Re: FW: (erielack) New book w/EL content

["Schuyler G Larrabee" <sgl2_@_ix.netcom.com>]

Warning:  Could be considered off topic, long winded, and/or boring.  Your
delete key is off at the right hand end of your keyboard . . .


George, and others, your comments are quite correct, >after< the railroad is
in operation.  Here in suburban Boston, there's a couple examples of
seriously stupid people at work fighting commuter rail.

On the South Shore, there's a line called the Greenbush line, after the
terminal station's name.  It branches off the other lines south to
Middleboro, Lakeville, and so on.  It runs through the shore towns,
Weymouth, Hingham, and further east.  The rails have been there, unused,
since the last train in the 60's.  On the day that the Southeast Expressway
(Route 3) opened, which also (sort of) serves these towns, a critical river
bridge on the rail line burned (shades of the Poughkeepsie bridge!) and
service was abandoned, to the great relief of the New Haven, on all of these
lines.  Accidentally, of course!

Comes the "Big Dig" project, and among the "mitigation" measures (most of
which are good things) was the reopening of these lines, the idea to cut
highway commuter traffic into downtown Boston during the construction
period, and of course, afterwards too.  Middleboro, Lakeville are done and
open and so heavily patronized that they are standing room only.  Hingham,
on the other hand,  exploded in anger, and balked.  Now, the tracks DO run
>>right next to<< some houses there, and >>directly<< through the downtown
of Hingham, but so what?  The tracks have always been there. Some yards have
two rails running through the grass, flush with the top of the grass.  They
KNOW they are there.  But they think the land's theirs.  The landowners
along the out-of-town parts have fought it, but seem to realize that it is
all over.  Hingham won a battle, that the MBTA will dig a 2000',
$500,000,000 tunnel under downtown (at the expense of the eastern half of
the state, not at the expense of Hingham, of course), but they are still
trying to win the war, i.e., keep the whole line from being built.  And they
are now charging kids in the school system full ticket for any sports
program and fees to use the library at school because they've spent all the
town's money on lawyers . . .

Lakeville, Middleboro, etc have seen house values increase by 150-200% in
5-7 years, mostly due to the commuter rail access.  But they don't quite get
it either.  They voted down proposals to allow denser development around the
stations, which is the historically proven way to generate a "downtown"
which these towns don't really have (Middleboro excepted).  So there's a
single purpose huge parking lot at the station, among the one, two, and five
acre zoned subdivisions . . . and you have to start the car to get a gallon
of milk.

The completed lines are slated to be extended to New Bedford and Fall River.

Eventually, Hinghamites will get the increase in their real estate values,
against their will . . .

Oh, yes, there's the stillborn revivial of the Central Mass branch through
Weston, Wayland . . . no, let's not go there . . . such stupidity is too
depressing . . .

SGL

- ----- Original Message -----
From: George Mason <secbyte_@_ptd.net>
To: Michael Riley <wdperson_@_hotmail.com>; EL Maillist
<erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2002 9:22 AM
Subject: Re: FW: (erielack) New book w/EL content


> Why would anyone.... Especially a Realtor who uses the railroad service
> to attract customers to his area do this?  The real estate folks in the
> poconos have been pushing the railroads return as a reason to purchase
> here for 10 years! It seems to me it is in the best interest of the real
> estate folks to encourage rail return to their area.  Look at Dover NJ
> for example You just cant rent good living space in this town and I'd
> bet the commuter opportunity has a lot to do with this.
>
> George
>
> Michael Riley wrote:
> >
> > on the former Cleveland line, Mahoning Div., First Sub Division, most of
it
> > has been turned back into private property.  Some of it is an ATV trail
as
> > some people have used it for.  One person made it a driveway to his
property
> > and another business uses part of it as a truck entrance into their
> > business.  There is a realtor in my hometown that said he bought 5,000
acres
> > of the former ROW on this line to make sure that the railroad never
comes
> > through again.  I didn't hear this myself, my parents did and told me
the
> > story.  Part of the ROW is a McDonald's also.  I have also heard that
out on
> > the west end (farther out as in Indiana) that most of it has been put
back
> > into private property (i.e. corn fields? I think).
> >
> > Mike Riley
> >
> > >Walt Fles asked me:
> > >
> > > >It's interesting as to how much is let untouched after the
abandonment.
> > >There are some sections that have been encroached upon, others that
still
> > >have ties and ballast
> > > >lying their in the weeds.  A good section in Crown Point is overgrown
> > >with
> > >trees and still has the signal poles intact.  Is there come criteria as
to
> > >who can touch the former
> > > >ROW and when/how?
> > >
> > >
> > >That's a darn good question! Does anyone know the answer to this? Who
owns
> > >the land on the abandoned parts of the EL today?
> > >
> > >       - Paul
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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>
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End of EL List Daily V3 #543
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