Two more items: Lest someone think this is in Mojave CA, which is where the UP and BNSF meet to go to Bakersfield via Tehachapi, the proposal is for the other end of the Mojave DESERT.

Also, one of the illustrations for the proposal shows a building styled after a Harvey House depot/lodging facility. This would have to be "built from scratch", as I doubt that Parker ever had a Harvey House. Paper and art materials are cheap; concrete is expensive.

I know longer excursion runs have already been posted, but I'm not sure how many here realize that the S.A.M. Shortline here in SW Georgia runs a 86-mile round trip excursion on most Saturdays. That is from Cordele (at I-75) west to Archery (former President Jimmy Carter's Boyhood Home location, part of Jimmy Carter NHS) and back. Round-trip Cordele to Plains, GA and return is 81.2 miles. Yes, it is diesel powered, but our little blue friend is coming next month...ummmm...so we'll still be diesel powered... :>)

Good one Tom.....

If the coal fired power plant is ever built in White Pine County as once planned, it is conceivable that a 150-plus mile trip could be operated (one way) over the Nevada Northern tracks which are basically intact. That desert does not get as hot as Mojave, usually.

Good luck getting a coal fired plant built with this administration and the EPA trying to destroy anything coal.
In the Mojave, you could offer cab rides/sauna time for a premium. The yuppies would love it.

Their website, desertsteamtrain.com was live for a little while before they locked/password protected it....but I managed to explore it a little bit before it shut down. They plan to have September through March or April trips...so they would operate in winter and not the blazing hot summer months. No mention of exactly what steam they'd use, but that they would own and maintain their own engines.

Might this have any connection with the operation of the 2926, out of Albuquerque, N.M.?

I searched Cadiz, CA. and the article said that the ATSF engine 3751 was the planned unit for this operation.

It has a better chance of operating in comfortable temperatures during the winter months as the temperature range of April thru Sept. is 90 degrees to 120 degrees with spikes as high as 120 degrees. The site is still a ways off Interstate 40 with Parker (population about 3,200) or Blythe, Ca. (population about 22,000) the closest cities. Vidal Jct, Rice, and Cadiz really are ghost towns. and the next closest city of any size is way west in Barstow. Traffic is nil most of the times except for visitors riding old Hwy 66.

If this project lasts more than one season, then it must be April 1st.

Where will they get water?

For a more tightly focused context in terms of a potential opportunity as well as their expertise in terms of water resources.

http://cadizinc.com/

I mostly stay away from posts where I'd be expressing something negative, but I just can't imagine how an idea like this could possibly be anything but an economic disaster.

Operating a passenger train is an expensive venture.

Operating it with a steam locomotive is even more so.

Doing it with a big machine with huge 30" by 30" cylinders coupled with running way off of the ideal throttle/cutoff settings would make for further uneconomical operation.

And lastly, how are you going to fill enough seats week after week, far from any large population base?

If somebody is really serious about this venture, I hope that they look deeper into the realities of what they are facing.

My assumption is that they have as this is not a hobbyist operation. There is always risk and reward in any venture. I don't personally presume anything either as a cheerleader or a sour apples guy.

Time will tell. We do not know what they know.

As strictly a guess as to their analysis of profitability it may have a tie in to renewable natural resources which is their meal ticket. The reason for this guess is obvious in terms of a demonstration project that has the side benefit of a revenue stream. If so, a desert climate in relation to renewable resources seems to be a fit to me.

The jury is still out. To me its too early to make pronouncements of any sort on my part, one way or another..but it is an intriguing development...I think mileage, locomotive specifics miss the point...of this exercise as a means rather than a reason onto itself.
Again, this is a guess.

Is all this simply coincidental, the location, the use of water..etc in relation to their business model. Tourist trains in of themselves seems to be a wild divergence from this in this location.

Under Cadiz, there is a large aquifer of water available according to the article I read. I was not aware of it but that is where ATSF got their water at Rice and Cadiz for the water tanks.

One of the main reasons for the steam powered train (in addition to PR) appears to be to avoid the environmental review process for the water pipeline to move water from the aquifer to customers. The pipeline is intended to run in RR right of way, but for it to avoid detailed environmental impact studies, it must be directly related to the railroad in some fashion. One article cites three major points:
1) Water used for washing rail cars
2) Water used for fire hydrants at 30+ trestles along the RoW
3) Water used for a steam locomotive

In addition to the public relations positives of using a steam locomotive in the region, the real benefit here is that the water is being clearly used for railroad related purposes, thus allowing the corporation to bypass significant parts of the environmental review.

Essentially, the steam train can be a massive money loser and still run for years because it enables significant profits from the water deal.

[quote="california"]One of the main reasons for the steam powered train (in addition to PR) appears to be to avoid the environmental review process for the water pipeline to move water from the aquifer to customers. The pipeline is intended to run in RR right of way, but for it to avoid detailed environmental impact studies, it must be directly related to the railroad in some fashion. One article cites three major points:
1) Water used for washing rail cars
2) Water used for fire hydrants at 30+ trestles along the RoW
3) Water used for a steam locomotive

In addition to the public relations positives of using a steam locomotive in the region, the real benefit here is that the water is being clearly used for railroad related purposes, thus allowing the corporation to bypass significant parts of the environmental review.

Essentially, the steam train can be a massive money loser and still run for years because it enables significant profits from the water deal.[/q]

Nice plan if it works, and you never know...the train might end up being a money maker. Now once we have an idea of what other locomotives other than 3751 will be involved, then it could get really interesting....