Tom,
You mentioned the wear and tear of the equipment and cost figures for the short trip. Assuming that the "short trip" becomes very successful, this would reduce the number of "long trips" significantly.
While the revenue generated by shorter trips would be quite a bit less, wouldn't this be offset by the savings in engine repairs and rebuilds as is evidenced by what has/is happening to the three operating engines only in the past two years!
Track maintenance and repair has been and is going to continue to be a major concern and financial drain. Working the shorter runs and concentrating on improving the line in those areas and then expanding as revenues increase does seem to be a very sensible solution!