Adirondack Scenic Railroad (ADIX) Discussion - 2013

Well, remember NY taxed railroads very high, but as vacant property the taxes are much lower.

There ain't no unopening of this can of worms...

This could end up being good news for the railroad and bad news for ARTA. The railroad has real world, proven numbers and all ARTA has is someone else's trail's numbers and some smoke & mirrors.

It does seem that Pandora's Box has indeed been opened.... Story at 11:00 as they say.

I agree with Matt - The railroad has hard numbers. ARTA has estimates, guesses, hopeful comparisons, and maybe a few fairy tales.

This will be an opportunity to refute their claims, to prove them wrong, or at least highly improbably since their "comparable" trails aren't comparable at all.

And it will all be a matter of public record when it's done.

Of course, there's no telling what hysteria will occur, and there is the possibility that folks from way outside the Adirondack Park (ie, Sierra Club) may try to weigh in, too.

From the Press Release:

DEC Commissioner Martens said, “Members of the public are very interested in the future use of the rail line and reviewing the UMP/EIS process will provide the public with the opportunity to weigh in on the use of the corridor. This public process will enable DOT and DEC to hear from residents, local officials, visitors and other stakeholders on their views of the current and future use of the Travel Corridor.”

Visitors and other stakeholders... that's our cue... it's fair to assume that "the other guys" will have their poison pens and toxic keyboards at the ready...

Living near a rail trail I think the railroad is going to have a hard sell. I hope it can make it but just incase I'm going to take advantage of what we have several times this summer and fall.

It would probably behoove all of us to keep an eye on these procedings, especially for the period when public comment is accepted in written form.

Well written, carefully thought out letters - and lots of them - outlining the positives of maintaining the rail link (especially to the local economies), and the negatives of turning the corridor into a trail will help the cause considerably. You can bet that the trail advocates probably already have their letters on the mimeograph, ready for all the signatures they can manage to dupe people into providing.

No matter whether you're in a club, civic organization, or an individual, ever letter will count. And if each letter is personal - not a pre-printed or cut-and-paste job - they will likely carry just that much more weight.

The http://www.steamintohistory.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Northern Central #17 runs right along with the York trail. In fact there's video on the tube with bicycle riders right along side the steamer. lol

Given how hard trail advocates are working to destroy the Cmrr down in Kingston, nothing should be taken for granted.

(Cmrr is facing eviction and ulster county already is planning on getting cash from scrapping the RR in their budget)

K4Pacific wrote:The http://www.steamintohistory.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Northern Central #17 runs right along with the York trail. In fact there's video on the tube with bicycle riders right along side the steamer. lol

ATV riders tend to get upset when a noisy, dirty train interrupts their quiet, peaceful day on the trail... lol

***end of sarcasm***

In all seriousness, the gov't budgets at all evels (federal, state & local) are pretty tight right now. How on earth does ARTA think the trail would be funded long term? Oh wait... they don't care. The rails to trails crowd wants every ROW they can get, and won't think twice about the negative consequences of their actions.

The only thing that will truly stop the rail trail is revenue trains running on the line. If that doesn’t happen ........ expect the worse

Matt Langworthy wrote:The rails to trails crowd wants every ROW they can get, and won't think twice about the negative consequences of their actions.

I don't know that it's fair to equate the rails-to-trails folks with ARTA. Even the national RTT organization has said they don't support what ARTA is trying to do.

ARTA's motives are suspect. Do they really want a trail, as they say, or do they have something else in mind? Given the other affiliations of some of the principals, it's a valid question.

My criticism of the rails to trails crowd is justified. No doubt there are some well intentioned folks (like RTT), but ARTA is not alone in pursuing a trail on active rail line. The CMRR is dealing with a very similar problem. The Western Maryland Scenic faced the same issue about a decade ago, although they were foutrnately able to forge a compromise with the tracks and trail running side by side. I also recall an active freight shortline having to defend itself from the rails to trails crowd because the train ran at night (and thus wasn't seen by the trail advocates duirng the day). I'd be willing to bet we could find more examples with just a little research.

Several thoughts for mobilizing positive support for the railroad:

1. Give each rider a flier explaining the upcoming UMP review and urging him/her to communicate his/her support.
2. Give each rider an "I rode the train today" button or sticker to hopefully wear as he/she spends money in town.
3. Actively solicit support from local merchants, restaurants, etc. who benefit from train ridership (example - Big Moose Station Restaurant).
4. Take local officials on hi-rail tours of the OOS part of the railroad to show its potential and prove that the track is already open and passable, rather than "abandoned".
5. Hold periodic track car events on the OOS section, and publicize these.
6. Most importantly, immediately initiate a crash program to extend the operating section to Beaver River. This would mobilize support of the many residents there who do not agree with Scott Thompson's view, and would make Scott's hotel a rail destination. While this construction is underway, issue numerous press releases about its progress. Actively involving volunteers in trackwork, etc. would be a plus.

My son and I rode the inaugural run to Big Moose, and were impressed by the crowed that braved the rain to enthusiastically greet the train.

David

David - Many of your suggestions are already in the works.