New Adirondack Scenic Thread (ADIX)

[lvrr325]

if you've been following the news on the line, and can look up and see when their service ends for the season, seems like it would be fairly easy to conclude last runs would follow that date and call or ask around for more details.

[tree68]

There was certainly no secrecy about the move - the media was there.

The crews weren't told to keep it a secret, either.

It was handled just like every other end-of-season equipment move.

And there's always that optimistic view that it wasn't the last move...

[kaseytrainfan26]

bout time to start a 2017 thread eh?

[Jeff Smith]

There's no "2016" in this thread title.

[New Haven 1]

My latest (Feb 2017) Trains mag indicates that a hearing is to take place in Malone on 01/30/17 regarding the state agencies ignorance regarding economic and historical factors by sanctioning removal of the rails. It's always good to hear ignorance, especially when emanating from an authority that is supposed to have the public's best interests in mind is challenged. It is still incredible to me that anyone gave the go-ahead to have an active revenue generating railroad removed to be replaced by a taxpayer burden. Does anyone have more info on the hearing?

[tree68]

My latest (Feb 2017) It is still incredible to me that anyone gave the go-ahead to have an active revenue generating railroad removed to be replaced by a taxpayer burden.

To hear the "trail advocates" talk, said trail will be the economic salvation of the Adirondacks, bringing in thousands of people to hike said trail.

Bringing in thousands of people - something the rails already do.

Like I say - these folks just want everyone out of their woods.

Haven't heard any more on the hearing than anyone else.

[greenwichlirr]

Thousands of people, "Millions of dollars". Yep. It's all been said by our good friends over at ARTA, who have all been very quiet--except for the rantings and ravings on Facebook from their resident Lake Placid snowmobile advocate/stakeholder/anti-fact checker. He knows who he is.

The fact that the state has delayed this hearing five times should be reason enough to suspect something stinks on ice, and lots of people know of it all now. Even the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, on December 31st in an editorial, went on record as saying "Meanwhile, a group of so-called “stakeholders,” hand-picked by state agency officials, is still blocking the public out of their meetings to plan the trail details. What are they afraid of? Maybe we’ll find out this year."

And just within the last few days, Beaver River "businessman" Scott Thompson had the following letter printed in the Enterprise. My reply to him is in the comments section, so read it and note the idiocy in his words.

Yes, it has been quiet, which is why when one of the ARTA people open their mouths in print or on soical media, it sounds that much more moronic.

http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.co ... just-come/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Scott K]

Scott also fails to mention that the tracks are more than marginally covered, with up to an 8 inch base, according to the posts on the Old Forge webcam blog. I would imagine it's even thicker in the Stillwater area after the lake-effect pasting they just got. He also implies that the ROW is the only way to get to Beaver River. It isn't, especially now that the reservoir is frozen solid enough to support snowmobiles, and has been since New Year's.

Scott K.

[Noel Weaver]

New York State seems anxious to rip up the active track between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, how come they don't seem to be nearly as anxious to put up some dollars to fix up the trackage between Big Moose and Tupper Lake? I wonder????
Noel Weaver

[tree68]

Because there are "trail advocates" who want the rails ripped up all the way to Thendara. Gotta get all of you out of their woods.

Mr. Thompson's efforts to get a road to Beaver River are legendary - every few years he goes to the town of Webb trying to float another scheme to get said road built. The railroad ROW would play perfectly to his desire.

A significant number of the property owners at Beaver River prefer life without a road.

Rumor has it that Mr. Thompson wants to sell. Curiously, when the state first announced that they would discuss taking up the rails, the asking price for his properties at Beaver River reportedly doubled...

The problem is that the "trail advocates" likely won't give up if the judge rules against them. They want everyone out of their woods, and in order to do that, they've got to get rid of the rails first.

[greenwichlirr]

New York State seems anxious to rip up the active track between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, how come they don't seem to be nearly as anxious to put up some dollars to fix up the trackage between Big Moose and Tupper Lake? I wonder????
Noel Weaver

Exactly. It is fact that the State has yet to solicit one bid for the Big Moose to Tupper Lake restoration. Trail advocates would argue that it's because of the impending legal battle, but in reality the lawsuit is for the North End trackage.

To echo the ARTA verbal spewing:. What's the holdup?

And to followup on Tree's remarks....People would be pleasantly surprised to know that for all of the blabbering that Thompson does about bringing the masses to Beaver River, his view on tearing up the tracks is *not* the majority view of the property owners. It's kind of along the same lines as hearing Hope Frenette claim that what she says is what the people of Tupper Lake are wanting.

In *her* world, maybe. But here in the real world? Not so much.....

[sd80mac]

And just within the last few days, Beaver River "businessman" Scott Thompson had the following letter printed in the Enterprise. My reply to him is in the comments section, so read it and note the idiocy in his words.

I don't see any comments to that letter...

[greenwichlirr]

The comments are Facebook powered, down below the story. You don't need to be a Facebook member to see them, but sometimes they take a little longer to load than the rest of the page.

[RussNelson]

Because there are "trail advocates" who want the rails ripped up all the way to Thendara.

You mis-spelled Remsen. It starts with an R, not a T.

[tree68]

You mis-spelled Remsen. It starts with an R, not a T.

True, that.

But the Remsen-Thendara section doesn't run through parts of the Park that some of the "advocates" are trying to turn into uninhabited (and unvisited) wilderness.

I'm sure some in the snowmobile community would like that, though. At least they'd be able to ride as far as Beaver River before the environmental preservation crowd eliminated the rest of the trail...