And why the Animas River Railway? Charlie Bradshaw had made a promise when he first bought the railroad that he would contine with steam power and would never run diesels on the Durango & Silverton. So, when it seemed like a good idea to operate a short train to his new wye at Teft (or Cascade as the wye was named), the diesel and trailer came about as an inexpensive way to accomplish that. I remember costs got away from him on this, plus the mechanical problems, but he stuck to his word and called this new operation the Animas River Railway, with its separate ticketing facility at Rockwood where the unit was stored between runs. Thus, a diesel ran on the ARR, in his way of thinking, and never on the D&SNG. That sticking point lasted as long as Charlie owned the railroad.
I just came across some pictures of my one and only ride on that operation that I took with George Chapman, publisher of the Silverton newspaper. The trip went as advertised with no problems. And it was about as exciting as taking a bus ride.