Re: Responding to my own post!

John,
You state that: "During the Kyle years the railroad was largely self-supporting on an operating basis."
What costs do you consider included in operation?
Would it, for instance, cover the wear and tear on the engines and cars?
The Commission doesn't seem to give a damn about what costs are paid from where, making it very hard for them, or anyone else, to know exactly what the annual cost of the C&TS is. I'm glad that you, for one, are thinking about these things.
I'm pretty sure bunch of future money was pissed away this year by not treating the tie ends (thus significantly shortening their life). No one seems to calculate these costs at the time. But comes a year like this one, everything gets blamed on prior management. Those ties are gonna bite somebody in the ass a few years down the road.
I suspect Kyle got away with the same sort of thing because the Commissioners either didn't (and still don't) know, care, or just plain lack the courage and integrity to stand up and speak out.
Everyone seems to think the Commission has done a great job cause it looks like there will be an operating season. The fact is, this is a sub-minimal performance given their overall responsibilities. They might get marks for effort, but overall they deserve a grade of D or lower when compared to other tourist railroads.
Burr Hubbell