You are 100% correct Al. Not only is 80 people difficult to get into a photo location, but it also means more unsightly cars to carry them all, and it means more time unloading and loading each time....double 40 to 80. This cuts down on a few runbys as well.
I think what Roger is advocating is more of a "C&TS Railroad Days". It should be something like the D&S does. Perhaps call it a "Railfan Weekend" or something like that, and the C&TS sponsors some "Different" trains for the fans. These might not be what the Hardcore want, as Roger suggests, but might appease the quasi-fans, and even a few of the hardcore if the price is right.
Remember, they have to do this while running the regular schedule, and since there is little room for error with three locomotives, this limits what can be done on a weekend. Thats why Chama Steam was planned for the off-day I believe. That was more important that the D&S railfan days, cause it was easier on the C&TS to do a charter PERIOD!!!
Lets say the C&TS off day is Friday. So, you pick Friday and Saturday to do this. Friday you have the whole railroad, so you run a special train on Friday. On Thursday night you can have a night photo session, and whatever else you want.
On Saturday you have regular train to run. Have some cars left at Cumbres from the day before, and use a doubleheader on the regular train from Chama. At Cumbres, Turn the helper, and make a photo freight with the cars left at Cumbres from the day before. The engine collects the cars and riders, and goes tender first to Osier, following the regular train. At Osier they run around the train, and head west chimney first in the afternoon into the sun, shooting between Osier and Cumbres primarily. The railroad could offer a ride to Cumbres on the doubleheader in the morning, or an Afternoon Freight ticket. If there is a westbound passenger train they can follow it or have it run around at Los Pinos.
This scenario leaves one engine in reserve for the railroad. With a fourth engine you could use two locos for two days straight, if the cost was not overwhelming.
You have to offer something unusual, otherwise as Al said you might as well simply buy a ticket to ride the regular train, or chase it up the hill.
One idea I always liked was to have a chase train. Make a photo freight, and another one as a passenger train for the photographers. If you insist on higher numbers of people, say 100 for the event, then you have coaches to accomodate everyone. At each runby location, you detrain everyone, but have only 50 at the photoline, then make a second runby for the other 50. In addition you could make a runby with the passenger train and the freight train, to get two different trains at each location. Is it historically accurate....no, but then it would work for what Roger is suggesting. Letter the engines Rio Grande, and put 484 on a 4 coach train, and letter the coaches D&RGW and you have a San Juan replica, the best that can be done at this time. That would be a good selling point!
Greg Scholl
