BandA wrote:Perhaps track condition is the real reason they gave the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum the brush off.
↑This is the correct answer.
BSRM excursions relocating to the Adams Branch are probably, as much as it hurts, the best thing for them. Because the next Berkshire Line derailment could've easily been theirs with how negligent Housy is about their track. The damage to their reputation, not to mention physical damage to their historic fleet, would've put them in a far bigger fiscal vice grip than Housy booting them ever did. Gotta give those guys and the state enormous credit for making lemonade out of lemons.
It's in a way too bad that the last 2 derailment embarrassments have happened on their own track ownership. If they f'ed up on CDOT-owned track, or one of the crossings on CDOT track they refuse to maintain, or the Maybrook where their cold war with P&W is still smoldering...then maybe there'd be cause for outside intervention. But they're probably going to need a much bigger screw-up than this for MassDOT to be able to wield the hammer.
I think--and hope--that this stupid passenger proposal is going to be the first thing bargained out of Gov. Patrick's transportation proposal. The Speaker of the House is already undercutting it despite pretty broad public support. Frankly, the best public service would simply be MassDOT making them an offer they can't refuse to buy the track so they can exercise oversight. Doesn't necessarily matter if it has to be a modest overpay. At this point it's a defensible do-no-harm measure.
