Does anyone remember the reason for closing Stapleton Airport in Denver, how about stopping flight operations at Lowery AFB? I don't live in Colorado anymore but at the beginning DIA was way in the middle of bum f***ing Egpyt. The last time I was there the Hotels and housing subdivisions were starting to encirle DIA...
But really as a former maker of smoke in Durango (fireman 90, engine watchman 90-94 also graveyard shifts) there are several things that the RR can do. Boiler maintance is one, paying enough to retain experienced watchmen and firemen which can reduce alot of excess smoke or boiler maintance. In my days the night watchman was alone from 11pm to 7am and if you had alot to do and leaky boilers you HAD to pile on the coal so that you could have steam to add water, otherwise the neighbors would be awakened with one or more load booms...
One can also consider "designing" the coal quanties to reduce sulfer content and or increase heating content. Just as Swiss farmers "design" the feed for their famous swiss chocolate milk cows to reduce methane levels in isolated mountain valleys.
Smoke could be reduced during running operations by introducing firebox and boiler combustion improving technologies see L.D.Porta. But this all costs lots of money and the D&S's maintance schedules is pretty busy as it is without creating "super power" engines in their spare time.
South Durango is a hard nut to crack, unfortunetly there are alot of cheap, old houses there where invariably college students rent. And college students are always looking for something to protest during their "coming of age", but they usually don't stick around that long and are replaced by the next batch as they go off to make their dollars at Microsoft or other Corporate money machines. Yes smoke can be visable in Durango but I remember with great delight the satisfaction when the wind turned and I was able to smoke out McDonalds instead of always having to smell their fried oil smell (HC)emissions all day, the roundhouse and backshop are downwind from McDs. (California regulates the HC emissions from fast food places)
Durango will remain an uneasy truce. But if the State wants to legislate steam engines emissions that should look at the cost vs. benefit from legislating volital emissions from spray cans, hair sprays, dry cleaing fluid, evaporative emissions from cars (California ARB calculates that as of 2008 Hydrocarbons from vehical evaporative emissions will over take tailpipe exhaust hydrocarbon emissions) or numeruous other green house gases or other particulate emissions BEFORE they regulate steam engines!
Sorry, I work in automotive industry and study Californias leading laws AND I worked in Durango. The Denver Democrats of Boulder @#$%& fame need to get a global and real picture of what needs to be done and what counts. If anyone has actual names of legislators involved in this please back channel me as I WILL contact them and give them some verifiable industrial advice. Sorry for venting but this is to close to my heart and science.
sincerely
Colorado Narrow Gauger in German Exile
Thor
