You can't ship excuses

There have been some really good suggestions posted on how to help the C&TS achieve some semblance of stability. Not unlike a patient who is in ill health a doctor needs to do a thorough examination including the past history in order to be able to determine the prudent course of treatment(s). My suggestion then is for the commission to bring in a seasoned and proven group of individuals to do a top to bottom examination of the RR. They would be tasked with presenting findings and reports on the best course of actions(s) that will move the RR forward to meet the mandates of the states (break even on operations costs).
This should not be construed to be a “witch” hunt or the “Spanish inquisition” but a serious effort to review policies, personnel, and plans for the operation of the RR for the foreseeable future. The end work product would outline actionable short and long term tasks and basically be the operator’s blueprint for running the RR.
Here are some people that should be considered to form this committee : Lindsay Ashby, John Bush, Kristi Nelson Cohen and Amos Cordova (D&S) Earl Knoob, Linn Moedinger, Tim Tenant (Friends), John West, Colorado and NM state tourism representatives, and last but not least Chama and Antonito Chamber of Commerce designates. There may be others that should be considered for this committee as well, my list is just for the purposes of getting this discussion started and including people who have the experience in the tourist RR industry to tackle some of the issues. Hey, maybe they could even include man’s best friend as he seems to be able to navigate quite well through smoke and mirrors…LOL
If the commission wants to keep playing with their train set then let things continue as they have for the past 35 years. If they are serious about making the C&TS a world class operation and museum for the preservation of the NG then it is high time to bring in some hired guns with the objective of positioning the RR for positive growth over the next 35 years.
“You can’t ship excuses” is the bottom line when you are asking the states to continue to support the RR.