Chartered Freights

Mr. Craft is more qualified to deal with the Railfest part of the question, but let me make a couple of comments about chartered freights. Trains Unlimited is already signed up for a trip in September, and the Friends Railfan Committee hopes to sponsor a photo freight this year. JAC may be able to add to that list. In the near term the railroad is constrained in what it can do by the poor condition of the freight car fleet, and to a lesser extent resources in general. For example it would be impossible right now to mount an extravaganza like Craft's 1992 operation. But hopefully betweeen the Friends and RGRPC we can make some progress on that. We also need to qualify more enginemen to do things like operate longer trains and mid-train helpers. In it's final 20 years, the Cumbres pass line was tipified by long (50-70 car) two engine trains, and by shorter but hard working Cumbres turns from Chama. My personal bias is that from a historic preservation standpoint preserving both the equipment and the people skills to occasionally recreate such trains should be a part of the C&TS's museum mission.