I took a few minutes to run some numbers on a spreadsheet, and what I came up with was that the operator would have to generate about $25-27,000 every week just to cover the basics of running this property. Divide that by much a carload is worth ($500? $1000?), and that tells you how many carloads per week you need every week (25 to 54). 1300 to 2700 cars per year. Not bad if you're running a 25 mile flat low upkeep branchline. These are rough numbers, and I'm not going to stress any more brain cells going deeper. The NWP, because of its length and terrain, probably does not lend itself well to the casual shortline numbers that can be equated to revenue dollar per mile or carloads per mile.

Savvy operators to save it? There are two kinds; the dedicated shortline operator who takes over a line to build it up and the kind that shows up for a quick buck leaving bills & broken track in the end. Both are conspicuously absent from the NWP scene.

I actually had forgot about the cash crop. Freight code "420". Maybe the excusrion trains could be 420 & 421.