Opportunity To Assist With The Lobato Trestle Restoration

Following up on the previous post on Lobato Trestle. I received the following message from Tim Tennant, President and CEO of the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, a non-profit dedicated toward preserving the history of the C&TS equipment. He states,

Those interested in making donations to assist with repairs to the Cumbres & Toltec's Lobato Trestle, please feel free to send contributions to:

Friends of the C&TS Railroad

Lobato Trestle Fund

6005 Osuna Road, NE

Albuquerque, NM 87109

We are already seeing gifts come in and appreciate this support.

According to the site, 

...the 1,800-member Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the official museum support group for the C&TS, managing the museum and restoration functions of the railroad. In particular, the Friends has assumed the responsibility of preserving all of the railroad’s historic assets that are not used in the regular tourist train operation, and interpreting the railroad to the public.

This statement brings up the interesting quandary regarding the boundaries between the C&TS Railroad and the Friends organization. In this case, the trestle is part of the physical plant used in the regular tourist operation. I asked Mr. Tennant where the state-owned railroad (and it's insurance coverage ends) and the Friends organization begins in this case. He responded,

With any insurance policy there are deductibles($50,000 on the trestle),  and that comes straight out of operating dollars.  The post really was a result of people sending in donations on their own. We will not turn down the gifts as this incident will put a strain on the railroad’s income flow.  Some passengers have cancelled their trips so it will impact the railroad’s operating budget.  Not everything is covered by insurance.  When I get asked where to donate, we need to provide a vehicle for that. 

So, if you can't get out to the C&TS this year and take a ride, consider joining the Friends or making a donation via the address above to help with the trestle work.