It was great to see the recent articles in TRAINS AND RAILFAN about the fall photo charters in 2003. These were run on the Western Maryland Scenic, Ohio Central, Strasburg, and EBT. These opportunities have become rare but I think they can be continued if there is enough interest. These trips are expensive, but it is still less than traveling to China. I believe that we may be seeing more of these trips in the future. The Ohio Central is kicking off the 2004 season with its first winter photo special with 6325. Make your plans now to try to make some of these events in 2004. We can all lament at what we missed as I do it all the time. I am trying to make up for lost time by taking in as much as I can right now. How many of you can say that you rode in a caboose behind a 4-8-4 in 2003?

steamfan@crusoe.net

As a friend of the great Carl Franz, let me report the bad news first: It appears that an upcoming (and oversold-out) series of trips on the WMSR will be THE last on that railroad. The intrusion of the bike trail upon the right-of-way is simply becoming unworkable, and if there doesn't happen to be a healthy dose of snow on the ground come trip days, a number of planned locations will have to be scrubbed for that nasty strip of bike path/fence in the photos.

The good news: Carl has informed me that representatives of several other operations are going to be on either the last WMSR trips, his Cass charter in the spring, or both. At least one, the Nevada Northern, has already committed to a Carl Franz-headed photo charter. Just at the point when you thought he might be slowing down from having shot every possible angle on every railroad, he's breaking in a new generation.

LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net

Both are each other, or we have met the enemy and they are us.

The most positive result may be the maturing of us as an industry if those unable to evolve professionally or beyond fiscal marginality get Darwined out leaving fewer, better, stronger and more solvent survivors. Of course, that is the worst thing too.

Or maybe the best thing is if it doesn't happen or maybe that is the worst as well?

Either way, gains and losses are a matter of POV.

Personal prejudice is that if "hard times" or the perception of them causes us to rethink and recreate ourselves in a more durable form, it must be for the good.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

Alexander, you just confirmed my statement about regretting what I did not do!! Carl has been inviting me to come down on one of the Western Maryland Scenic trips for years. It is (or was) a great run to Frostburg. I never went down and now I REGRET it with the last trip coming up. So, if it is not an insurance issue, a laid up locomotive, now we must contend with the trail issue. I can tell you that it is not a comfortable situation running along a bike trail. There is a section of line on the old PRR panhandle going into Columbus, Ohio that has a trail. I have watched small children standing or riding their bikes up along the fence. They are up close to eye level by cylinder cocks and injector overflows. We always fear an incident when traveling along that trail, of course it would be the railroad's fault, and the lawyers would have a field day.

> As a friend of the great Carl Franz, let me
> report the bad news first: It appears that
> an upcoming (and oversold-out) series of
> trips on the WMSR will be THE last on that
> railroad. The intrusion of the bike trail
> upon the right-of-way is simply becoming
> unworkable[.]

Can I ask how this sort of idiotic juxtaposition happened in the first place?



whitby@SPAMLESSerols.com

> Can I ask how this sort of idiotic
> juxtaposition happened in the first place?

The C&O Canal towpath trail comes into Cumberland from DC, ending up in front of the Western Maryland Cumberland Station. The Western Maryland Connellsville Extension is being made into a trail from Frostburg almost to Pittsburg, PA. The only gap in the trail is the 12 or 13 miles occupied by the Western Maryland Scenic from Cumberland to Frostburg. The entire Western Maryland Connellsville Extension is a publically-owned ROW--including the WMSRR part.

The trail people are far, far better organized politically than the train people. They have more than enough clout in the Maryland legislature to ensure that they will get access to the piece of public ROW the WMSRR is running on. A trail was GOING to be completed to create the great DC-to-Pittsburg continuous path, come hell or high water.

The only real choice WMSRR and its advocates had was 1. co-exist with the trail, or 2. close up shop. Politically, there was no stopping the trail going in. They are going to try coexisting.


eledbetter@rypn.org