I agree this is not heartening (Hartening?)news. To attempt some optimism though, it is no surprise that much branch and even mainline business was chased away by the railroads to justify pre-existent desires to abandon single carload business. The approach was usually "Your spur switch needs to be replaced. Please submit $50,000 or we'll remove the switch." I believe there is merit in at least studying the idea of putting in a small intermodal transfer yard on the west side to get truck traffic off the Hwy 1 (Wats.-SC) corridor and change it to local haul. Grocery stores, lumber (already some)and a few other light industries could be serviced by local trucks using such a hub. Green truck technology could also make this a bit more appealing to the locals. There is an interesting potential for an alternative fuel experiment in Santa Cruz. There is a sewage treatment plant in Neary Lagoon near the rail line and a stone's throw from the onetime depot. Methane can be produced in fairly copious quantities by combing raw sewage with biomass, perhaps agricultural waste from Watsonville and the Salinas Valley, not to mention some from the coastal area between SC and Davenport. By modifying the treatment plant to be able to combine the biomass, and pump equipment to compress the methane (LNG), a fuel source could be created for both trucks and the railroad with suitably equipped engines. Any excess could be used to generate electrical power. The reduced leftover sludge is very re-useable as an organic fertilizer (nitrogen source), very popular in the SC area. If the Santa Cruz branch is to remain viable as a freight line, there will have to innovative ideas to resurrect dormant freight customers (cheap switch re-installation?) as well as new business ideas that are consistent with the green model. It also may be possible to convert the Cemex quarry to an aggregate source. Not hopeless, just a bit of work. OK, just my 3.5 cent dollars worth.