Well said

Very well said Rick.

There is nobody around who would love to see Chama preserved exactly as I remember it in the 1960's more than I would. But at some point you have to deal with reality. The C&TS is a real mountain railroad and safety and efficiency dictate change.

But not only is the railroad getting much needed attention, some of the very issues subject to so much hand wringing here are starting to get serious attention by the Friends. Things like "museum" and "interpretation" have risen to the top of the Friends priorities, at least in writing.

I know from talking with some folks involved that most of the issues discussed above are getting serious attention. Things like mimimizing the intrusion into the "ambience" of the railyard, sight lines, etc. are getting a lot of attention. Which is not to say everybody will be happy. Any change will piss off somebody. Anything as significant as a visitors center will have an impact. But it is needed not only to improve the visitor experience, but to help communicate some of the history the visitor is seeing.

I very much agree with CJ's comment about retaining some of the grit of real railroading.

JBWX