Thanks for the correction Mark. I suppose after all the years of work, sweat equity, and investments of your family and employees who contributed to the Loop success over 30 years it must have felt more like a stick in the eye or knife in the back dealing with the CHS. Based on your first hand knowledge of the CHS attitude, non negotiable demands, and CHS Loop park management I think most rational people would have opted to take the same course you took. You made a business decision that you and your family paid dearly for not to mention 60+ of your dedicated employees who lost their jobs. The CHS has tried to wipe your contributions from the history of the Loop, but I predict that they ultimately will be the one’s going down with a black eye for their dealings in this matter.
My wife and I got to ride the Royal Gorge dinner train this past summer and what an awesome job you have done here as well. We were so impressed we are hoping for a return visit again this year…I would love to see you somehow involved in the rebuilding of the RGS line out of Dolores. You have the equipment, know how, and business savvy to make this line a top attraction. I know like all endeavors today there are political and legal hurdles to overcome, but just think if Lindsay, Rosa and Dave hadn’t attempted a similar feat with the Loop we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. What is it going to take to get this or another project off the ground?
What I find particularly troubling with the Loop situation is how the CHS capitulated on almost every single term in your negotiations (insurance, lease term and fees) in their contract with RailStar. I recall that maintenance support was also something you were requesting and given what we see now that the CHS is spending on locomotive rehabilitation they are getting an up-close and personal education on what it takes to maintain and operate a historic RR. The CHS displeasure with your use of non-historic equipment is laughable as they have apparently squandered the opportunity to rebuild the Loop operating fleet with C&S motive power (excepting C&S #9). Yes, I am aware getting #60 and #71 back to Silver Plume would be difficult, but alas it was once again the CHS own back handed dealings that caused the local communities to distrust them in the first place.
Mark, Kerry Ann and others who have witnessed this train wreck first hand over the past 3 years; I am wondering since Colorado has a new Governor why this situation hasn’t received any staff attention to date. From the costs/ revenues that are being revealed I don’t understand how the CHS is balancing their books as the losses are going to take years to recover (if ever). If the funds are coming from State Gambling proceeds how has this impacted other historic preservation projects and what is the net effect to the taxpayers who are footing the bill. I guess that is the difference in the final analysis, the GL Loop RR Inc. was in business to ultimately make a fair profit and contribute to the community while the CHS is motivated by political bureaucrats who apparently have no fiscal accountability in their attempt to learn how to run a tourist RR at the taxpayer expense.
