I understand the feelings of PRSL. However, I would like to respectfully point out that we (those in the tourist railroad business) must above all generate enough revenue to stay open. Economics are what they are, black and white. I think it would take a lot more than red paint on a tender to close a successful railroad operation...more than likely it is a number of reason that have little to do with the painting of rolling stock and engines...traffic paterns, location, local economic positions, gas prices, lack of proper advertising, management, etc.
I think it is a solid fact....the tourist railroad today is less a museum operation and more of a railroad themed attraction. It is a fact that for the most part the hard core railfan makes up a very small percentage of ridership on most tourist railroads. Our customer base has become the regular folks, not looking for a museum experiance, but rather a fun train ride. For most parents and children, a fun train ride means lots of color, clean and shinny equipment and railroad workers in traditional uniforms and costumes. I think it is the job and mission of places like the Colorado Railroad Museum to operate historically correct equipment, in an operating museum atmospher. It is my opinion that most equipment running at tourist railroads across america are not trying to recreate "historic" freight or passenger service from days of yore....but instead they are simply trying to generate revenue and attract the predominate customer base that makes up the majority of ridership....that is the only agenda.
Now, here at the Loop, to my knowleage it has never been the mission statement of CHS or the former operator to only operate historically correct equipment that ran on this line. None of GTL, Inc's equipment was historical to this railroad...the point here is to offer a steam train ride on the historic right-of-way, if a historically correct piece of equipment ends up in the operation....even more better. I am not saying history is unimportant...it was the goal of the last operator and it is the goal of the present operator to always strive for presenting a "old timey" railroad experiance.
