Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec - FriendsOfCumbresToltec.org

where where is everyone. its sad to see steam all alone. looked around , can not find anyone. corona came around and whoo whoo they were gone.

doing their part to social distance

Tom C.

This virus could really put a crimp in the tourist season this year.
Has anyone heard of any management plans to deal with it?
I suppose the number of reservations might help them decide some things, numbers of runs per week for instance.
Can the governor shut it all down? (Both governors, right?) Profits are at stake. And I wanna see the trains again.

Durango Silverton COVID-19 message
https://www.durangotrain.com/covid-19-f ... psjX5l7l1s

cumbres&toltec:
https://cumbrestoltec.com/

Wade, that message on the C&T site has been there for some time. Hopefully the board will make a determination on when to start the season soon. What the railroad does with directly effect the Friends work sessions since we need the railroad to move stuff for us to work on.

Has there been any notification on whether there is any work being done on the locomotives in the shop or is it completely shut down?

Allan

From what I understand the whole operation is shut down until the end of April at the earliest.

I haven't seen it on the Forum or in an email but here's a post from the Friends' official Facebook account. I'm sharing it here because some folks aren't on Facebook and I know a lot of us have been curious as to where things stand.

Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Inc.
Yesterday at 1:17 PM ·
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are cancelling Work Session B scheduled for May 25th thru 29th and Special Sessions #5 & #6. We will monitor and make a determination in mid-May as it relates to Work Sessions C & D in June. Cumbres & Toltec management is currently assessing when the 2020 season may open.
At this time, we do not know what that opening date may be. We will monitor what the railroad does and then act accordingly. The health and safety of our membership is paramount, but we also realize that some people will welcome the opportunity to get out and be active again. We can assure you that any projects scheduled from here forward in 2020 will be projects that encompass social distancing.
We appreciate everyone’s support: please be safe!

I spoke to the office yesterday afternoon about cancelling my reservations for June and she told me that the railroad is hoping to make a decision by the 1st of May on when to open since so many people are waiting for this.

"We can assure you that any projects scheduled from here forward in 2020 will be projects that encompass social distancing." - management statement

Does rebuilding rolling stock encompass social distancing?
Many Friends look forward to these projects all year long.
If the trains are going to run full how will social distancing be accomplished?
A project to rebuild stock would seem to be less fraught than managing tourists in cars.

Wade Rogers wrote:"We can assure you that any projects scheduled from here forward in 2020 will be projects that encompass social distancing." - management statement

Does rebuilding rolling stock encompass social distancing?
Many Friends look forward to these projects all year long.
If the trains are going to run full how will social distancing be accomplished?
A project to rebuild stock would seem to be less fraught than managing tourists in cars.

How the trains will be run should be answered around the 1st of May by the railroad.
These are really two different issues with two different operating organizations. "The Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec" are independent from the railroad even though they work hand in glove with them. I hope this helps you.

lets hope every is back to work soon

Social distancing may be the make-or-break issue for the whole season.
How do you even begin to manage such an issue inside a passenger car? Not with full cars you don't, and full cars pay the bills.
The Friends may have a better case for working on projects out in the open but The Railroad will call all the shots.
The RR does not want to incur legal damages from suits filed by customers or Friends. I'm betting (sadly) the entire season is cancelled.

The railroad's schedule is out with 6 trains a week beginning 6/13. East bound one day and west the next with none on Monday. Then beginning in September they up it to 12, again no train Monday. They are limiting the load to 12 in each coach and 10 in the tourist and parlor. This was agreed to at the Commission meeting last week.

I hope they can carry enough passengers to pay the bills