Funny you should mention this. I had set up a meeting at Cruz Café between the wharf to wharf race manager, Georgie Clark and myself to explore just that possibility while I was working for the Sierra on the Santa Cruz branch. Since BTP had the only available equipment able to carry significant passengers in the area, this was the best option. Problem was it conflicted with Thomas the Tank, so a no go. Also a problem is the train accommodates perhaps as many as 300 people, the race accommodates tens of thousands. Even if you could make three runs before the race you've barely scraped capacity. The track is also excepted, meaning a bit of work before you could put passengers on it. Good idea though!
Wes