Wow trail

[LongBay]

Originally Posted by Patofnaud

A very bias report. While they cite 6M in local revenue generated by the trail, they only cite the 1M in ticket sales by the RR and totally ignored the revenue from all those train riders to Weirs/Merideth.

Anytime the Mount of the Train is running the boulevard is lined with folks shopping/eating/sightseeing/paying for parking/etc....

Also, it's bad when you scrub assets from reality to serve a small vocal crowd. Once it's gone, it's gone. Summer Camps, Trains, Amusement Parks, all things you tell your grandkids about but they never will get to experience. But boy that condo complex and storage facility looks great.

Your absolutely right and the City of Laconia should not pay for the study which us taxpayers paid for. They should make the WOW trail organization pony up and pay the bill.

[TiltonBB]

It looks like there is significant support from the Laconia City Council.

The Laconia Mayor says “The thing that galls us is that this is a public right of way owned by the people of New Hampshire that runs right through the city and it is horribly under-utilized.”

Council member Hamel said. “A lot of good things have been happening in Laconia lately and this could be one more of these attractions that will bring people to the Lakes Region.”

From The Laconia Sun:

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...0bd807e04.html

[Major]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

It looks like there is significant support from the Laconia City Council.

The Laconia Mayor says “The thing that galls us is that this is a public right of way owned by the people of New Hampshire that runs right through the city and it is horribly under-utilized.”

Council member Hamel said. “A lot of good things have been happening in Laconia lately and this could be one more of these attractions that will bring people to the Lakes Region.”

From The Laconia Sun:

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...0bd807e04.html

You know what galls me, wasting taxpayer money on the Colonial Theater. Wasting taxpayer money on a BS study, where the outcome was obviously predetermined. The revenue numbers are laughable. The construction numbers seem low.

[Trail Goer]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

The Laconia Mayor says “The thing that galls us is that this is a public right of way owned by the people of New Hampshire that runs right through the city and it is horribly under-utilized.”

From The Laconia Sun:

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...0bd807e04.html

This is where the facts get skewed, it's "not a public right of way", it's a railroad right of way owned by the state. There's a big difference.

Another one they keep referring to is: NHDOT, telling the city that "rail takes priority" as a "state law", there's no state law that I can find and I've looked for it. What the state is referring to, is its obligation to abide by common carrier regulations that they agreed to when they purchased the line from the railroad. Like everything else rail related, the states purchase had to be approved by the then Interstate Commerce Commission (long since dissolved by the government) and now under the STB.

[Woodsy]

Trailgoer....

This is the RSA that covers it....

https://law.justia.com/codes/new-ham...ction-228-60-a

Woodsy

[Trail Goer]

Thank you for the correction. I've never heard or seen that website before, I was on the actual State of New Hampshire revised statues page and I was striking out. I found lots of railroad related stuff but nothing that I was looking for.

[fatlazyless]

Riding in a large, old railroad passenger car, built maybe in the 1950's and watching the scenery is what happens with the Winnipesaukee RR, which runs in the summer months.

REMOVING the single line of rail road TRACKS from the Meredith-Laconia-Belmont-Tilton state owned shoreline embankment and constructing in its' place a 10' or 12' wide, walking, running, bicycling, non-motorized TRAIL, paved with beige colored pebble gravel would be a totally super-duper, year-2020, public health and tourist visitor improvement.

That rail road, summer tourist passenger train is so last century, so 19th century .... while people are living longer, and staying active into their old age ...... thanks to staying active with walking, running and bicycling.

That passenger train basically does nothing for nobody, while a walking-running-pedaling shoreline trail is the way to go.

If you enjoy sitting there and watching the scenery, you can always go drive your car on a scenic tour ...... but a walking trail is so much more healthy for a tourist area happening thing to do.

Lose the train ..... and, go pedal a bicycle! When you is too old to pedal, use a cane ...... walking along with a cane beats the pants off taking that ugly train …. and, ditto that for an ambulatory care walker ….walking along the wow trail when you is age-99 and needing a walker will also beat the pants off taking that ugly train ride.

[Trail Goer]

So you're okay with putting the Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad, the Lafayette Dinner train and the Lincoln Railroad shops out of business, just so you can have a trail? You sound self centered. The Clark family who owns the railroad and a family who has a done a lot to boost tourism in this state and a family who has created jobs for people, has stated in the report that losing the Winnipesaukee Scenic, would put the whole railroad out of business. How do you look someone in the face and tell them they're losing their job, just so you can have a trail?

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by Trail Goer

So you're okay with putting the Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad, the Lafayette Dinner train and the Lincoln Railroad shops out of business, just so you can have a trail? You sound self centered. The Clark family who owns the railroad and a family who has a done a lot to boost tourism in this state and a family who has created jobs for people, has stated in the report that losing the Winnipesaukee Scenic, would put the whole railroad out of business. How do you look someone in the face and tell them they're losing their job, just so you can have a trail?

The Clark family are wonderful people with a first class operation that takes good care of their employees. I would hate to see anything detrimental happen to their business that has done nothing but promote the state and bring in tourists. Given the choice I would pick the rail everytime.

There has to be an amicable way for both to coexist it does not have to be one or the other and again PRIVATE funds not public

[LongBay]

It's interesting how the WOW Report, by the way was paid by the taxpayers of Laconia, failed to properly net out the loss of revenue due to closing down the railroads.

