Everyone is quick to pounce on Hunter, but for Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation he and his hand picked successors have been very helpful and we would not be where we are today without them. Without the team in Jacksonville recognizing our plans to transform an entire region of the state our vision would never have become a reality. Hunter and his team agreed to sell us our property in Ravenna, helped move our support cars that were held hostage in the ITM meltdown, donated and restored a C&O wide vision caboose to “better than new” condition, donated a running SW1500 to us and of course to cap it all off, moved 2716 over one of their busiest main lines in the country (at speeds approaching 50 mph sustained)... As an influential CSX corporate employee has stated publicly, it’s not that the company has been anti-steam... they just haven’t had the right group(s) and proposals to feel comfortable with, or the groups/owners approached them with an entitlement to run on THEIR railroad. I honestly feel our team is changing the game with CSX and giving them confidence in the PR and marketing tool they have before them.
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