Rails Beyond the Rutland
This 1988 Carstens Classic documents the first 25 years of railroading after the demise of Vermont’s famed Rutland Railway! From the marble quarry pits to piggyback trailers, from steam excursions to heavy freight, it’s all here!
• Vermont Railway • • Clarendon & Pittsford • • Green Mountain Railroad •
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motorman. Thanks to Leroy Miller and Ho- race R. File for the information.
Cincinnati Streetcar and the Reds The All-Star Baseball Game will be held in Cincinnati in 2015. That event has inspired the backers of the Cincinnati streetcar to put the first phase of the five-mile line into use in time to handle crowds for the big game. I have noted elsewhere that big sport- ing events seem to inspire construction of rail systems to handle the crowds. After the streetcar line has been complet-
ed, it will serve the three major employment centers of Uptown, Over the Rhine, and downtown. The Great American Ballpark is very close to downtown and an easy walk from Fountain Square. Already, five street- cars have been ordered from the Spanish firm CAF USA of Elmira, N.Y., with an op- tion for as many as 25 more.
The start of construction had been de-
layed until an arrangement could be made with Duke Energy to resolve problems with the relocation of utilities. Thanks to Don Butler for the information.
South Shore Line in Michigan City South Shore Line trains have been traveling down Tenth and Eleventh Streets in Michi- gan City, Ind., since the last time the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. That’s a long time — 1908 to be exact. Almost from the start, the citizens of Michigan City have want- ed the tracks out of the streets. That is much more easily contemplated than executed. Over the years, there have been a number of proposals on what to do with the tracks. One plan was to relocate the South Shore
tracks to the alignment of the CSX line (for- merly Pere Marquette) about a mile to the south of the present line. Unfortunately, CSX intersects with the South Shore just east of the shops. That would mean that all trains would have to back out of the storage area at the shops and back in at the end of the day.
Another option is to make a boulevard out
of Tenth and Eleventh Streets with the tracks set to one side and trees and other at- tractive elements introduced on the other. That option was not met with cheer by resi- dents because it would require the purchase and razing of houses along the two streets. Perhaps the best choice of the lot of possibil- ities would be for the South Shore Line to follow Amtrak’s former Michigan Central right of way up to Trail Creek and then turn southeast along the west side of the creek and along the east side of Michigan Boule- vard to the point where the tracks currently cross the street and head east to the shops. In the process, the old stop at Eleventh and Franklin Streets and the stop at Carroll Av- enue near the shops would be replaced by a new station, probably on the east side. At several public hearings the citizens were given time to vent, and vent they did. None of the options and ideas won much support. Citizens expressed concern about having property taken for the realignment and having the noise of the trains cutting down their property values. The cost of the change is also a factor, with Michigan City residents wary of having to pay for the change. That is a typical Indiana attitude: nobody wants to pay for anything. I don’t think this will be settled quickly.
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