2003, he went back as full-time general manager of the Mohawk, Adirondack & Northern Railroad."
Let me try to give some background from the top of my head. I haven't lived in the Utica, NY area since 1989, but I've kept up on what's been happening because I maintained my membership in the local NRHS chapter and get their newsletter.
The MA&N is a shortline freight railroad that operates as a for-profit business. The Adirondack Scenic railroad is a passenger railroad that (I think) is a non-profit, one that relies heavily on volunteers. My recollection is that the Adirondack Scenic started up as a project of the U&MV NRHS chapter, operating under a temporary permit from the NY State DOT. The volunteers repaired the track, got a train operating, and the first year or two was a spectacular success, which shocked the state DOT. For legal reasons, the passenger railroad was then spun off from the NRHS chapter and became its own legal entity.
I moved out of the area before most of this happened, so most of what I know is, at best, fourth or fifth hand knowledge. That said, I can say for certain that there is a for-profit shortline freight railroad and a separate non-profit passenger excursion railroad.
Originally, the Adirondack Scenic's excursion route was separate from the MA&N. However, the scenic railroad continued to rehabilitate track, gradually expanding their run. They eventually got to their current situation, where their longer excursions, starting in Utica, do operate partially over the MA&N before reaching Adirondack Scenic tracks. (Eventually, they'll restore all the track and operate trains from Utica all the way to Lake Placid.)
At one point, the Adirondack Scenic RR lost, couldn't keep, or got rid off its manager. When that happened, Gores took on the passenger railroad's GM duties while still keeping his GM duties on the MA&N. In other words, there was a problem with the operation next door, so he "stepped up to the plate" and managed the two different operations concurrently.
So, to me, the sentence that Ed quoted (above) is referring to when Gore went back to having only one full time job because the Scenic RR was again able to hire its own manager again.
The thing about Railstar, the Adirondack Scenic, the MA&N, and the local NRHS chapter is that while they are different companies and non-profit entities, they are all located very close together and some people seem to wear multiple hats. It's not unlike in Golden, where a GLRR owner happens to be on the board of the CRRM.
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Chris Webster
[www.speakeasy.org]