A toast to the guys who made it happen!

I doubt that using the rotary to open the C&TS in the spring was ever the cost effective much less simplest way of doing it. My guess is it happened only because there were some folks in Chama who kinda wanted to do it the old fashioned way, not because it was the cheapest way. And there must have been a management who could afford to indulgently tolerate it. In modern management theory maybe it could be rationalized as "team building" or some such. But folks don't go steam railroading in this day and age to take the easy way out. It was another challenge.
Perhaps those involved will correct me, but my guess is those of us lineside were witnessing a macho labor of love. As least for some of the folks.
Not that it wasn't a lot of labor. Tough hard labor. By the time the rotary was back in the yard there were usually some really grouchy folks around who were probably asking themselves why the hell did we do that again. And I seem to remember large amounts of Advil being consummed. It was steam railroading at its toughest. But I'm just guessing that is exactly why they did it.
Times have changed. We may or may not ever see the spectacle of a rotary clearing snow from Cumbres. But if it does happen it will be a good thing for the same reasons it was a good thing ten years or so ago.
In the interim, I'd simply like to thank the folks who made it happen back then, who ever they are. It was a spectacular show of men and machines against nature.
JBW