I like riding trains, planes and automobiles. I also like walking, hiking and skiing on trails. It appears there are a lot more miles of trails in the local area to enjoy than miles of railroads. So tell me, why exactly do we need more trails when the NH state, county and town administrators say they don't have enough money to properly fund the existing infrastructure. And why should taxpayers in Laconia be forced to pay for more trails when there are plenty to use right now. Folks just need to ask any outdoor enthusiast who lives here and he or she will be more than happy to tell you where they can be found.

[fatlazyless]

So, why would removing the tracks on the Lake Winnipesaukee embankment effect the railroad operations, the Hobo and Clarke's, up north in Lincoln? The distance between Laconia and Lincoln is about a one hour automobile, road drive, and maybe 45-miles road distance with separate businesses that are unrelated with no paying passengers traveling on a train on the railroad tracks from Lincoln to Laconia, or vise-versa.

There's a mountain short line railroad in North Conway and Bartlett that is separate from the Winni RR in Laconia, and removing the Winni RR tracks would have zero effect on that railroad, the Conway Scenic, up north. And, ditto that for the Cog Railroad that parallels the Jewell hiking trail on the west side of Mt Washington.

Very little of anything in NH, including people or freight moves by rail. Everything moves by car or by truck.

Removing the shoreline railroad tracks, and replacing it with a walking/bicycle path would be a great, local user improvement for Laconia, Meredith, and Belmont.

Lose the tracks, and build a walking/biking trail on the shoreline railroad embankment along Lake Winnipesaukee.

Peddling a bicycle is a healthy exercise that empowers people, while riding a slow moving train and looking at the scenery is good for some locations, but not so good for Lake Winnipesaukee. Biking and walking beats a train ride along the lake ..... even in a summer rain!

Here's the twelve mile long, sand colored, hard packed sand and small pea gravel www.cottonvalleyrailtrail.org in Wolfeboro and to the east through Brookfield and Wakefield..... a railroad line where the rr tracks were removed in some spots and left in place in others, along the twelve miles..... and replaced with a walking and bicycling "rail trail" ...... suggest you look at the photos and picture a similar trail running along Paugus Bay, Weirs Bay, and Meredith Bay on the railroad embankment ...... it makes a beautiful picture for what could be, here, on Lake Winnipesaukee.

[SAMIAM]

Any reason people couldn't walk on sidewalks?There are many beautiful quiet neighborhoods that are perfect for walking

[baygo]

This is a possible alternative to public finance of the trail

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbWg...&feature=share

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by baygo

This is a possible alternative to public finance of the trail

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbWg...&feature=share

. One great movie that would never be made today.


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[tis]

Good idea, Baygo.

Everybody wants all these things because they don't pay for them. That's why our taxes are so high. People have their own little pet project.

[Trail Goer]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

So, why would removing the tracks on the Lake Winnipesaukee embankment effect the railroad operations, the Hobo and Clarke's, up north in Lincoln? The distance between Laconia and Lincoln is about a one hour automobile, road drive, and maybe 45-miles road distance with separate businesses that are unrelated with no paying passengers traveling on a train on the railroad tracks from Lincoln to Laconia, or vise-versa.

There's a mountain short line railroad in North Conway and Bartlett that is separate from the Winni RR in Laconia, and removing the Winni RR tracks would have zero effect on that railroad, the Conway Scenic, up north. And, ditto that for the Cog Railroad that parallels the Jewell hiking trail on the west side of Mt Washington.

Very little of anything in NH, including people or freight moves by rail. Everything moves by car or by truck.

Removing the shoreline railroad tracks, and replacing it with a walking/bicycle path would be a great, local user improvement for Laconia, Meredith, and Belmont.

Lose the tracks, and build a walking/biking trail on the shoreline railroad embankment along Lake Winnipesaukee.

Peddling a bicycle is a healthy exercise that empowers people, while riding a slow moving train and looking at the scenery is good for some locations, but not so good for Lake Winnipesaukee. Biking and walking beats a train ride along the lake ..... even in a summer rain!

Here's the twelve mile long, sand colored, hard packed sand and small pea gravel www.cottonvalleyrailtrail.org in Wolfeboro and to the east through Brookfield and Wakefield..... a railroad line where the rr tracks were removed in some spots and left in place in others, along the twelve miles..... and replaced with a walking and bicycling "rail trail" ...... suggest you look at the photos and picture a similar trail running along Paugus Bay, Weirs Bay, and Meredith Bay on the railroad embankment ...... it makes a beautiful picture for what could be, here, on Lake Winnipesaukee.

Are you just going to ignore the fact that there's a railroad shop in Lincoln that depends on this rail line for business. They do a lot of work for other railroads and private rail car owners. One of the biggest clients is the MBTA commuter rail. Every year they have work coming in and finished product going out. They just took in another shipment a week or two ago. So some person that makes their living supporting their family working at the Lincoln Shops, your okay with killing their job just so you can have your trail. Go walk somewhere else then, the rail line is active, what part of that do you not understand?

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by Trail Goer

Are you just going to ignore the fact that there's a railroad shop in Lincoln that depends on this rail line for business. They do a lot of work for other railroads and private rail car owners. One of the biggest clients is the MBTA commuter rail. Every year they have work coming in and finished product going out. They just took in another shipment a week or two ago. So some person that makes their living supporting their family working at the Lincoln Shops, your okay with killing their job just so you can have your trail. Go walk somewhere else then, the rail line is active, what part of that do you not understand?

Don’t bother he is just being his usual antagonistic self. I don’t think he believes 90% of his posts.


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[Wifi-1]

Originally Posted by joey2665

Don’t bother he is just being his usual antagonistic self. I don’t think he believes 90% of his posts.


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We hope so, at least