Robert asked:
I don't believe CHS has been specifically mentioned as being involved in the study. It's evidently a project initiated by Railstar alone, as the links below would seem to indicate. Is this correct?
I don't know either way. I assumed/speculated based on my reading of those posts. Admittedly, my reading was colored by my professional experience having worked on and managed public-sector projects, so I might as well explain what my assumptions were.
First, I assumed that if the CHS were involved that they wouldn't intentionally mention their involvement since that would be giving Ms. Murphy another easy front-page story. That story could go something like "after repeatedly promising the community that the new operator would have sufficient equipment, CHS is now proposing to build brand new locomotives... what a fleecing of the taxpayers".
Second, the two items you link to lack any straightforward statements about who is paying for it. One link says
"RailStar Corporation of Cape Vincent, New York, is excited to announce the undertaking of a feasibility study to construct brand new geared steam locomotives." Carefully read that sentence -- all it says is that Railstar is "excited" about the fact that a feasibility study is being started. The sentence does not say who is doing the study, nor does the sentence say who is paying for the study, nor does the sentence even say that the study will be completed. It is a very different sentence than, say, 'Railstar, all by itself, is completing a study of...'
My experience is that "good news" press releases are kept succinct and to the point while "not so good news" press releases are worded so that the "good news" part overshadows the "not so" part! The fact that the sentence was so weasely-worded jumped out at me.
Third, I assumed that any new locomotive project would have to be CHS-funded since, based on published newspaper accounts, Railstar seems to have rather limited financial resources available to it. For example, three (or two?) years ago, some articles were published (and liked to, here on the NGDF) describing how Railstar didn't pay property taxes in Maine and ended up forfeiting its operation there. Similarly, this year, revenues seem to have been way down at the Loop -- I don't think selling postcards and mugs in the gift shops could have offset all the days they weren't running and/or running well under full capacity.
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Chris Webster
[www.speakeasy.org]
