Steam & Excursion > Montana Rockies Daylight in review.

From fall of 2002: SP&S 700 eastbound at Livingston:

---

From fall of 2004: SP4449 Westbound at Livingston:

---

Does anyone know how the finances of these two trips came out? I'd be interested in discussion of what led to the abolition of the Montana Rockies Daylight. I'd speculate that 10 million dollars of liability insurance was a large cost for the steam trips.

Jim Burrill

Hi Jim,

I had an unofficial financial discussion with the President of the company during the 2004 SteamII trip. She was a very, very pleasant person, and was LOVING the excursion. She incicated they were struggling to just about break even for the venture. They took very good care of their riders.....incl. great buffets at the hotels in Missoula etal..... At the end of the eastbound leg in Billings, she indicated over the intercom to all passengers they were considering a Steam III in 2006. Seems that will not happen now, atleast in the same capacity as MRRT. We all just shake our heads.

Mike

The patronage on the 2002 steam trip wasn't that great once you get past the first-class passengers. There is a limited group of people who will take overnight trips like these. I would doubt MRRT did much better than break-even on the steam trips.

Chris.

ctjacks Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The patronage on the 2002 steam trip wasn't that
> great once you get past the first-class
> passengers. There is a limited group of people
> who will take overnight trips like these. I would
> doubt MRRT did much better than break-even on the
> steam trips.
>
> Chris.

The 2002 trip was about 70% full in coach going east and 50-60% going west. Tickets weren't cheap. I think that MRRT must have at least broke even in '02 otherwise they wouldn't have done it again in '04. On the other hand, no sooner than the '04 trip tied up, MRRT announced the end of all operations.

I disagree with your comment that overnite or multi-day trips don't appeal to fans. On the contrary, when you factor the cost of getting to/from a departure point, especially from overseas, the more days behind steam the better. For example, I have fond memories of my four-day Independence Limited trip in 1988 behind N&W 1218 Roanoke to Chicago.

Bob

Much later I read the hotel part of the equation was something they could not control too

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Much later I read the hotel part of the equation
> was something they could not control too

Thanks for letting us know that.. 19 years later

well if you were well versed on the subject you would have seen it yourself years ago

Do you think it isn't worthy of mention?  is it not pertinent to the subject matter, i was a big fan of the operation, weren't you ?   I would think you would be, am i wrong

They were getting blocks of hotel space in high demand seasons,  so they could not get much, if any discounts?  Is there anything constructive you would like to add?  are you intentionally being a smart ass?  because that is how i am taking it !    Didn't see it on your profile?  is there something else  you wanna say?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/24 14:54 by dan.

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> well if you were well versed on the subject you
> would have seen it yourself years ago
>
> Do you think it isn't worthy of mention?
>
>
> Dave Varilek   are you intentionally being a
> smart ass?  because that is how i am taking it !
>    Didn't see it on your profile?  is there
> something else  you wanna say?

What makes you think that "spoony81" is "Dave Valilek"? Dave hasn't posted on TO for quite some years, and his handle was "Domecars" anyway.

All that aside, what possessed you to respond to this 19 year old thread anyway? 

because it was cited as huge factor in other threads?   someone told me it was Dave when they saw spoonies dribble, i messaged whomever it was...thanks Jack for weighing in

It may have the #1 reason they folded, Jack you were close to the situation do you have anything constructive to say?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/24 14:46 by dan.

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> because it was cited as huge factor in other
> threads?   someone told me it was Dave when they
> saw spoonies dribble, i messaged whomever it
> was...thanks Jack for weighing in
>
> It may have the #1 reason they folded, Jack you
> were close to the situation do you have anything
> constructive to say?

NO!.

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> well if you were well versed on the subject you
> would have seen it yourself years ago
>
> Do you think it isn't worthy of mention?  is it
> not pertinent to the subject matter, i was a big
> fan of the operation, weren't you ?   I would
> think you would be, am i wrong
>
> They were getting blocks of hotel space in high
> demand seasons,  so they could not get much, if
> any discounts?  Is there anything constructive
> you would like to add?  are you intentionally
> being a smart ass?  because that is how i am
> taking it !    Didn't see it on your profile? 
> is there something else  you wanna say?

Just thought it was weird to dig up a 19 yr old thread to post that. I’m not Dave (whoever that is) and I was being a smart ass.
Congratulations on learning how to use spell check and capitalization, that’s a big step in the right direction for you

There are many that operate tours, or did in the past, or maybe thinking about  doing  so in the future,   and you guys weigh in on semantics and grammar