I don't know how many times in the past this has happened here. Pretenders to having intellect, in my area, are at it once again. They've been rebuffed every time. Guess wasting of valuable time, and precious tax money must be fun. http://www.dailyinterlake.com/NewsEngine/SelectStory_AD.tpl?command=search&db=news.db&eqskudata=60-815066-55 I hope this link will work. It takes you to the local newspaper. An article where the local city is trying to get BN(sf) tracks in town all removed. This is the end of a busy, and profitable branch line. Yet the yokels here want to remove the RR from paying property taxes. (Placing the burden on my shoulders.) To close, or vastly alter some long time businesses. All at the expense of the RR and taxpayers. The mall wants to expand. Removal of tracks won't allow enough room but to park a few more cars. Behind (DOH) the back doors of the mall. The mall is of questionable profitability. And some tenants have left. Others are ready to leave for a proposed new facility north of town. I was in there just yesterday. It would have been a major struggle to accidently bump into another shopper. Further proof of how little the public knows, or understands railroads these days. Boxcab E50
Boxcar, The link works fine. Your situation is different from some others I've read about, but the end result is the same. People forget how important the railroad is to the national and local economies, and want it removed. Remember the racket raised in Auburn, WA a few years ago, when BN wanted to reopen the old railroad yard for intermodal purposes? You'd have thought BN wanted to open a nuclear waste disposal facility on the site! What I would propose is the the developer agree to take over the property tax payments that BNSF currently makes on the section of track they want the railroad to abandon. That way the private property owners don't have to make up the difference. This might make the mall owner slow down a bit; a hit on their wallet always will. Pat
Pat- Your proposal is very logical. And if aired, whoever brought it forth, would likely be run out of town by the anti-RR crowd. I know the lumber mill people. Those ladies are very smart business owners. Nobody is going to get past them without a stiff fight. BN(sf) has already quickly turned thumbs down on this idea every time. Yet the city keeps coming back. Why? There is no space that is of size enough to expand that mall. Even at Christmas, it's never overwhelmingly busy. The parking lot is semi-full in summer, when the Farmer's Market is open. In winter, it's full from people parking to car pool and go skiing. But not to shop there. BN already relocated their line years ago, so the mall could be built. And even gave up part of their yard. But there's nothing left to give. Not mentioned in the article- There's also a fuel distributor located across the tracks from the feed mill. They occasionally receive tank cars of petroleum products. Boxcab E50
In the strange, but true category, the saw mill mentioned earlier in this thread, mysteriously caught fire on Saturday. (2/14/04.) It has been determined that it was "human caused." But the who/how is as yet unknown. The timing has a few folks wondering.... Although closer to being controlled, it is still burning as I type. Boxcab E50
As far as abandonments go, it seems kind of unique that the city (town?) is pushing for it. Usually it is the RR that wants to give it up... There are all kinds of examples where the big guys have given up, only to have the section brought back to life as a small private or public line. Ottawa Central (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) and the Orangville - Brampton (also Ontario) line come to mind. The latter is actually owned by the Town of Orangeville, and is used to attract business to town. It is only a matter of a few hours by rail from there to Toronto, the US border and so on. The Kalispell Planning Department motto seems to be "Live and DON'T learn". Andrew
Andrew- My hat is off you! Your statement describes them perfectly! The local was in today. Switched the yard. The saw mill. The feed mill. Nope there's no business. Ha ha. Boxcab E50
It's either encouraging (or discouraging) to know that it's not only Colorado that is getting overrun by yuppie refugees from the Left Coast and elsewhere. How do these idjits think stuff should be moved? Oh yes, I forgot- Starbucks coffee doesn't ship by rail, does it? (here endeth the sarcastic rant.)
As of this morning, fire is reported to be out. I'll try to find out from the mill people this afternoon if there will be any future consequences... At least it didn't stop the local from pu/so there yesterday. It was on the other side of the facility. Boxcab E50
Amazingly coincidental, donchathink? Yes, the Coloradoans are always pushing to rid their marginally profitable cities of street-running trackage.
