Yes, I was there, standing in the engine cab observing the operation and opportunities to increase business. It's always a bit entertaining to watch people with no railroad background or experience get their first taste of what it feels like to manage 248,000 pounds, 1,200 horsepower, 600 gallons of fuel and 35,000 pounds of tractive effort. You get a real appreciation for these crews when it dawns on you that you might not be handling the locomotive and that the locomotive might be handling you!
To answer one of the questions, "how much did it cost?" It only cost years of rubbing elbows with these guys, a railroad with some needs, and a proactive media group that usually has a lot of answers. We may be talking about MJ excursions in the future, when that happens, we'll post the fare.
A bunch of these railroaders go way back with me, Richard Long is one of them. We hadn't seen each other for about 30 years... or as Richard put it, a whole lot of pounds ago. It was like a family reunion, really great to see Richard and catch up on each others railroad adventures.
Creative business ideas is the key to the St. Mary's survival, and that port would be the key to it prospering again.
BOB
