Steve Torrico:
I will give you and RailStar credit; you lasted longer than I would have ever thought possible given that you had one hand tied behind your back working with the CHS. Now maybe you can begin to understand what the former operator was dealing with and why other potential operators decided to pass on the RFQ 3 years ago...
Now I am wondering if you can help us understand the Loop operations from an operations manager’s perspective. It appears that the current steam engines (# 9 & # 12) were/are capable of reliably hauling 5 cars each. Now in a news article published this past week Mr. Trottier is quoted as saying the train is sold out most days and has a capacity of approx. 650 riders per day. Looking at the schedule I see 5 trains a day are operated during peak season and weekends, so 650 riders divided by 5 trains = 130 passengers per train. The news article talks about more equipment that will be coming on line including the #111, diesel #1203 and 3 steel passenger cars from the WP&Y. Now given that the new coaches weigh in at over 20 tons each and the CHS is evaluating ways to widen the aisles (which most likely would translate into a reduction of the 40 seat capacity) how then would you have operated the RR given this mix of equipment and meeting the goal of 130,000 passengers/ year while maximizing the operating profit?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Rod