How fast and easily could the FY run backwards? IIRC the Valley Trains only do about 5 mph.
OTH, I always wonder why anyone would want to ride on the CSRR in a car in summer with windows that don't open. Half the point of going to NH is that it's cooler than Boston, Providence, Hartford, whatever. The one time I rode through the notch, the smell of firs was a important part of the scenery. I see the RR's current "streamliner experience" trainset for the Mountaineer and wonder if I am that out of sync with high-end scenic RR customers. I'm used to knowing that non-railfains don't get excited about cinders blowing in the window, but I would have thought that that people paying to ride through the Notch wouldn't want to spend 5 hours sealed in an air-conditioned tube when they could be getting open-window sights, smells, and sounds. But I've ridden once and my fare won't make the RR a profit, so I guess I'll assume they know their customers. Maybe they just wanted newer cars, easier to maintain?