A news release announcing the filing of an amended Unit Management Plan for the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor did contain an unexpected portion: a quote from Adirondack Railway Preservation Society President Bill Branson, supporting the plan. The society oversees the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, which operates on the state-owned tracks. A successful lawsuit filed by ASR in 2017 prevented the previous state plan to remove the tracks from proceeding.
“This extraordinary investment assures the ability to extend accessible passenger rail excursion and scenic services, and their related economic development benefits, to Tupper Lake and the northern region of the Adirondacks. The Adirondack Railway Preservation Society and its large body of riders, volunteers, and supporters look forward to continued initiatives supporting the success of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad,” the release quotes Branson as saying.
Branson has yet to respond to a Trains request for comment.
The decision in the 2017 case rested primarily on the definition of the corridor as being intended for use by vehicles or trains. There were also concerns about historic preservation of the railroad and related structures, and questions about whether the state owned all the of the land in question.
In 2018, the Adirondack Park Agency changed the definition of travel corridor to include a rail trail. The new proposal includes construction of signs and exhibits in the area where the tracks will be removed, explaining the railroad’s historical importance in the area. The tracks were once owned by New York Central.
There may also be some tracks or structures left in that area, which could be converted for other uses, such as warming stations for those using snowmobiles, according to the plan.
The plan, which can be found on the Department of Environmental Conservation’s website calls for the Tupper Lake-Lake Placid section to be transferred from the Department of Transportation to the DEC for development. The remaining portion would remain under DOT’s oversight.
The portion from Tupper Lake to Big Moose Station will be rehabilitated to support passenger rail service, the plan says.
“Connections to existing trail systems on neighboring public lands will be established, and facilities such as engine houses and fueling facilities will continue to be supported where necessary.”
There will be public hearings on the proposal on Dec. 3, 4, and 5 in local communities. Written and email comments will be accepted until Dec. 20, and should be addressed to: John Schmid, Natural Resources Planner, NYS DEC, 626 Broadway, 5th floor, Albany, NY 12233-4254, AdirondackPark@dec.ny.gov.
NY continues to raise all types of taxes….. So let us remove the possibility that a potential service could generate some sort of revenue stream that is currently not in place…..
Yes, I have periodically done wilderness camping in the Adirondack park, however, the cost to the tax payers is not worth it…. Especially just for a trail. There are hundreds of miles of undeveloped roads in the park to use already. Finally, as a taxpayer and resident of NY – this is an example of the DEEP STATE career government employees making the peoples decisions!!!.
If the property cannot be used for a railroad – then return it to private ownership and place it back on the tax rolls!
Let me tell you how this snowmobile gang got to the crooked Governor only because of money. The snowmobile group went to every store that sold any recreational item beyond the sale of snowmobiles, but down to gloves, hats, everything slightly related to sports. Then they calculated how much state sales tax was obtained by the state on those sales. Then they calculated every persons travel and rooming expense and also added up the sales tax on the all gas and food plus anything else they could sneak in. With that total, they went to the Governor and said they wanted every bit of that total spent back in the Adirondack and not distributed to any other part of the state. Then the trail people jumped in with the snowmobile and joined in that demand. I under stand the Governor denied the trail people any agreement but accepted all the demands of the snowmobile to get all that money. Talk about Q per Coe. Only way to send that much money on snowmobile trails is to involve the cost to remove a well built and capable railroad. There is little salvage of value of taken apart track on any of the 34 miles that will help the up grade of the remaining shortened line to no where.
This line, Utica to Lake Placid Line, had been honored by being put in the National Historic Site Registry and that included all the rails, ties, ballast and right of way entirely between those points. The basics of the National Historic law is to prevent any State or Federal monies being used to dismantle or injure such sites. This is in violation to that law, and needs another law suit to stop this action. Just a year ago this Governor declarer a stone arch NY, Westchester & Boston Railroad former bridge to be a Historic Site and the Governor said it was to protect that bridge forever more in NY City. So much for the D&H joint line into Lake Placid station.
Every tourist railroad should learn what the trail and snowmobile gang has done here and duplicate it for the benefit of the railroad, or at least be prepared to challenge them with more facts. At this same time trail gang is also trying to destroy the long railroad to the iron mine at Tahawus that wants to ship tailings and the new never-mined ore under those tailing piles and also mine for rare metal needed by solar industry. Not possible to mine without railroad service to move product of the mining.
As I said two or three years ago, welcome to the new dark ages. Re-establishing indian trails is a good example. This has nothing to do with saving the planet, or any other ridiculous environmental garbage. This a symptom of a mental illness I’m seeing big time in California. Look at the situation with P G & E. All this talk about infrastructure means that people will die, lots of people. It’s already started in California. That is the goal.
Reading this makes me sick to my stomach. But I too, live far away, too far away and still with family responsibilities that keep me here. What RAIL advocates in this country need, is to put together a group of individuals who would be willing to travel, and speak out (professionally and concisely) in favor or, local railroads, tourist lines, short lines, or other rail properties that are threatened by the local RTT and national RTT (RTC) advocates. In combination with local supporters, (which is how the RTC operates) I think it could make a difference.
