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Re: The end? A Reality Check
Author: Eugene
Date: 01-23-2010 - 14:39
As Carol mentioned, heading north (actually more northwest) out of Santa Cruz would be the best bet.
This is a potentially good location for such a train. Sierra would do well to coordinate with the S Cruz Boardwalk and the Big Trees. Any lunch / dinner train to Davenport could use the same sales office as the Big Trees and the Boardwalk and some of the local lodgings could offer combination packages with the coast train. There is a sizable tourist population to tap from, far bigger than Oakdale for the Sierra Sunset trains.
Does the Davenport Depot still stand? I know there is a building next to the tracks, but am unsure of its history or current use.
If Sierra could cooperate with the city of Davenport and the wineries located up near Bonny Doon, they might be able to secure some compensation funding from Cemex to build a depot / wine / local produce tasting center adjacent to the tracks in Davenport itself. That would provide a tourism center for the town and hopefully offset some of the Cemex loss. Run a couple sightseeing trains during the day and people can sample the local production at the depot (similar to what the Napa Valley Wine Train does) and hit the (few) resturants in town.
Interesting to hear Santa Cruz is finally (and belatedly) looking at ways to build local industry. If the Cemex site does not get sold to another cement company, it would be a good location for some other industry. The question would be whether that industry (or industries) would require rail service.
This is a potentially good location for such a train. Sierra would do well to coordinate with the S Cruz Boardwalk and the Big Trees. Any lunch / dinner train to Davenport could use the same sales office as the Big Trees and the Boardwalk and some of the local lodgings could offer combination packages with the coast train. There is a sizable tourist population to tap from, far bigger than Oakdale for the Sierra Sunset trains.
Does the Davenport Depot still stand? I know there is a building next to the tracks, but am unsure of its history or current use.
If Sierra could cooperate with the city of Davenport and the wineries located up near Bonny Doon, they might be able to secure some compensation funding from Cemex to build a depot / wine / local produce tasting center adjacent to the tracks in Davenport itself. That would provide a tourism center for the town and hopefully offset some of the Cemex loss. Run a couple sightseeing trains during the day and people can sample the local production at the depot (similar to what the Napa Valley Wine Train does) and hit the (few) resturants in town.
Interesting to hear Santa Cruz is finally (and belatedly) looking at ways to build local industry. If the Cemex site does not get sold to another cement company, it would be a good location for some other industry. The question would be whether that industry (or industries) would require rail service.
