wow, nobody uses google.

steam program will be back

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/r ... 10,3467896

steamfest was in 2009, I went there, saw 4449.

murder mystery train

http://mysteryltd.com/murder-mystery-sh ... ery-train/

https://www.travelpullman.com/

icing on the cake.

doom and gloom et tu brutes lurking here...oboy

would love to see how his cars turn out, its like IRM restoring one of the old Fort Wayne and Wabash Valley interurbans to its old time glory.

[quote="dinwitty"]

wow, nobody uses google.

steam program will be back
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/r ... 10,3467896[quote]

That's NS. Your reference was to UP.

[quote="dinwitty"]

steamfest was in 2009, I went there, saw 4449.[quote]

5 years ago? Think anything has changed since then?
Thee hasn't been a repeat of the CSRM Railfairs in over 15
years

[quote="dinwitty"] murder mystery train.[quote]

Looks like twice a month on Amtrak. Is it an additional car or cars?
Private cars? Or what?


[quote="dinwitty"] https://www.travelpullman.com/ icing on the cake.[quote]

I think that is something similar to what the Greenbriar train was/is supposed to be. though I may be wrong. At any rate, it hasn't happened yet.

Listen here...T7 knows a few things.

For one thing...the Pullman train is always in conflict with Amtrak. They had planned on running more cars and more trains but Amtrak will only allow the regular service on the City of New Orleans...and they are shafting Pullman with such restrictions that they can only run 2 cars at a time (no dome cars). The other brown/orange cars (off of the City) you see are charters and they are more free to operate...but even then the relationship between Amtrak and Pullman is strained at best. Amtrak is not a willing partner in this venture. The planned growth of the Pullman service has been stifled to say the least. I know Pullman has been "slow" to pay invoices, ask around in the passenger car community. So...the clock is ticking. Ride while you can.

And while the NS steam program "may" be back next year the word is that the trips will be shorter, fewer and less ambitious. There was a lot of tied up mainlines and delayed trains this spring...it got ugly at times.

Besides all of that...has CSX ever allowed a steam choo choo (or an excursion) to run on their tracks?

T7

"Oh, I'm sorry did you have anything to do with the American Freedom Train, Chessie Steam Specials, or Chessie Safety Express?"

No, did you?

How are they running now? Where are the engines?

Every time a topic comes up that has some relation to Ross Rowland, it turns into a fan fest. The adoration has gotten old folks.

Consumptive use is NOT preservation.

...and dissenting opinions of the establishment are taboo also, especially if you don't use a real name.

I would suggest that the so-called "haters" (of which I'm bound to be lumped as one) aren't out there to bash Mr. Rowland specifically. Rather, they're exploiting the old adage "the bigger they are, the harder they fall." This is the problem with "Make no small plans."

I take no pleasure in the seeming failure of Rowland's latest plans. But thus far we've seen four grandiose proposals of his over the past three decades wither or crash and burn--ACE, 21st Century Limited, Yellow Ribbon Express, and Greenbrier Limited. Each seemed to lack some specific grasp of the "real world" in which they were proposed, and each could be interpreted as seeking to get other people to pay for his fun--a terrific stunt if you're a photo freight charter operator or travel tour guide, but not so great with the scope and scale of an American Freedom Train.

My father was a newspaper advertising salesman who, over the years, sold advertising for such things as special American Bicentennial editions, county centennial editions/booklets, etc. He told me that the beauty of such special event advertising was that he could say to the prospective client, "Hey, I'm not going to be back here for another fifty years, and this is your one chance to be part of the history!" That kind of approach apparently worked for the Golden Spike Centennial, the American Freedom Train, and the Chessie Steam Special. Since then? Let the record speak for itself.

links to your info or its nothing to me.

CSX has allowed steam on their rails, 765 ran to Clifton Forge. And the Chessie Steam Special, and I think 765 was disguised as a Chessie engine once.

The Pullman Tours is operating regardless whether you say their restricted or whatever.

oh this link gives the 765 trip list (not the most recent ones tho) but you will have to thumb thru to find the Clifton Forge visit, but it is an impressive list.

https://web.archive.org/web/20080820070 ... iplist.htm

The Chessie System of the 1970s and early 1980s and CSX of the early 1990s have absolutely ZERO relevance to the decisions and policies set by the CSX of today. The CURRENT management is the one that is positively phobic of steam even being within sight of their tracks, it appears.

In that same 1990s time frame, I had Conrail officials, even ones who liked the idea of steam, telling me, in no uncertain terms, "You're never going to see steam running on the Horse Shoe Curve or Middle Division again. Too much traffic, not enough capacity." Some of them were dead by the time NS, the Fort Wayne guys, and 765 forced the rest of them to happily eat crow.

The same "that was then, this is now" factor also, unfortunately, renders any past "track record" of success by Rowland equally irrelevant to the "discussion."

Looks like T7 has led the horse to water, but the horse doesn't want to drink. Or perhaps knowing nothing is the goal.

ETA

[quote="dinwitty"]

CSX has allowed steam on their rails, 765 ran to Clifton Forge. And the Chessie Steam Special, and I think 765 was disguised as a Chessie engine once.[quote]

Yes, CSX HAS. How long since the last time?

That was over 20 years ago. Has nothing to do with today.

Moved to railfanning. Probably should have either locked it or deleted it.

Some people do discount the successes of an individual/organization too quickly. I don't want to fall into the what-have-you-done-for-me-recently crowd but when some of these successes happened before I was born it's difficult for me to consider them "recent".

Vultures and NNN's die hard. Never let them get you down.

Always listen carefully to those who have accomplished much and don't waste time with those who haven't.

All the best, Ross Rowland

That's probably good advice. ALWAYS consider the source.

So, where did you reincorporate the GBX? I can understand the tax/liability issue, but cannot seem to find such a corporation registered in the obvious states that would be friendly (DE, FL, WY, etc.)?

Also, to be fair to Mr. Rowland, he has never been the "money man" (no offense). He has always depended on outside investment to participate in his projects. That's how the AFT worked, that's how his other ventures are set up. There is nothing wrong with that, it is how a lot of for-profit businesses work in the U.S., It is why we have venture capital companies, etc.

Mr. Rowland has been the "idea man" who either has, or has attempted to attract sponsorship/outside investment for his concepts. Sometimes it works (AFT), sometimes it does not (YRE, 21st Century Limited).

Above is exhibit A to my previous post.

Onward and upward !!

Ross Rowland