While I don't think anyone will walk away with a frown from Cass, all of the locomotives also are lettered as the "Cass Scenic Railroad", and new numbers in some cases. Take for example Feather River #3, a lifelong holder of that number on the Hutchinson Lumber Company and its common-carrier counterpart later on and an oil-fired locomotive, now a coal-burner with a diamond stack, and the number 11. At first, I was sort of upset to see a locomotive I barely recognized (sort of like where my home once stood). In this case, I was in the end just happy to know this monster is in steam again; as I'm sure it was nice for all locals in Clear Creek County to know steam was again operating over the Georgetown Loop, regardless of what it was. Plus, the locomotives used were far better suited for handling the conditions of the line than anything the C&S ever used; the Shays were right at home here.
The fact that Shays, nor the #40 ever operated there previously to 1970 didn't stop anyone from enjoying their trip on the Georgetown Loop. Again, the fact that the railroad was blessed to have such a fine group of experienced people operating her over the past 31 years is far more important than whether or not the locomotives operated on the site during the tenure of the original C&S-operated Loop. History is an ongoing and endless process; the Loop's history obviouslywasn't sealed nearly 70 years ago, particularly since what is sitting now as a bare railroad line in Clear Creek Canyon was entirely new starting in the 70s, and was built as a result of the Ashbys and their friends' collaboration of efforts and coordination to get the job done. If they were erased from the Loop's history, the former Loop site today would probably be a couple of static rolling stock displays. While the previous supporters on the CHS obviously contributed a fair amount to the construction, the organization has in recent years taken obvious credit they don't deserve. This is just what I have picked up from researching, and talking to people.
But indeed, that doesn't stop anybody from enjoying it. As for Walt Disney World, all four of those locomotives are by all means Disney from the frame up. The boilers, which are much different than the originals, were all built new by Dixon in Los Angeles. George Britton has, as I always say, done some jobw ith the railroad; especially since I understand the line's oldest locomotive (the 4-4-0, #4) suffered a frame failure (ie, CRACK!) while being rebuilt by Bob Harpur and his crew (including George Britton) out in Tampa. Hauling rope and fruits out of Yucatan brought heavy wear to those locomotives on the U de Y. A 5th in fact was acquired and sold (then scrapped, supposedly) and apparently was held together by the paint and rust that accumulated after years as a park display in Merida!
-Ed Kelley
