Railroad Forums 

  • Status of CMSL to Cape May?

  • Discussion relating to the PRSL
Discussion relating to the PRSL

Moderator: JJMDiMunno

 #509574  by lv414
 
CMSL is known for not giving straight information on their operations. And the owner wonders why nobody takes his railroad seriously.

 #509588  by rrbluesman
 
I'm at a loss for both hope and interest in the CMSL these days. For a very long time I had been a very vocal proponent of their operations on this and the NJ Railfan Forum, but the best I can say now is that I have mixed feelings about the railroad. I feel like if they played straight to the public, especially the railfans, they would really be dong themselves some good. Year after year there has been reason after reason for no or very limited service, I guess I just can't take the CMSL seriously anymore. My understanding about the start of the frieght operations has been that technically it has begun becuase I believe that are, or at least were, storing tank cars on the line. As for the rest of the promised frieght service, I have yet to see it personally. I heard what was keeping that from happening was the condition of the track from Woodbine to CMCH. The issue with the passenger/tourist route in Cape May has been a point of contention for a lot of people for a long time. The CMSL has made promises of expanding services from Cape May to Tuckahoe year after year, never happened, it has been promise after promise year after year without any results, again, I just can't take that serious. I've been a railfan all my life and have never been more disappointed than I have been with the CMSL. If they played straight with enoguh railfans maybe they could get some capital stake behind them and force whatever part of NJ government who has to maintain the Cape May branch into actually doing so. That's my thoughts.

 #509621  by chuchubob
 
prr60 wrote: And, at the risk of being called negative, does anyone else find the CMSL's response that service to Cape May will resume when they say it is resuming to be a rather minimal answer to a legitimate question?
I'm sure several other negative people do. However, CMSL doesn't know when funding to repair the ROW between Woodbine and Cape May Court House will become available, therefore CMSL doesn't know when service to Cape May City will resume.

 #509873  by rrbluesman
 
"I'm sure several other negative people do. However, CMSL doesn't know when funding to repair the ROW between Woodbine and Cape May Court House will become available, therefore CMSL doesn't know when service to Cape May City will resume."

I guess that's what I don't understand about the CMSL. If the management would keep reliable news provided to railfans maybe he could get public support, ie petitiions, letters, etc, sent to the appropriate political officials to get the project moving. Whats the sense in keeping the public, especially the railfans, in the dark when they could become your most valuable resource?

 #510126  by JJMDiMunno
 
The previous post has been removed because the information contained within it was found to be incorrect. A check with a CMSL employee confirms that there is no such thing.

For those that don't know what the "thing" is, it's not important because it's not true.

I'm informed by the CMSL employee, that CMSL like all other railroads and most businesses in existance, does carry some secrets. They can divulge information as they see fit, and when they see fit as a company.

Topic now unlocked, again.

Mike DiMunno

 #510296  by GE-RULES
 
rrbluesman wrote:If they played straight with enoguh railfans maybe they could get some capital stake behind them and force whatever part of NJ government who has to maintain the Cape May branch into actually doing so. That's my thoughts.
There is one MAJOR point being missed here, and that is railroads (even a short line like the CMSL) DO NOT EXIST TO PLEASE RAILFANS! I know that may be hard to believe but it's true. As Mike said, there are secrets that companies keep tightly locked up due to sensitivity issues or even as a condition of a contract. Just because a few railfans are not pleased with how or what the CMSL is doing doesn't mean they are not gearing up for further expanded operations. Just be patient and remember they are a company which is there to make money!

 #510344  by rrbluesman
 
I'm not just talking about railfans, be it one or many of us who would support the CMSL. Every year or so, for the last few years, the CMSL has seemed to suffer from dramatic vandalization to their equipment stored, then the communities along the line have gotten up in arms, requested the equipment be moved, and then every once in a while a political official or upstanding commuity leader has released a public statement to the newspapers or other public outlets explaining how the CMSL has attracted vandals, has not fulfilled promises made to the communities along the line, and seemingly made these persons/officials unhappy, losing their support. I understand there are secrets that have to be kept, I understand theywant to make money, more than one member of my family owns a business. However, the CMSL public relations are my issue here. You can only make promises so long without fulfilling them because sooner or later some group of people is going to get agitated. That's what the issue with the CMSL seems to be: year after year, they make promises of expanded service (both frieght and tourist), better cooperation to the communities along the way (as examples); year after year they have failed ot make due to these, and now it appears like the political bodies of the area they serve do not take them seriously, some percentage of the cpommunity of railfans that support them is or already has lost interest, and then the company (im not picking any one particular person, I dont know any of these men or women or what their service is or is not) asks "Why?" All they really have to do is provide the public a serious statement about what their position actually is and what their short term future of service actually will be, then they can probably gather some support again and build serious interest in their services again, both from the communites and the public, railfans or not, on the whole. How wrong am I to ask this, really?

