I can not argue with Ed, Alan, or Bob.

I also do not think any serious railfan would.

The more serious of us know a railroad is a transportation business. We know the challenges the industry faces with really cutthroat competition, much of which operates over heavily subsidized infrastructure that its fuel taxes do not come anywhere near to covering. We understand that the public, the customers, and even ourselves can be a little bit much to bear. We know that anything like an excursion program is a wonderful gift. We know we do not expect a free ride. We know that that safety is first, always, and that applies to those of us enthralled by locomotives that boil water.

But I still have to stand by my original comments that someone on CSX is using very poor judgement to have cancelled the 734 move and to have issued a blanket denial on old equipment moves.

Alan commented about his TVRM being a professional operation with a lot of railroaders among its staff and volunteers, and that it demonstrated excellent maintenance and operational abilities. I've never visited it, but some film footage I've seen of it would seem to bear this out.

I would nominate the Western Maryland Scenic does so as well, with 10 years of operation up and down 3% grades, and with current and retired CSX employees on the property. The WMSR is, the last I heard, financially successful as well; this was brought up some years ago when the state of Maryland wanted to cut money for track maintenance, and it turned out that the WMSR was debt free, while nearby Rocky Gap State Park (a more typical park with a hotel and golf course) was still in debt for its $30 million construction cost, and had incurred an additional $30 million in operating deficits. All of this can also be said of the management and crews of the South Branch Valley and of the Potomac Eagle, the latter also headed by a CSX man.

I think this was what lead to what I am going to guess was an approval for the 734 move, despite CSX's long anti-steam policy. I do not believe anyone who may have given such an approval did so without considering the operation very carefully. As has been noted here, their jobs and reputations would be on the line, especially if anything went wrong, yet someone was confident enough to give some sort of approval; I'm even pretty certain this must have gone fairly high up the chain of command before any approval of any kind was given.

In short, it looks like the parties involved did everything Alan says his group did, perhaps even more--and it still wasn't enough.

I said it before, and I say it again--the problem is somewhere in Jacksonville.

And before anybody says railroad management has no obligation to us, I will acknowledge that this is true. I will also say I do not have to open doors for old ladies. I do not have to give up my seat on a bus or subway train to the old, the female, and the infirm. As an auditor employed by the State of West Virginia, I do not have to calm down nervous clients, I do not have to do some of the extra things I do for them in the name of service. I could be strictly business, as some others are.

But I do the extra bit anyway; it doesn't cost anything, and it makes for a slightly better world.

Is that too much to ask? Have we really become that poor in our spirits?