georgehyland wrote:Has anyone heard if the CMSL will make it to Cape May City this year? I am hoping for the best. Any chance that some volunteer labor would help get it done? I know that is a long shot, but labor is expensive, and if enough people helped..... well, maybe something good could happen?
Since a week has gone by, I am going to offer my pure speculation. I think it is reasoned speculation, but it is speculation.
I now think that the CMSL has served Cape May City for the last time. The last train into Cape May was in August of 2005. Service was then halted until the some rather non-specific problem with the Canal Bridge was repaired. Then, once the bridge was reportedly fixed, a washout of some magnitude somewhere was the culprit preventing service. However, I now believe the problems preventing service to Cape May are far more more complex than just a bad bridge mechanism and some eroded roadbed. Here is my take, and I repeat, it is pure speculation.
One, the vandalism that plagued the storage of equipment in Rio Grande has resulted in all usable equipment being stored in Tuckahoe. With the slow running required between Woodbine and Cape May Court House (assuming the track is passable at all), it simply takes too long to move equipment to and from Tuckahoe to make the operation viable. It is far easier to run the service between Tuckahoe and Richland, and the fact that Conrail maintains most of that track is an added bonus. Tuckahoe to Richland does not have the pizzazz of the Court House to Cape May, but at least it helps pay the bills.
Second, the condition of the line between Cape May Court House and Cape May may no longer be acceptable for service. It had been a long time since the original restoration of that portion of the line and ties and roadbed only go downhill absent maintenance. There has been little or no maintenance of the line between Cape May Court House and Cape May in the last few years, and I have to believe that the condition of the line in that area is not good and may no longer be suitable for service. I would be pleased to learn I was wrong.
Third, Cape May City does not appear to be particularly enamoured with the CMSL. Let's face it: Cape May is a elitist resort. I'm not sure they look upon the CMSL as being a significant asset to the appeal of the resort to the clientele they are seeking. Maybe if they used some cute old steam engines and some fancy old cars, Cape May would find that acceptable. But the RDC's, historic as they are in there own right, do not really fit the Victorian image of the town.
Fourth, the issues with the junk equipment that the CMSL has stored in Rio Grande is something that has poisoned the relationship between the line and municipalities in lower Cape May County. Now, that is hardly the fault of the CMSL, but regardless, the junk is there and the municipalities do not like it. Politics does not have to be logical or fair. If the line were to resume operation, there would be a strong push to have the CMSL move that stuff out of there. But other than to the scrap heap, I'm not sure where it could go. With the equipment still sitting there, a resumption of service might not be warmly received.
Then, of course, there is the issue of the washed-out roadbed that was the reason du jour for no service last summer. That problem would have to be fixed, and exactly who would pay for that is unknown. Like the Canal Bridge problem through 2006, the exact nature of the washout is just a little bit vague.
The "will the CMSL serve Cape May this summer" has become the annual Rite of Spring for South Jersey rail fans. This year we are a little ahead of the season, but sadly I feel the situation is not good at all. I would love for someone who actually knows what is going on to contradict everything I said, but I am not holding my breath.