We are simply OUT ORGANIZED, and OUT FUNDED. But we have Smart and Intelligent people in our beloved industry, some active, some retired, that IF ORGANIZED, could present a credible counter-attack to the local RTT and national RTT (RTC).
I was once a proud member of RTC, because EARLY ON, I thought it WAS, “the next best use” of abandoned rail corridors. And there ARE dozens and dozens of examples of where a rail trail was indeed built, on what otherwise would have been ROW that reverted back to the adjoining property owners. But RTC has GONE TOO FAR. They are now, as the situation in the Adirondacks, (and other areas) illustrates, ACTIVELY PROMOTING trail use OVER shortline, tourist, or other rail operations.
I still feel sick about losing to the RTC local & national group in Benzie County, Michigan back in the late 80’s early 90’s on the Ann Arbor Railroad property. (Owned by MDOT) We had plans and early backers for a tourist steam train operation from Copemish, MI to Boat Landing in Elberta, Michigan. (Across the bay from Frankfort, MI) But the local RTT and national RTC put that line on their immediate agenda, and with cooperation from the Michigan DOT, fast tracked the removal of rail, and conversion to trail.
Who among us is willing to think about organizing a group of industry peers that would be willing to volunteer time and travel, to BATTLE the well funded, well organized, and well publicized Rails-To-Trails Conservancy?
Right now, it seems like we would be battling the equivalent of the NRA or the Tobacco lobbyists back in the day. But we, or SOMEbody, HAS to start somewhere. Because as of today, we are a disjointed, unfunded, and totally unorganized. This will continue to produce nothing but watching further short lines, spurs, out-of-service, and other rail ROWs get converted to trails, or worse.
As long as local RTT and the national RTC are organized and funded, they will continue to “win the day” and promote their agenda. We need to FIGHT BACK, in an organized way. I haven’t been active with TRAIN, now the HeritageRail Alliance I guess, since I left the shortline business back in the 90’s. But SOMEone needs to pick up the banner, and head this up.
Who’s up for a fight?
Aren’t there already trails in the Adirondacks. How many more do they need. What about people that are handicapped or not fit enough to ride a bike or jog on this trail but want to see the wild and beautiful scenery. I guess that if your not an elitist fitness freak you don’t count. What if there was a need for efficient freight service in the future such as propane, waste removal, logging to name a few. All will be lost forever because of an elitist group’s desire to get rid of everyone who doesn’t fit their profile. Such a shame.
There is not much someone like me who is not local to the area can do to change this decision. What I do try to do is avoid visiting or spending money in places that aggressively tear out existing railroads. I know I avoid Ulster County, NY since they have ripped out the U&D/Catskill Mountain. I will be sure not to visit or spend money in Lake Placid as well.
If you look at those who use other rail trails, you’ll see that it’s not just the “spandex crowd”. The rail trail will be used by a range of individuals to the benefit of the communities along the line. When the tourist railroad was operating between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, it did nothing economically for Lake Placid and very little for Saranac Lake. The restaurant closest to the Lake Placid train station saw no difference in business on the days the train was running. When there was enough snow to snowmobile in to Lake Placid, the restaurant put on extra help for lunch. Because remember that once it snows, snowmobiling is a big economic asset and the season will be extended once the rails are gone. And last time I checked, snowmobilers don’t wear spandex.
And as I have said before, how can any rational observer believe that 140-mile passenger service between a city of 70,000 and a town of 5,000 ever be sustainable even if the rails were restored. Lake Placid is a major tourist destination, but it’s not the Grand Canyon, and the ride would be at least five hours as opposed to two for the Grand Canyon Railroad.
And once the tracks are gone and the trail’s established, just wait for the fights between the hikers, the bikers, the horseback riders, the snowmobilers and the cross-country skiers. Think it won’t happen? It’s happened in other wilderness areas where trails have been established.
And don’t forget the outdoor activity snobs who call everyone else who come into “their” woods “Tourons,” that word’s an amalgamation of the words “tourist” and “moron.”
“Oh, you’re a family who wants a wilderness experience? You’re just amateurs! The wilderness is for SERIOUS activists like us!”
One day, New York’s going to be sorry they ripped those tracks out, trust me, and imagine the millions it’s going to cost to put ’em back.
“Spandex crowd.” I like that!
One less reason to visit Lake Placid again…
They ought to take their rail trail and cram it. Like there’s not already enough places for the Spandex crowd to hike or bike.
Nimbys gotta nimby.
Anyone who thinks that New York State will actually rehabilitate the track from Big Moose to Tupper Lake probably also sends money to Nigerian princes that want to share their $8,000,000 fortune with them for a small fee of several thousand dollars. The track will be ripped up and the trail built but that is as far as it will go. I hope the railroad will sue the state if they don’t live up to their part of the bargain.
The trail activist are just getting started. If they can rip up active tourist line, the inactive section is toast.
The downstate Spandex crowd wins again. They really truly don’t give a ____ about folks who actually live there and work a daily job and just about get by. But… they have the money, they own the legislature, they have the lawyers, and the rest of the deplorables can just suck it up. Sorry for the bad language.