MikeMusiowski wrote:Just having a lil fun.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2460691 ... 9363XtNUah
and in color
http://image71.webshots.com/171/9/65/99 ... vQW_ph.jpg
Mike M.
Railroad Forums
Moderator: Franklin Gowen
MikeMusiowski wrote:Just having a lil fun.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2460691 ... 9363XtNUah
rwk wrote:What year was that taken? It had to be the 70's, 1980, or first half of 1981 since RDC's are there. I wish East Penn would have bought a couple of RDC's for fun and run excursion trips. Or, some coaches (preferably open window even ex-LI commuter coaches with open window) and use one of their diesel locos. They could run trips to Perkasie or Telford and back. They did run to Perkasie in 2004 for a special event. Is East Penn at Qtown the same East Penn that runs the line from Emmaus-Pennsburg? There were a bunch of excursions run over that line in 1980's (1985, 1986,1987?) with RS3 diesel and coaches, BM&R in the early 90's, and East Penn with the Reading F's in October 2007 and 2009. Is East Penn excursion friendly? They also ran the Kutztown train ride for a while from the late 90's to 2006 or so. But the people in the pic look more "modern" than 70's or 1980, 81. Severed north of Hellertown? Now it's severed north of Bucks County! All the rails were removed in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. It seems to me that SEPTA doesn't give a rat's a.. about commuter rail service to the Lehigh Valley area. Even the Shelly service will take years before it happens, if it happens. At least the rails are still in that far.
Pacobell73 wrote:In case anyone is curious, the four municipalities who are responsible for the Saucon Rail Trail are looking for donations to get their rail trail on the Bethlehem Branch off the ground. Please note the top of p. 2.
"The pace of trail development will hinge on the availability of funds. Unfortunately, the project does not lend itself to traditional sources of public funding because of the specifics of the lease. As a result, soliticiting donations and coordinating private fund raising are an important activity of the advisory committee."
http://www.lowersaucontownship.org/pdf/srtupdate.pdf
In short, SEPTA is begging and pleading for townships along all their dead lines to do the following:
1) Put in a trail - it is easier than running trains and getting cars off the road
2) Sign the SEPTA lease as quickly as possible (even if there is no trail plan in place) so SEPTA can put out bids to get the tracks out of there, and rid themselves of people begging them for train restoration
3) Rip up tracks as quickly as possible to make $$$ of the rails (puchased with our tax money) by selling them.
SemperFidelis wrote:If one is to (correctly) reason that the rails were purchased with "our tax dollars", one has to allow that the sale of those rails will benefit the tax-subsidized organization who will profit from that sale.
I suppose there's no harm in asking people for donations, I just wouldn't expect too much...
SemperFidelis wrote:Without getting into things that are still rather bitter in my mind...
I made a pretty honest effort around 2004 or 2005 to save the line as far north as Coopersburg for shipping sand/stone, but was sabotaged by SEPTA. More recently, when this whole trail thing started being mentioned again, I made another effort (again for sand) but was again met by very strong resistance.
I think I posted somewhere earlier that I won't buy a home in Hellertown lest my taxes go to support the idiots in government there.
To be quite fair, the activities of my company might well have led to the validation of some of the "dirty frieght train" concerns. However, the local folks (outside of government) that I spoke to at the time were enthusiastic about seeing the railroad brought back to life, provided the trains weren't going to be blowing through town at 80 mph. I would have been happy for a safe 25 mph... I think most of the people I spoke to understood that any active railroad line would probably one day lead to a commuter railroad line.
The best hope for the line, prior to the rails being removed, would have been to resume sand shipments to Haines & Kibblehouse's plant and Rahn's Concrete Plant in Coopersburg, PA. H&K is a very pro-rail company which now owns 1 direct rail served sand pit and 1 indirectly served pit. H&K Coopersburg, back when we had an economy to speak of, was taking about 10-15 truck loads of sand a day (7 or so railcars) and the Rahn's plant was taking a similar amount.
C'est la vie. I'll just sit here and watch my railcars take the grand tour of Pennsylvania...
MikeMusiowski wrote:SemperFidelis wrote:Without getting into things that are still rather bitter in my mind...
I made a pretty honest effort around 2004 or 2005 to save the line as far north as Coopersburg for shipping sand/stone, but was sabotaged by SEPTA. More recently, when this whole trail thing started being mentioned again, I made another effort (again for sand) but was again met by very strong resistance.
I think I posted somewhere earlier that I won't buy a home in Hellertown lest my taxes go to support the idiots in government there.
To be quite fair, the activities of my company might well have led to the validation of some of the "dirty frieght train" concerns. However, the local folks (outside of government) that I spoke to at the time were enthusiastic about seeing the railroad brought back to life, provided the trains weren't going to be blowing through town at 80 mph. I would have been happy for a safe 25 mph... I think most of the people I spoke to understood that any active railroad line would probably one day lead to a commuter railroad line.
The best hope for the line, prior to the rails being removed, would have been to resume sand shipments to Haines & Kibblehouse's plant and Rahn's Concrete Plant in Coopersburg, PA. H&K is a very pro-rail company which now owns 1 direct rail served sand pit and 1 indirectly served pit. H&K Coopersburg, back when we had an economy to speak of, was taking about 10-15 truck loads of sand a day (7 or so railcars) and the Rahn's plant was taking a similar amount.
C'est la vie. I'll just sit here and watch my railcars take the grand tour of Pennsylvania...
so i posted a message on their facebook asking common questions
If you don't mind please answering a few short questions for my personal education? I just want to hear your opinions out. Just to start off, How's this trail going to help the common person? the environment? traffic congestion on 309 during rush hour? dealing with raising gas prices? the overall economy? businesses at the towns and villages along the line? Please don't take these questions the wrong way, I simply just want to hear your opinions out if you don't mind.
Here is what they responded with.
Mike, thanks for the question. There are many answers to your questions, but overall, any Rail Trail has the ability to allow people an alternative transportation to use. This could assist people with getting exercise, aleve congestion on... busy streets by commuting, & boost business along RT corriders.
In the future, as the SRT progresses, I picture people riding bikes to the local farmers markets in both Coopersburg & Hellertown. This is a great quality of life scenario.
my responce:
I'm an avid sports man myself and run pretzel city sports races across our region whenever I get the chance and I can truly see your point in that matter. But what's your opinion on future rail restoration?
Right now just sweet talking them so I can hear how they truly feel. If I may get the help from you guys in correctly over rulling their opinions with the facts, i'd be grateful because i only know so much but you guys know a lot more and I just want them to hear our piece of mind and go for the kill. \m/ \m/
haha railroad politics
Pacobell73 wrote:In case anyone is curious, the four municipalities who are responsible for the Saucon Rail Trail are looking for donations to get their rail trail on the Bethlehem Branch off the ground.Maybe a bunch of us should dress up as trainmen and go out on Halloween and solicit donations along Spring Valley Road...