Riverson Wrote:
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> Here is a editorial from todays Wallowa County
> Chieftain.
> When asking Santa for train, be specific
>
>
> Santa Claus sent me a letter this year, via his
> attorneys, and I’m trying not to panic. The upshot
> of this letter, or “injunction,” as they call it,
> is that my requests for future gifts are being put
> on hold until I can demonstrate appropriate use of
> gifts already received, namely a train set I was
> all excited about but haven’t been using.
>
> I’m in a bind here, because the train isn’t really
> mine. It belongs to Wallowa and Union counties.
> They bought it and played with it some at first,
> then let other kids park their train cars on the
> tracks. Then last year I got all excited because
> there was talk of the train carrying rafters and
> fishermen again between Rondowa and Minam, about
> nine miles along the Wallowa River down to the
> Grande Ronde through a roadless section. It’s a
> beautiful stretch for day trips and steelheading.
> I work as a rafting guide so having that train
> service again was splendid news.
>
> That’s when I wrote Santa asking to pretty please
> make it true that the train would start running
> again. And it did, sort of. I live by the tracks
> and waved at it a few times. But I should have
> been more specific and asked for the train to keep
> running. Especially the 48 fishing trips and 48
> rafting trips that were talked about, but didn’t
> materialize.
>
> Wallowa-Union Railroad Authority, or WURA
> (pronounced “wooh-ruh,” I think), contracted with
> Sierra Nevada and Pacific Railroad, or SNAP
> (pronounced, “where are you guys?”) to take over
> managing the trains. SNAP crackled and popped with
> all sorts of fun ideas, including the notion of
> bringing in an old fancy choo-choo train called
> the Blue Goose that runs on steam. But then it
> appeared all their steam got used up talking about
> neato ideas.
>
> But let’s back up. Wouldn’t Sierra Nevada and
> Pacific Railroad be SNaPR, instead of SNAP? You
> can’t just promote “and” to a capital letter and
> leave out the “Railroad” part, can you? That might
> give the impression you’re good at snappy
> presentations but aren’t too concerned with the
> actual railroad part. Coincidentally, that’s the
> impression I’ve been getting.
>
> But on the front page of the Chieftain last week
> (“Rail line’s operator hopes to renegotiate pact
> with counties”), Rob Ruth reports that the head of
> SNaPR, Court Hammond, is gathering steam to get
> things back on track. That was two train
> references in one sentence. I hope you enjoyed
> that.
>
> Let me know if I can help, Mr. Hammond. I’ll run
> that Minam-to-Rondowa stretch myself if it will
> help. Set me up with a handcar and I’ll hire some
> local football players to crank the handles up and
> down and we’ll get rail service going through that
> gem of a river canyon. We’ll call it Old Fashioned
> Way Railways, or SNaZZY, for short.
>
> I caught six steelhead one day on a steelhead
> train excursion back when it used to run. That’s a
> great day for any steelheader and if you’ve seen
> me fish, you know it’s mind-boggling. I met other
> people on the train with similar experiences. I
> truly believe that river train will be good for
> Wallowa County. People were coming out here from
> all over to fish from the steelhead train,
> spending their money at Wallowa County hotels,
> restaurants, stores, speakeasies, gas stations,
> spreading out dollars. And steelhead seasons are
> outside normal tourism months. It was cold and
> gray, but folks were still enjoying Wallowa County
> and talking about bringing their families back
> during the summer. You could just feel the economy
> being stimulated.
>
> So let’s get that train rolling. Otherwise, as
> Santa’s North Pole legal team pointed out in their
> nasty letter to me, if we’re not going to play
> with our train set there are thousands of bicycles
> delivered each year to Wallowa County residents
> and visitors who would be tickled to peddle down
> the path if it were converted to a trail.[/size] Bike
> paths also stimulate the economy. We could call it
> the Wallowa- Union Scenic Bikeway, or SHAZAM, for
> short.
>
> Jon Rombach is a local columnist for the
> Chieftain. He wrote to Santa this year asking for
> the forest roads to stay open so he can cut
> firewood. Also a pony. And a Red Ryder BB gun.

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[size=medium]Dream on you fool. Hell will freeze over before they will allow that rail to picked up to convert that right-of-way to a trail. Those fish trains never came close to paying their way and never will. You fishermen are all a bunch of spoiled jerks.