The editorial hit it right on. I've directed several people to it. I don't think that there is any viable way to operate the NWP, even if an operator starts with a marginally ready-to-run railroad. This property eats up a whole lot of overhead, before you even turn a wheel. Crossing gates, weeeeds, road crossings, drainage, bridge work, continual track inspections.

A good example of a similar, but more manageable railroad is POTB. Barely enough traffic, barely staffed, many miles of track that you cannot access (more than 1 wheel on the ground is usually a 10 man wilderness expedition), and 6 months out of the year just more washout away from being gone. NWP must be 10 times as bad.

I'm a railfan, I take pictures & ride trains, love a lashup of SD9's as mush as anybody, but I'll be damned if any more of my tax $$$ goes to sinkholes like this. Yes, there are other examples of waste that are bigger,`but this is one that I can see through because it relates to a field that I follow. Want answers? "Follow the money, follow the dope". How much money went to lawyers, administrators, consultants, friends of the above 'in business', offices, studies, etc. compared the money paid for installed ballast, rail, ties, guys with shovels, guys on Burro cranes.

Why start to run a railroad (assuming you can) when you can still get paid for doing nothing?

Fortunately, the SP unloaded both POTB & NWP, and at least Union Pacific will never have to waste shareholder resources on either.

There are other pieces of track worth saving that railfans could support besides this.

NWP, a property even WATCO wouldn't touch!