Coleman, you have stepped in it this time in a big way. While this is not meant to be a personal attack it will seem to be such because of the observations I will make. The reason that you may not have been received well by those members of the UP Steam Gang has been demonstrated by your posts on this board. A lot of the questions you ask come across as things that if you had gone a little further down the thought path you would have arrived at your own answer. The Steam Crew not only has to operate and maintain the engine and equipment on the road but then turn around and put on the "happy face" for all comers. With the time on the road to get to Roseville anyone would be tired. As far as the alleged mis handling of various operations; you seem to forget that the UP railroad is basicely a single track with sidings railroad that is at its max capacity wise. The BNSF is a double track railroad that has limited the amount of traffic it will accept so as to remain fluid. Two different approaches and at times UP pays the price. It's speed limits are also slower except for the territory across the original UP from Salt Lake east. More than enough reason for the operational delays you allege. As far as operating other engines other than their own; basicly, it is their railroad and they can do as they wish. We should be happy that they choose to operate anything. Whenever anything leaves Chian, I am sure many of the upper management folks are wondering just what kind of a jackpot will we get into this time, fortunatly the people that are positive on the program have been in the majority so far. As far as your feelings regarding Steve Lee and his crew; either you presented yourself in such a manner that you ticked him or them off or you are just plain wrong. Steve can be rough and gruff at times but with all he and his gang have done to keep the railfans happy, ya really need to cut him a break. After all he is probably the most knowledgeable single person operating a steam locomotive on a class one railroad today. By that I mean He is territory qualified everywhere the steam program's engines go and in fact some other places as well as he usually is along on the snowplow missions and they are no picnic. He also is completely knowledgable with the equipment. And his crew has much the same qualifications. By this don't infer that I am slighting any other operator of steam; they just don't have to have all the qualifications, when they move they have operating personel from the road they are running on for pilots as an example. I end by saying as far as any complaints with the UP folks they don't belong aimed at the Steam Crew but rather higher up and as far as operating problems, there is not enough railroad to do everything they try to do. Lastly, you do owe folks a BIG apology.Andy