I've walked the proposed area several times and, in my opinion, the RVC working group has carefully fashioned an interpretive center that is unobtrusive and in scale and character with the surrounding facilities, yet provides visitors with a excellent perspective on the real living museum which is the yard itself.
With all the Friends members and readers of this board currently in the Chama area, it would be great if someone could get some pictures of both the proposed location and the views of the yard that it would provide. CJ's concern is how it would impact the log bunkhouse, so some pictures showing the relation of the bunkhouse to the location of the RVC would be informative, too.
Interesting to note that at the Commission meeting there was some concern on the part of the Commissioners that the RVC would not be big enough.
If indeed it does increase visitor attendance significantly, further expansion might need to be considered. If so, is there enough room at the current proposed location to expand further north (away from the yard), maybe as a single floor addition?
The new item on the Friends news page does provide quite a bit of information on the issue. Pardon my cynicism, but I wonder if that information might have not been put up there or certainly not so quickly if it hadn't been for John Cole's detailed answer to my question of what the "RVC" abbreviation stands for and his "spilling the beans", so to speak, on the issue. From the response on here, it certainly took a lot of folks by surprise. Again, as has been discussed earlier, communication might have been better by the Friends, at least in this instance. And the discussions here have convinced me that the next step in the interpretive program of the Friends is a place to present the past, current and future efforts to preserve the RR, its structures and rolling stock.