 #511096  by prr60
 
JJMDiMunno wrote:I'm informed by the CMSL employee, that CMSL like all other railroads and most businesses in existance, does carry some secrets. They can divulge information as they see fit, and when they see fit as a company.
What happens in Tuckahoe stays in Tuckahoe, to coin a phrase?

I tried my best to work up some indignation over this, but just can't. Even chuchubob calling me negative did not do the trick (and I like his photos). In the grand rail transportation scheme of things, the CMSL running or not running to Cape May is barely a blip on the mimic board. It is interesting that there is a new sign down on the Garden State Parkway identifying some Cape May County tourist attractions, the the CMSL is notably absent. Sad.

I would be curious about NJ Transit's take on this as they seeming keep funding repairs on the line only to have one more thing crop up. At some point I would expect they would say enough already and pull the plug.

 #511506  by lv414
 
No advertising for CMSL because they are not a member of the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce. Found that out a couple of years ago when I stopped for some timetables at the Chambers Information Center on the Garden State Parkway. If you aren't a member you can't have your information for tourist there.

 #511834  by limejuice
 
You know, I've thought about it really hard, and I just can't find a reasonable explanation for the constant animosity I've seen on these forums toward the CMSL. Either I missed the part where the CMSL went around peeing in a bunch of cereal bowls, or they just seem to have attracted a number of railfans with the sense of entitlement equal to that of a crack-addicted welfare mom. I don't think I've posted on this forum before, but I read it regularly to find out the latest news regarding the CMSL and their operations. If there are no updates, I move on. Am I disappointed? No, not really. And if I was, it would be entirely ridiculous for me to voice a complaint, because the forum does not exist for my enjoyment alone. And I would think this same attitude should apply to the railroad itself, should it not? After all, I have no stake in the success or failure of the railroad. I may be disappointed by things that happen, but should I take personal offense if the railroad fails to satisfy my hopes and dreams? Of course not! Running a railroad isn't all bells and whistles and good times. Local municipalities tend to make life hell. Some short lines out there are really humming. Those are the ones that had a big pile of cash to start with. For most small operations, if you're running trains, you're doing good. Be satisfied with what there is, because if not for the hard work of those that made it happen, it wouldn't be there at all. Be patient for the future. Things could get better, or could get worse. But it's not for the lack of CMSL trying. If they weren't trying, they wouldn't exist. The railroad has no inherent responsibility to satisfy railfans or to communicate with them. Seeing how rumors get twisted and distorted in the railfan community, using railfans as a corporate communications strategy would be the worst public relations policy in the history of the tourist rail industry. So why don't you folks just sit back, relax, and let CMSL do its magic. I dunno, maybe get a job in the meantime so you can maybe buy a ticket every once in awhile before you go out there cutting off other motorists when you try to beat the train to the next crossing to get that perfect shot. And keep back from the rail at least 4 feet or I'll kill you ..er so you can be safe!

 #512036  by David
 
Thank you, Limejuice--Well spoken.


BTW--Glenside is a great place--an aunt & uncle lived there. :-)

 #512188  by prsl7668
 
Wake me up when the MAGIC begins.....

 #512387  by prr60
 
limejuice wrote:...And keep back from the rail at least 4 feet or I'll kill you ..er so you can be safe!
David wrote:Thank you, Limejuice--Well spoken.
Well spoken?

 #512994  by David
 
prr60 wrote:
limejuice wrote:...And keep back from the rail at least 4 feet or I'll kill you ..er so you can be safe!
David wrote:Thank you, Limejuice--Well spoken.
Well spoken?

Jest--I am sure.