Here is another press release from the Thunder Mountain Line.

Anyone want to from a non-profit with me to start operations back up?

Facebook post

(Full text from above link)

Uphill Climb To Regain Ridership Too Steep To Overcome
For Idaho’s Thunder Mountain Line Railroad

FORT WORTH, Texas – (Jan. 20, 2016) The Thunder Mountain Line Excursion Railroad has decided to suspend operation of the Horseshoe Bend, Idaho-based tourist train for 2016 because ridership numbers haven’t risen enough to meet operating costs in recent years.

On Jan. 18, 2016, the company announced its decision to suspend operations to customers and employees and posted the information to the railroad’s Facebook. One of the best-known tourist attractions in the southwest Idaho area, the Thunder Mountain Line started operations in 1998 under the ownership of the nonprofit Idaho Historical Railroads (IHR) organization. IHR sold the attraction to the Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad in 2001, a privately held company that continues to own and operate the freight railroad. Most tourist railroads in the country are operated by nonprofit entities that can draw on public subsidies or volunteer support to help defray operating costs, Vice President Chris Bertel notes – whereas companies such as his must rely on ticket sales alone to cover expenses.

Wildly popular with those who know it, the railroad struggled to attract new riders in the years since the economic downturn of 2007-2008.

“We never regained our momentum after the recession,” says Bertel, who believes that the slow pace of the economic recovery discouraged many potential customers from making the journey to the railroad’s scenic location in southwestern Idaho. “Our corporate bookings in particular fell off after the recession,” he says. “Companies continue to be reluctant to spend money on corporate outings to off-site locations such as ours.”

The railroad’s ridership declined in 2015, and was below the company’s goal. Nearly 500,000 passengers had enjoyed the attraction throughout the years.

“Hoping to draw in more customers, we continued to invest in the business all along, by improving the rail cars, the train station and the overall infrastructure,” he says. “I think we ran one of the finest tourist train operations in the country, but we just couldn’t win back the business we lost during the recession.”

“People can board the train and travel through some of the most spectacular natural scenery in the country – and experience life as it was lived more than 100 years ago. Shutting down operations comes as a loss not just to us but to the entire state of Idaho,” says Bertel.

The company will likely decide later this year whether to permanently shut down the tourist railroad operation. “It’s such a great attraction,” Bertel says. “If someone came in from the outside who wanted to invest in the business or assume the operations, we would be open to discussions,” says Bertel.

“We’d like nothing better than to see the Thunder Mountain Line back on track again,” Bertel asserts. “We are deeply appreciative of the dedicated employees and staff who worked tirelessly to provide a quality experience. In addition, we would like to thank our many patrons over the years for their loyalty and interest.”