Different from when I was there in the 1990’s.
The big difference is the ballast. Until recent years, the track was mainly on native material (gravel, sand, mud) and rotting ties, and subject to washouts. Except for the lack of welded rail, the railroad has a very smooth ride, much more so than its neighbor, the Durango and Silverton and other short lines.
Bush was wrong when he said everything is done as it was in the past. The RR has some equipment used to align track and place ballast. Rotted ties are still replaced by hand as shown. When you’re spending all day on the train, rough track is a turn-off and, with trip reviews on line, can affect future ridership.