I believe it's only fair to allow the new owners of CSRX to operate the railroad how they see fit. The previous owner did things his way, Mr. Swirk has quite a bit of hands on railroading experience under his belt & wants to think outside the box. if he wants to operate his caboose (s) on the valley train then it's his call. I do know for fact that riding in a caboose is for many railfans is " A Must Do " adventure, regardless of the cost. CSRX # 573 or #7470 certainly has the extra power needed to move a caboose over the rails. I know for fact from a extremely reliable source that Mr. Swirk & his partners have many changes planned for CSRX, he is both steam friendly as well as railfan friendly.
I'd like to see the MEC track restored all the way back to The Maine / NH state Line at Fryeburg & Conway. Perhaps this will awaken the powers to be in Maine that they need to renew efforts to restore the Portland to Fryeburg ROW. I'm behind the new owners of CSRX 100% in making the whole train riding experience the best it can be .
Love me or hate me.....I've kept the " Flame of Hope " lit & burning for MEC #501 since 1995. J. Smythe... Former Master Mechanic MEC #501 Project 1995-2000.