Adirondack Rail Corridor Under the Gun

My apologies if anyone is offended by a NY related post on the NJ forum, but many of you have ridden, or are familiar with the line and can offer significant comments.

A small, but very determined, group of people is making a concerted effort to have the rails of the former NYC Adirondack Division lifted north of Big Moose. They claim that a recreational trail will bring in thousands of people to hike the 60+ miles through the Adirondack wildnerness. It should be noted that this includes areas with extremely limited to no cell phone service, amenities, or emergency services.

While they present the trail as their goal, there are those who question their motives.

The tracks are in place on the entire corridor. The track is out of service between Big Moose and Saranac Lake. Improvements to make it passenger-ready will run between $15M and $40M, depending on the desired speeds.

The rail line is listed on state and national historic registers.

I don't expect anyone to travel to the hearings, so I won't post the times and locations, but it is possible to send in written comments:

Written comments may be submitted by Sept. 25 to

via e-mail to: [email protected],

faxed to: 518-457-3183,

or mailed to: Raymond F. Hessinger, Director, Freight & Passenger Rail Bureau, NYS Department of Transportation, 50 Wolf Road, POD 54, Albany, NY 12232.

I would opine that the comments that will be given the most weight are those which detail heritage, economic, and social benefits. Comments about existing trails (and their shortfalls? Hint, hint.) would also be valuable.

A "foaming" approach probably won't be as effective (ie, "I love trains, you can't take away the trains!")

Take a little time and craft a well-written document, without emotion and with facts. If it's your opinion, say so (there's no shame in that).

But most important is the need to get lots of positive comments about retaining the railroad through the Adirondacks. And that includes one from you.

Sounds like a common theme: spending taxpayer dollars to finance someone else's business venture.

What would the environmentalists have to say about a steady stream of snowmobilers roaring through the wilderness in winter, disturbing one of the few large areas available for wildlife? It may be worth a call to some environmentalist groups.

ccutler wrote:Sounds like a common theme: spending taxpayer dollars to finance someone else's business venture.

What would the environmentalists have to say about a steady stream of snowmobilers roaring through the wilderness in winter, disturbing one of the few large areas available for wildlife? It may be worth a call to some environmentalist groups.

Mixed bag. Rails to Trails is an enviro group and last I knew shared office space with other enviro groups. Rails to Trails sub rosa tries to get rails pulled to lessen the probability of reactivation of trains. Enviro groups tend to oppose rail operations; snowmobiles, too, but they will compromise since they are only used in winter and thus minimal impact.

Its not about a hiking trail at all (regardless of what the anti-railroad people might say..they lie.)
its all about snowmobiles..
Its the snowmobile groups who want to rip out the railroad..
because they only have 1,800 miles of snowmobile trails in the Adirondacks already, and that isn't enough apparently.
they are very selfish people, its only about them and their wants, nothing else.
they hide that fact behind lies like "hiking trail" to make it sound better.

There is also no shortage of hiking trails in the Adirondacks, the hikers dont even want this trail..it wouldn't be a great hiking trail anyway.
so whenever you see "hiking trail" in this story, remember that is a deliberate lie..its only about snowmobiles.

The snowmobile angle is all very well-known in NY state, it's no secret..it has been going on for many years now.

Scot

Enough said here.

I plan to attend the Tupper Lake meeting and say this:

How are the trail advocates going to keep the ATVs from destroying the trail? Why don't they advocate to develop existing railbeds into trails?

Before the state should consider destroying an operating railroad, they should require trail advocates to 1) come up with a plan to keep ATVs off the tracks and implement it on the Adirondack Scenic tracks (look in Tupper where they dig their ATV holes), and 2) successfully develop some unused railbed before having a go at the ASRR's railbed. What if the state destroys the railbed and the trail advocates turn out to be incompetent monkeys who are only flinging poop? Then we would have no railroad and no trail. Better to have them prove their competency at trail creation first. I suggest the NYC railbed from Lake Clear Junction up to Malone. It is no more or less difficult to turn into a trail than would be the ASRR's railbed.

So a moderator moves the thread to where it becomes a redundant post another moderator has to clean up.

Great job, guys.

This thread was placed on the NJ forum specifically to give wider coverage to the issue. It's not just a NY issue - many folks from NJ frequent the Adirondacks.

As I did when I lived in New Jersey.

The snowmobile lobby sent a message about the hearings to SEVENTY THOUSAND PEOPLE.

We could at least alert a few more folks here.

Edit: For what it's worth, I cross posted to an N Scale group that I'm in. It wouldn't hurt to cross-post elsewhere as well.