Re: Creede vs. Shank in Westword? - 3rd of 3 stori

It's a shame the way both sides have handled this. As a train buff I would love to see another line get started and have more rails to ride. I can also see the point of the people who live in Creede. They don't want to see their sleepy little town change. While change is inevitable they should be allowed to choose there own destiny.
Maybe he should do what the D&RG did in the first place. If a town didn't want the railroad or wanted too much for the land just build a new one and leave them out. Is there room anywhere short of town to build the facilities that he would need to support his trains and passengers? If the whole run is just 26 miles (I think) then we are not talking about an all day ride and things could be setup to keep folks occupied while they prepare for the return trip. (ie snacks, maybe a movie about the railroads history, and the traditional "T-Shirts and Rubber Tomahawks").
I feel that both sides were WAY out of line with the fence and reactions there of. Tempers and egos are hard to soothe. Like it or not the people of Creede hold the cards. Even if Mr. Shank wins the legal side of the fight he still will be at the mercy of the towns people. If you have a train load of tourist climb off a train only to be greeted by a town full (or even a good size group) of angry citizens and are treated badly then they won't come back and they will tell others and so on.
Peace will have to be made if the rails are to go into Creede. "It's day all day in the daytime but there is no night in Creede". The town is seeing plenty of night these days and they want it that way. The sad part is if they win this and they continue to bury their heads in the sand it will eventually become nighttime forever.