Re: Rio vista question
Author: Dr Zarkoff
Date: 10-10-2018 - 10:31
A few amplifications on F. W. A. Krock's august pronouncements
> . . . Members decided to operate an
> excursion train in the spring for people to view
> the vernal ponds and wildflowers
> railroad north of Rio Vista Junction.
Which was garnering some $75,000/year in revenue, all for three months work.
> BAERA did
> not have enough money to make more than emergency
> repairs to the track.
Particularly true when those excursion trains were forced to pay for the upkeep of the rest of the museum (the electric power bill, the liability insurance premium, etc.), which the electrics weren't required to do. This is an age old accounting trick designed to make a good operation look bad and convey the deceptive impression that a marginal operation looks like its doing better than it really is. The WP used a variation of it during the last few years of CZ operation.
> Train operation ended when
> the track superintendent told the BAERA Board of
> Directors that he could not guarantee that a
> wildflower viewing train would not derail on the
> bad track.
The trains ceased when those who enjoyed operated them became fed up with the track sup's premeditated negativity and disincentives. Ironically, this same person is now engaged in a tie replacement program on a section of this very track. "You can't have your's, but I can have mine".