Conway Scenic Railroad Discussion (CSRX) - 2010

Let us be thankful that we can see it run at all and not complain about the fact that we can't see it everytime we come out of Zeb's.

My thoughts exactly!

I agree that we cannot complain about the amount of use with the 7470. Though its sister engine 7312 does operate alot in Strasburg we have to look at the operating capabilities of the two RRs. Strasburg has what is considered the best steam shop in the US. Conway is a diesel line. They crews at Conway do know how to fix and keep running a steam engine but they do not have the priority such as Strasburg does. If we just relied on Steam at Conway, the diesels would get less attention. Each RR is different. Plus if they did not reserve the engine for special occasions, Steam in the Snow would not be such a big deal.

b&m 1566 wrote:

After much discussion we have decided that #7470 will run only for special trips & charters during the summer months.

http://www.conwayscenic.com/index.cfm?f ... .steam7470

I'm beginning to wonder if management is losing focus on the very reason the railroad was established in the first place! I know the Thomas event and the Little Engine event have been big in the past but those events last for only two weekends. You could argue that they are trying to keep cost down in this struggling economy but I don't think that’s the case. Looking at the 2010 schedule, I noticed they have reinstated the Wednesday trip for the notch train; so the ridership must be good!
When the Cog Railway started going diesel, I said to myself “well, at least we have the 7470”..... I guess that's only counts for the fall foliage season now.

I am pretty sure the railroad was incorporated as a TOURIST railroad. Not STEAM. It may be an attraction for some to see it operating or listen to it as it pulls the consist, but the vast majority of the patrons could care less if the 7470 was used or not. They are there for the ride. And the other equipment they have give just as enjoyable experience in their own right.

The fact the want to use it for special occasions is great. Because you then can plan to be there, instead of showing up on an average weekend, thinking it's running, only to find out the 573 is in charge.


Bottom line is this is a business. They will do what they have to to keep operating.
Mike

miketrainnut wrote: I am pretty sure the railroad was incorporated as a TOURIST railroad. Not STEAM.

Thank you!

Everyone needs to remember that CSRR is a business...We like trains and my go there for certain things...but their core customer is tourists willing to pay to go on a ride in NH scenery.

A tourist line has to look at the bottom line: Making money. Diesels are cheaper to run and repair, and John Q. Public can't generally tell the difference from an SD-40 or WD-40. If we had a choice of limited steam or NO TRAINS AT ALL, I'll take limited steam. It is a bummer and all, but it is what it is.

First off I want to apologize if I miss led anybody. The last post by me was by far out of character of me (you can go back to any of my post and see that). Until now I wasn’t aware that I had even posted it. I was in the process of writing one when an emergency arose and had to quickly attend to that. In the process of trying to log off of my laptop, I must have hit the submit button. Mouse pads are tricky at times and if you hit it too hard when trying to drag the cursor it will think your clicking instead. When I write something that includes my thoughts, opinions and questions, I (as I was taught) get the ideas down then fill in the blanks… I was in the process of doing that!

What I had wanted to eventually write was along the lines of this:

The 7470 is no longer scheduled to run during the summer months as Paul has stated. I am surprised by this move after all the time and money spent on its overhaul. With the dieselization of the Cog, I never imaged the Conway Scenic doing the same. I understand its business decision and that has to be respected.

One of the events that have helped curtail the use of the 7470 is the Thomas event. These events are great business wise but I feel that it takes away from the main reason the railroad was established in the first place. First it was the cut back of the notch train to accommodate these events now the face of the railroad (7470) has fallen subject to it.

In these tuff economic times spending has to be done diligently. Since they brought back the notch train on Wednesdays, it shows to me that ridership must be good and steady. With all the capital improvement plans that are ongoing with updating the track and rolling stock; I wonder if the cut back on the 7470 is subject to diligently spending in this bad economy or do they feel it’s no longer safe to operate the engine at the volume it once did?

Friction Bearing Question, please:

Are all of the following equipped with friction bearings?

44 tonner 15
44 tonner 360
Former LVRC Steel Plow.

It has been suggested on another thread that the Downeast
Scenic RR acquire the #15 due to its MEC heritage. However,
any friction bearing equipment would have to be either trucked
or shipped on a flat car, as the freight railroads will no longer
accept friction bearing equipped cars or locomotives.

Dick

I believe someone pointed out that the snow plow was land locked due to friction bearings. I remember reading about it around the time the snow plow and the RDC were delivered.
It doesn't matter if 15 has friction bearings or not, it would have to go by truck. Last I read (few weeks ago) the Downeast Scenic wasn't able to interchange (I assume the track is not ready for such).
360, I'm not sure about.

I think I'd rather see 15 move to Bartlett to join the roundhouse collection. That way it's still in the neighborhood if someone finds donor parts!

p42thedowneaster wrote:I think I'd rather see 15 move to Bartlett to join the roundhouse collection. That way it's still in the neighborhood if someone finds donor parts!

While the Roundhouse may seem like a good home, the structure itself is still a long way from housing anything. The structure needs to be stabilized and a long-term agreement must be reached for its use before we start sending half the fleet up there.

-otto-

ok, then why not just park it on the bartlet wye

Unless the CSRR management wants the #15 out of the turntable area,
it would be better to leave it where it is until such a time as the
Bartlett engine house is ready to house it. The Bartlett wye location
would be a major temptation for "taggers" and vandals.

How about if a #15 fan hits the lottery, buys both the #15 and the
360 and uses parts from the 360 to get the #15 up and running?

For one thing, the 360 doesn't run either. It has fuel pump issues on both
blocks, amongst other things. I also has a cracked frame if I understand it
correctly. Not sure about the condition of the electrical systems.

The 15, the 360, and the 1055 all have friction bearings, as do both plows.

daylight4449 wrote:ok, then why not just park it on the bartlet wye

Why not just park it in your front yard? Just because you think it would look good on the wye does not mean the people that live there agree with you. The wye is operated by CSRR, and needs to be clear in case it needs to be reactivated for whatever reason.

Dick H wrote:Unless the CSRR management wants the #15 out of the turntable area, it would be better to leave it where it is until such a time as the
Bartlett engine house is ready to house it. The Bartlett wye location would be a major temptation for "taggers" and vandals.

I also agree.

The Bartlett wye has, in fact, been cleared and returned to service.
Saw the track crew running the boom truck around it one day.

15 would be a target for vandals anywhere but in the yard.