Hampton Branch happenings

What they really need is PR. What railroading in general needs in this country is PR. The NHRAA should buy billboards overlooking 93 that say pro train things to people sitting in traffic. They DO want it bad, they just don't know it yet

Cheers to that! thats the best thing I've heard all week!

Here is the study, in .pdf format, for those who havent seen it. i saved it to a HD last year, I uploaded it to my site if you want to read it....

http://www.marshmarauders.com/easternroute.pdf
2.23mb

Talks about everything, including the bridges.

Jonny Bolt wrote:Cheers to that! thats the best thing I've heard all week!

Here is the study, in .pdf format, for those who havent seen it. i saved it to a HD last year, I uploaded it to my site if you want to read it....

http://www.marshmarauders.com/easternroute.pdf
2.23mb

Talks about everything, including the bridges.

I went to some meetings that this study generated. Bottom line is a subsidy of $20 to $25 per passenger

I live in Portsmouth and as much as I would like rail service there - there just aren't that many people in our city. 20,000 is the population and we can't draw from many from the surrounding communites. Dover, Rochester and Somersworth (all are larger than Portsmouth) and UNH are all closer to the Downeaster

There just aren't enough potential customers to make this line viable. Nashua and Plaistow have to prove they can work, first.

Very true. But we must take into account all of the talk of Hampton's future, and all the stuff they want to do with Hampton Beach. It will soon be a year-round resort destination, and alot different than it is now. There are big plans in the works. This is the main reason why the beach was ripped up for a few years while they completely redid the sewer infrastructure etc, so the beach could handle the massive changes that are planned for the future. With all these changes that are planned, and a 2 lane Hampton Bridge over the harbor lol, rail seems like an extremely viable option for our future here.

I also cant wait to see what they do in the future about the current rotary in Hampton. They want to rid of it and reconfigure all the roads. It'll be interesting to see how its done, and if they mess with the old rail bed in order to accomplish their goals of moving Rte. 1 to run alongside the west side of the tracks in Hampton.

artman wrote:

Jonny Bolt wrote:Cheers to that! thats the best thing I've heard all week!

Here is the study, in .pdf format, for those who havent seen it. i saved it to a HD last year, I uploaded it to my site if you want to read it....

http://www.marshmarauders.com/easternroute.pdf
2.23mb

Talks about everything, including the bridges.

I went to some meetings that this study generated. Bottom line is a subsidy of $20 to $25 per passenger

[I live in Portsmouth and as much as I would like rail service there - there just aren't that many people in our city. 20,000 is the population and we can't draw from many from the surrounding communites. Dover, Rochester and Somersworth (all are larger than Portsmouth) and UNH are all closer to the Downeaster]

There just aren't enough potential customers to make this line viable. Nashua and Plaistow have to prove they can work, first.

Visit the Newburyport or Haverhill commuter rail parking lots on the weekend. Lots of cars with non-Mass. plates. ...

The brains in Portland shot themselves in the foot by moving the departure time of 690 back. its impossible to connect to early trains out of BOS, such as amtrak #99.

Ron Newman wrote:The MBTA would also have to replace a bridge that was removed over Low Street in Newburyport.

Not to mention the bridge over Rte. 1 in Salisbury, which was only taken down within the last couple of years, and the beautiful stone abutments removed.

Why was it removed?

I dont know lol, but thats a good point. Man I almost didnt realize it was gone. Interesting.

Ron Newman wrote:Why was it removed?

Ron,

I honestly don't know (but I didn't want to ignore your question).

I thought somebody here had some insight at the time as to where those large abutment stones were going to be used, but I don't remember that either.

I really think that branch is gone forever. Look at the property that has encroached upon it, especially in Seabrook. Not In My Back Yard? It's now literally in people's back yards.

So right. It's like they are almost building on the ties lol. There is another instance I noticed in Hampton, sometime last year when riding down Drakeside Rd. As I was about to go under the (very narrow) RR bridge, I looked to my left, and what do I see.....MORE development. Yup, another house squeezed right in, right next to the railbed.

Hampton = Stackin' 'em deep, but not sellin' 'em cheap.

I think they took the bridge out so trucks wouldn't hit it.

I think it's retarded that people can construct next to an ROW and then have any sort of say what happens to it. The right of way was there first, not the yuppies with the wimpy-ass Lexus sedan living in condos next to the line.