Some time ago I seem to recall that Jack Showalter's equipment (two 4-6-2s, passenger cars, etc) were up for sale. After that I heard that the equipment moved from Staunton, VA to Verona, VA due to Buckingham Branch RR's leasing of CSX's Mountain Subdivision (BBRR needed the trackage in Staunton for their yard ops). So-what's the current status? Any hope of excursion service over the Mountain Sub, with BBRR now in charge (not holding my breath, but BBRR has hosted excursions over its original trackage by the Old Dominion Chapter, NRHS in the past)?

Don't hold a gun to my head on this, but my understanding of the current situation is that the BBRR's occupation of the Mountain Sub is a LEASE from CSX, and that the conditions of the lease prohibit the BBRR from operating passenger excursions. CSX still largely calls the shots in this area, and that line still has Amtrak's Cardinal to worry about--for the time being, at least. (I'm glad I rode it when I had the chance--by jumping onto the wrong train at Chicago, with the crew's OK.)

I've brought the subject up with my General Manager once and even Mr. Bryant him self when I got to talk to him during the Link photo op. The general idea seems to be that aside from the hurtles presented from CSX (which they claim are there thanks to the Byou wreck) that the line is to busy for excursions and that excursions wouldn't really make it any way.
I have my disagreements with both, but as a new hire conductor, I am not really in a place to try to change any ones mind on the subject at the moment.

The reality of the situations are:

CSX requires all excurisons to have either $500 Million in liablity insurance or be Amtrak run

BB (as we are now) neither has the time, money, power, or people (just resources in general) to run an excursion on our own, and it would still be hard to find crews with sufficent rest to even pilot some body elses excursion.

BB management is tuned to marketing the railroad (and the area) to companies that need rail service, and then providing a high standard of service. The minds of management are set mostly to making money the way railroads always have. While the Bryant family and several others do have an interst in RR preservation, it does have to take a back set to the realitys of operating a buisness. As for the others it doesn't make sense to them to take the time to raise their liablities ten fold while only increasing their profits one or two times.

It's a shame too. The more of the line I get qualified on, the more scenic areas I find. The second engineer I worked with (a 35 year NS vet.) was qualifed on steam for NS. I my self have a few months of firing under my belt. it just seems like it would work so easy, but the realities are still there.

I can readily understand BBRR's focus on their railroading core business, especially knowing what a big challenge this new operation is for them. Between the CSX restrictions and the total focus required on running the new trackage, I'd be totally surprised had excursions surfaced.

Oddly enough, some of the postings I've read on www.trainorders.com about the transition from CSX to BBRR on this line have been mournful in nature, i.e. along the lines of "farewell CSX, it's been great-thanks for the memories". That's odd to me, because on more than one occasion CSX has pondered abandoning this line-and BBRR is dedicated to growing freight business along that very line.

Back to Jack Showalter's equipment-since there is little chance of it running anywhere nearby, is it still for sale?

Why this is happening comes down to a few things. The big railroads pretty much hate having any small customers. If you have a small or medium size warehouse or factory and get a few cars per week they don't want your business. The big railroads also hate having employees, they would run the whole railroad with one big computer in a heartbeat of they could. The only thing that is a bigger pain in the butt than customers is employees. Smaller railroads are led by those who know there is money to be made by doing things like taking care of customers.

So look at what is happening with CSX in this case. They are getting rid of everything they don't like about this line and keeping what they do like. They loose those last few stupid customers they have not yet driven off and they also get rid of a few more employees and options are open for the future plus they maintain a large degree of control. For railfans it means one more paint scheme and still no excursions. For customers it means a railroad that actually wants to deliver freight will serve them. For employees it probably means a pay cut but also working for a company they cares a bit more.

This is the next big thing. There could very well be a day when almost all lines owned by the big guys have locals run by shortlines. We might look back and remember the the CSX local the same way we remember the caboose.

Getting back to the question of whether the Showalter's equipment is for sale or not, I don't believe that they are actively trying to sell it. I haven't talked to Jack or Sally since back in the fall, but at that point in time they prefered to find a place to lease it out. I think Ben True has spoken to Jack recently, and they may have had an inquiry about the 606 (ex USATC 2-8-0, stored in Goshen, Va.) for display. Ben, pipe in here if you have more recent info. Ironically, this equipment is sitting in the second largest tourist area (the Shenandoah Valley) of a state that does not have any excursion train activity except the Buckingham's spring and fall trips on the track that they own.

Really, I don't know.
As I read between the lines I think the Showalters want to keep it. But the reality is they can't. Some days I go down to talk to Jack and he's talking about working out a deal to run it, others, he's talking about which party that has inquired, and is most likly to buy it.
Case in point, several months ago, he swore to me that the 606 would never be sold to any one with out a place to run it and at least 2-300,000 to restore it. I thought, good idea, I'll lay off with my ideas. Next thing I knew, he was talking about selling it to a group in Lycnburg (that still seems to remain namless). a very similar situation occured with the RF&P turntable that I've heard he sold to a group in PA.

Long and short, I don't know, and don't claim to know....
but for now it is where it is....

That's it in. You just sumed up the whole idea of american railroading.
One of our customers went 22 days with out service from CSX,
They've gotten it every day we ran a train. Granted some days it takes 6 hours of switching, but they get 65 cars a month give or take.
on the other hand, we're also running more trains. we have two locals running out and back on the Northmountain sub (CSX had one going one way a day), one based out of c'ville which only works the washington sub (from c'ville to orange and soon to louisa) CSX had a crew that worked C'ville to Doswell
3 crews in Doswell one to work west, one east, and one yard job.
The difference is obvious, railroading can make money, you just have to try, and not let the details get out of site.