Hello rail preservationists--

It's the final all aboard for the LVRR. The State of VT has advertised it's intention to abandon the line and pick up the track next spring. Meanwhile, they are giving it to the snowmobilers who are moving forward with a trail plan costing $7.5 or $23.4 MILLION, depending on who you belive, funded by the taxpayers!

If anyone has any good suggestions as how to turn this situation around I'd love to hear from you VERY soon. I'v e got 8 years in this- I know the history.

Hope to hear your GOOD ideas soon and thanks.

Pete Snyder

pas@sover.net

> $7.5 or $23.4 MILLION,
> depending on who you belive, funded by the
> taxpayers!

Has anyone proposed a dual use ??? This seems to be the latest solution and is in action in Maryland and Oregon. If ya can't beat'em, join 'em



lamontdc@adelphia.net

If you have not already you may want to contact Ed Lewis a former president of the LV. From what I recall he had a fairly good passenger operation going up there in the mid 1980's. He can be reached at the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad. The number is 910-944-1401.

jhbohon@yahoo.com

For those who do not know, Pete Snyder has been trying for the last eight years to keep the old St J&LC line intact, as both a freight and passenger excursion railroad. This involved moving his family up from Mass. and investing untold hours and dollars into the venture.

Having participated in trying to save the railroad myself, I don't think there is much more he could have done, having received support of potential freight shippers and others who were interested in the route for both commerce and tourism.

Pete's efforts were thwarted at every turn by Vermont's powerful snowmobile lobby, which has been using the dormant route as a de-facto trail since the railroad stopped running, with the rails in place. While it was fully explained to those in power that the line could support both a summer excursion railroad and a snowmobile trail in winter ala' New Hampshire and New York State, this fell on deaf ears with the trails people, who wanted the rails removed, period.

The snowmobile people have quoted some outrageous figures for tourism money brought into the state by the sport, well into the millions. In reality, snowmobile riders are mostly locals, who might stop for a sandwich or pie and coffee, but that's about it.

While the track has been washed out in places, Pete has long owned a construction business and has the equipment and skills needed to repair them. The same washouts will need repair for the trail also, at taxpayer expense. The scrap value of the rail will not begin to pay for the cost of the trail.

In between the washouts, the condition of the track is pretty good, as the state sunk over $20 million into repairing it in the early 1980s. An overgrowth of brush would have to be removed (especially west of Morrisville), but under the bushes, the track isn't bad.

Vermont now has a Republican governor, who doesn't see much value to railroads. Also, there are still many in the Vermont Agency of Transportation who are highway fixated, despite the state's having successfully owned several railroads for 40 years.

So sadly, if Beebe and Clegg were to rise from their mausoleums in a couple of years and return to the line they wrote about in Mixed Train Daily, they'd probably see Artic Cats screaming by at 80 mph rather than 70-tonners. Too bad, but one certainly cannot blame Pete Snyder for not trying to save it.

Rutland Herald article
ryarger@rypn.org

It really is a mystery how a state in need of any and all east/west transporation corridors is giving up a 96 mile east/west rail line. It also happens to be incredibly scenic.

Photo: Wolcott covered bridge.



SJHussar@aol.com

> The snowmobile people have quoted some
> outrageous figures for tourism money brought
> into the state by the sport, well into the
> millions. In reality, snowmobile riders are
> mostly locals, who might stop for a sandwich
> or pie and coffee, but that's about it.

*I'll balance these "outrageous" figures for tourism against the claims made for such places as Steamtown NHS, Railroaders Memorial Museum/Horse Shoe Curve, and other such "pork barrel" projects.

LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net