Re: A Friend in Need(kind of long)

This is beginning to sound like a broken record.
I want to remind everyone what the RGRPC represents; Back in, what 1999(?) the railroad was in trouble because of Black Bart. The commission was going through the RFP process, but couldn't find anybody qualified, funded, or able to run the railroad. And everybody expected the railroad to be turned into a bike path. The Friends leadership steped up and created a thing called RGRPC to take over and run the railroad. Within a year they had used up all the money they could borrow, and RGRPC was broke.
Another attempt was made to find an operator, with no success. RGRPC worked with the Commission to create a new buisness model where the States would be chagred with Capital Projects (like repairing track and trains) and the operator was responsible for operating.
Since that time there has been fire, FRP, and all manner of pestulence. So is it really time for another major change of direction at the railroad? I recognize that this is a board for rail-geek/foamers, so we all focus on what the railroad needs to do. It also appears, to me, that the towns are sitting by, waiting for the railroad to be their savior.
This isn't some kind of one way street. If the towns are ever going to realize the economic improvements that the States intended when they bought this railroad, they will have to WORK together with to get it. By that I mean, the businesses need to pull people in for the railroad, and the railroad needs to pull people in for the town. There just have to be reasons, other than the train ride, for people to come and to stay in either Chama or Antonito. What are those reasons? That is what needs to be developed.
When we start to compair the C&TS to D&S or any other property, what you find is that those places have other things that draw people in. Durango has Mesa Verde, The College, Skiing, etc. In short, people go there for other reasons, and also do the train ride. Some people go for the train ride, then stay for the other things.
I don't claim to have the answers, but if we could at least get to the right questions, and not have to go through all the finger pointing again, it would be great.
Just my $.02