If these reports are true about shutting down the steam, I think they just killed the goose that laid the golden egg. I have ridden the GCRY - behind steam. While there, also discussed operations and passenger preferences with the crews while we waited. According to them, the steam engines did in fact have a lot more draw than the alco diesels. The alcos only appeal to us died in the wool "railfans".

All their patrons have always had to go out of their way to use the GCRY at all, including an overnight stay at or near Williams (otherwise overnight travel). Not only that, but the ride was very expensive. It was and is simpler and hundreds of dollars cheaper to just book your families lodging at the canyon and go directly there. But what GCRY offered their patrons was an authentic old-time railroad experience. That was the big draw - probably the only draw.

The last time I rode, over 500 passengers shared the train with me. Of course we discussed railroading, that's what you do on this train. Though few passengers were actual "orthodox" railfans, all had significant interest in trains. But many thought modern railroads where sterile and lacked the "romance" of the past. To them, except for the added comfort of train travel, whether or not to use a modern train was just another cold business decision. They would not go out of their way, or spend more, to do it.

We should not sell short the extent of rail enthusiasm in this country, and especially not the enthusiasm found in Europe, where it is a very public big deal - as even a casual perusal of almost any European news stand will show. I think the reason we railfans don't
recognize it here, is that we only accept as railfans, those who fit our own "orthodoxy", as to what constitutes a rail fan.

But I digress - The bottom line question is: Should any business, whose patronage is not based on anything resembling any sort of business decision, limit their own decision making to purely "business" considerations? To do so, courts failure to attract your own customers - hence ultimate collapse of your business. Thus, they just killed the goose that laid the golden egg. The tracks will be gone not too long hence.