Re: Tasmania..ah! what a nice spot to check out.

["Steve Zvillis" <szvillis@netspace.net.au>]

Brown Family <lbrown2@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:3afd1328.1401801@news-server.bigpond.net.au...

> >
> >I'm sorry Rod. I know visitors, interstate and local enthusiasts would
like
> >to think the best and wish the best to the Abt Railway, but since Roger
> >Smith (Captain Quickbuck) got his greedy hand on the enterprise and bared
> >his arse to both the local Abt Railway Society and every other legitimate
> >preserved railway in Tas., his reputation earned on the Penny Royal
> >developments (look great on the outside, falling apart on the inside) has
> >been renewed on the Abt.
> >
> >The tragedy is that a genuine professional rail operator with a history
in
> >preservation (West Coast Railway (Vic.)) missed out on heading the
project
> >to a shonky "theme park" developer who hasn't got a clue about railways
and
> >intends to pocket as much money out of it as he can for a couple years
then
> >bail out as it all goes pear shaped (as he did with Penny Royal) leaving
the
> >wreckage to an embarrassed government, furious taxpayers and some poor
> >suckers who are going to have to try and pick up the pieces!
> >
> Hey, at least they're running a railway which is more than we can say
> for the taxpayer's money than what we can say for Dorrigo and all
> their contributors, private and government.
>
> Don't knock it Steve, they're at least one up on you.
>
> Les Brown

Les,
At least Dorrigo have used only their private members funds (NOT taxpayers)
and WILL not operate until they can SAFELY operate and cater for visitors,
without having to supply them with hard-hats and safety gear (after all it
IS a CONSTRUCTION site at present). Meanwhile, the Abts track will resemble
the Dorrigo branch line in condition (barring trees) VERY SOON.

As for having one up on me, my railway is fully accredited and takes great
pride in our professional and safe operating standards. As my duties involve
safety, accreditation compliance, planning and logistics, I intend to keep
it that way and am very concerned about maintaining the solid reputation my
volunteer based D.V.R. and our northern "brothers" the D.R.R. have built
with Tasrail and government regulatory authorities. I WILL NOT abide any
"johnny come lately's" or "Disney Dan's" undermining the reputation and
relations built arduously over many years, by some joker who knows nothing
about Tasmanian railways coming in to make a quick buck at our expense. - I
emphasise at OUR EXPENSE.

Regards,

--
Stephen Zvillis,
H.R. Manager,
Derwent Valley Railway P.S.