Not directed towards Kerry Ann but everyone;
Why is anyone still shouting SHOW US THE STEAM TRAIN. It seems to me that the CHS has showed us the train. Sure, it’s not in Silver Plume yet but why should it be? No one said it would be. What else would you expect in January??
The CHS/Railstar has made it clear that the engine will be #12 and the train will be the 5 D&RGW gondolas. There is your train! Not the train you may have wanted but there it is.
Of course, I’ll be the first to admit that they still have a way to go to have a “fully” functional tourist railway. It seems that they have no back-up for when #12 breaks down. I guess they could try and use the diesels they have but they don’t look like they will haul the broken down engine and the train back up the hill. I see that Railstar is “negotiating” a 50 ton diesel. I guess that would be a better help if they do manage to obtain this locomotive but didn’t it take two 50 ton GEs to get the train up the hill last year?
I must say that I’m surprised at how much of a train they have put together in such a short period of time. It must be hard to try and put together a whole tourist railway business over one winter. Of course, I believe a lot of this credit goes to Railstar. I think it’s a good start and only a minimum of what will be needed to be “fully functional” but even Mr. Trottier said that it would take a couple of years to get back up to the ridership numbers that the GTL Inc. had.
Of course, I know a “whole tourist railway business” would not have been needed if a deal could have been worked out to keep the GTL Inc. but that didn’t happen. The Georgetown Loop Railway Inc. is gone and we can only thank them for 30 great years. However, the Georgetown Loop is still there and I really pray that it will survive for many years despite the “powers” working against it.
By the way, when I see people write THE Georgetown Loop Railway, I assume they really mean THEE Georgetown Loop Railway Inc. I know this is a very small point and it really doesn’t matter too much in the big picture but I thought these people may want to know.