Heard this morning on CBS morning news that the D-S is shutting down operations for a while due to wildfires and the chance their cinders would start another one. Said over 100 people would be laid off. Let's hope that doesn't last long!
That's unfortunate, but a very wise move. I hope for the employees sake that it's a short term layoff .. but the summer has only started!
Actually, they haven't completely shut down. They have recently purchased a narrow guage diesel and are using it for short (about 1 hr) runs for a reduced fare. Dwight
Speaking as a Colorado resident, and even though I am a railfan, I'm glad they did get a slim-gage diesel to run. Three or four years of substandard rain-and snowfall, with reduced snowpack in the mountains, has given us the worst drought in a long time. There has already been a bad fire in that area, plus one reported up in the Price River canyon (sparks from a brakeshoe?), and inasmuch as the D&G is a great tourist attraction, everybody in the West is hurting this year. I'm gonna get shot or flamed for this, but I'd rather the D&G either ran with a diesel or shut down, rather than see the danger of another bad forest fire. And I feel bad for everyone involved in the tourist business in the West this year, because not only is the drought killing business, but the chronic wasting disease that is hitting the mule deer & elk populations is gonna put a nasty dent in hunting. Anybody for a serious prayer for rain? We sure could use it..........
One of Utah RY's new SD50S's blew a turbo just south of Kyune and started a fire from the exaust flames.
