Journalism is dead.
As usual, the drive-by media got it wrong. They reported that 50,000 ties need replaced, which is enough ties to boardwalk (replace every tie) the entire railroad. However, from the R&R article, "...Garner said that was inaccurate and that they only need to replace 16,000 ties before the FRA will allow them to operate revenue-producing excursions..."
16,000 ties means they will replace roughly every third tie, if these ties are needed over the entire railroad. However, it could also mean that they will boardwalk some sections and do nothing with other sections, depending on condition. That work gets them to at least Class 1, and maybe Class 2. It's still a big job, but not as bad as we originally thought it was.
