Bill:
I guess we can agree to disagree on the RPO 053. I respect the decision to keep it as a MOW car and can understand this decision. Maybe one of the other short RPO's will someday be available for sale or trade and the Friends can then have this option.
I think there are two different needs in terms of passenger equipment for the RR and the historic restorations. First the C&T will need some new coaches at some point. My suggestion is to pattern these after the closed vestibule San Juan coaches. Here is my rationale:
1. The chances of getting historic San Juan closed vestibule coaches from the D&S and Knott’s to recreate the San Juan are slim and none.
2. An enclosed vestibule, heated and lighted coach would make sense for daily C&T operations, especially given the cold weather like this year.
3. If done in metal ala the D&S coaches it would have a long life span (read ROI for the states)and would meet the safety requirements of the RR
4. With some thought the seating could be convertible from a 40 seat configuration to a more 1st class version with the sofa and single seats ala the San Juan, and with a little more planning produce an observation/ parlor car version along with the coaches
5. It could be built by the C&T shop crews (read local jobs)
6. Making up a San Juan recreation train set then would involve the Friends restoring/ building the head end cars only (RPO and baggage).
7. Any of the historic wood (coach type) cars that the Friends might wish to restore are all open platform and probably would not be suitable for daily service once restored. They still are worthy restoration candidates, just not for daily service
8. Coaches built for revenue operations should be funded by the states capital expense plan not by the Friends
9. Having a first class type train set might yield even higher revenue per seat if it was priced and marketed as a premium excursion.
10. If the RR undertakes the car construction the Friends might be able to underwrite some of the NRE expense for common trucks that will be needed for the historic passenger cars (assuming an all steel replica of the composite wood and steel truck)
11. If we want to have the San Juan return to the rails 60 years after it last operated (i.e. 2011) we had better get cracking on this plan...
Otto Perry photo (DPL OP-8615) taken 1/28/51 west of Antonito, CO
