> As for what the difference is between Highway 6
> and the POTB? Easy. Highway 6 is a direct benefit
> to anyone wanting to go to and from Tillamook. The
> railroad is a direct benefit only to its shippers;
> the benefit to the highway or the rest of the
> community are secondary only.

It's attitudes like that one that allow the highway lobby to prevail. The railroad is a viable corridor that can handle freight shipments in a more environmentally friendly manner, and take traffic off of the highway.

It also has the potential to serve as a passenger rail line as traffic to the oceanside area increases and the cost of fuel continues to skyrocket. Someday we'll come to the realization that the rest of the world already has, and understand that rail does benefit the entire community and should be preserved and enhanced.

It's time to lose the "what's in it for me" attitude and look at the bigger picture. Preserve the right of way for not only it's current use and ecological benefits, but for future growth.