Big Mike is right on the money. I am also privy to the NH&I situation and his summation of the situation is accurate. It is not so much being "negative," as it is being realistic about things. Unless you really know what's going on on the inside, you can't be fooled by official rheteroic or "company lines" that everything is fine. You dig deeper to find out the truth--just ask the front lines people. A lease of the NdeM 4-8-4 was gotten by the current manager of the railroad in 1994 who was an ex-NS steam program employee and had a bias toward running main line steam. He was able to convince the former Pres and gen mgr of the NH&I to bring the engine to the railroad, despite its size and condition. I think he was banking on developing some sort of successful main line excursion program of his own (riding on the coattails of 614), which in the years that followed did not pan out. They made a big gamble on things in the hopes that something might have developed. It didn't.

I give the current Pres a lot of credit for running the place like a business. But it runs marginally profit-wise. NH&I will never make millions, it barely survives. I sometimes wonder how the place keeps running, really.

> Many people in the past since 1966 have been
> shot in the back by the NH&I. History
> will show this. Talk to old timers that used
> to volunteer there. I know some of the
> people very well that used to work there.
> And I know some of the people that still
> work there.

> I'm not bashing. But the manager there now
> is running the railroad as a business and
> not a hobby railroad as it was in the past.
> If it wasn't for him there would not be a
> NH&IRR. The general public, tourists and
> what freight they have is what keeps the
> NH&I alive and NOT RAILFANS. That goes
> for all the other tourist railroads in this
> good ole USA.

> Railfans have never supported tourists
> railroads enough to pay bills. Most like to
> go out and take pictures and watch steam but
> rarely pay to ride the trains. The NH&I
> is paying like never before but it never
> will be a R&N or OC. Its not in the
> cards.

Yes and no--you can have a good manager running things but if the passengers or freight (market) aren't there to produce a profit, then the business over the long haul is doomed. The NH&I lives on borrowed time.

I would not be surprised if in due time a local Bucks County developer makes them an offer they can't refuse. Then the fate of railroad's history will be sealed.

> And there lies the lesson, no?

> Good management can make or break.

> Yes and no--you can have a good manager
> running things but if the passengers or
> freight (market) aren't there to produce a
> profit, then the business over the long haul
> is doomed. The NH&I lives on borrowed
> time.

> I would not be surprised if in due time a
> local Bucks County developer makes them an
> offer they can't refuse. Then the fate of
> railroad's history will be sealed.

The right of way is mostly owned by PECO. It was sold off years ago to help save the rr. The property in New Hope is where the money is at. The dirt in NH is probably worth more than all the other assets of the NH&I. The people in New Hope would like to see the rr gone.


Mikado425@comcast.net