What’s interesting about this history is that the Twin Cities streetcar system was a *private* system, a monopoly like Xcel or other utilities. It was heavily regulated but did not cost taxpayers a dime, unlike the road system that led to its demise. Some believe that with better management, part of the streetcar system could have survived even in the age of autos.

People forget about the massive govt. spending required to create and maintain our road system -- a huge government outlay. Even today it is not all paid for by gas taxes and vehicle fees; it’s subsidized by your taxpayer dollars whether you drive or not.

Progressive Rail threatened that if we did not take the corn ethanol plant, they would force other even more polluting businesses to the location by the old Comus crossing, like fly ash storage silos and collection point for pelletizing metro wastes. Any fond memories of railroads have all but vanished from our horizon.

If I am not mistaken, the old track is very close to some Edina homes (We used to live in Edina, and there was an old train track in the neighborhood, I’ve always wondered if those are the tracks. If they are, some homes are within 5o feet of the track! Near 66th and Hwy 100)

Anyway, the Eagan, Lakeville, and etc. idea probably would push through at the Capitol better than the Dan Patch. Forget Savage, Bloomington, Edina, etc. Maybe someday those areas will see less growth due because of a resistence to such projects. Let’s bring the newness and the jobs over here.

We also used to live in Savage (first married) and they love their Dan Patch days. BTW--You can still see where the old race track is via aerial view.

We need more public transit routes. People want a reliable means to get to work-- this is even more important in a bad economy when the jobs may be elsewhere and the gas is too expensive.

It is my understanding that rail lines closer to the Twin Cities are heavily subsidized just to stay alive, that despite a much larger population then we have.

I commute to work outside of Northfield, but the line would do nothing for me?

Making Northfield more accessible to MSP would also invite unwanted elements in to Northfield.

Do we really want inner city problems to come to Northfield?

One of the things I like about Northfield is the fact that it is quiet and serene and relatively safe.

Check with the City of Savage before promoting a new Dan Patch Day. They already have a community celebration of the same name. I don’t think they have it copyrighted, however.

My stepmother has a Dan Patch endorsed toy wagon which got from her family from growing up in Pittsburgh. She brought the wagon to be seen by the “Antiques Roadshow” people when they were in the Twin Cities a few years ago. The show people were very interested, saying they wished they had seen the wagon earlier in the day. Apparently they had already filmed an item in the same genre, so it didn’t make it onto the show.

Can you help us out with a Dan Patch Exhibit?

Thanks much,

Ross

Dan Patch Day…

…what a Great Idea!

- Ross

Commuter rail would be a great boon to Northfield and the region. A few months ago the Strib had an article about the Metropolitan Council being reluctant to add more commuter rail projects, but maybe it is open to rethinking that, as Ann indicates. It sounds like our legislators are in touch with them; others will have to be as well.

It sounds to me like we need a city Transportation Commission to help push for this project, Hwy 19 improvements, and more. I hear a lot of grumbling about these and other transportation topics, but I’m not always sure how much action is being taken. Maybe start a separate thread on that topic, LoGroNo folks?

Although I’m a big rail advocate, commuter rail would change Northfield a lot, almost certainly pushing up property values, for better and for worse. It would also bring new and different people into town. Life as we know it would change.

It would be in the interest of the business community to support commuter rail, in my opinion. You’d have a lot more people visiting town, and tourism would go up. Companies would be more likely to locate here because getting back and forth to the Cities would be easier.

http://deckernet.com/minn/DanPatch/DanPatchRailroad.html

They even had a hybrid(gas/electric) train in the day! Clipped from the link:

“In addition to carrying 40 passengers, the Irene, powered by a 150-horsepower engine, could also pull up to three 75-passenger trailing coaches. A set of storage batteries started the engine and also provided extra juice for acceleration and steep grades. The second car purchased, the Augerita, was smaller than the Irene and less luxurious.”

I, too, question that the rail transit line would be the best expenditure of funds (what funds?) in these lean times.

In that experiment, cars were equipped with computers that sensed the space between them and the cards around them. They also “found” cars going to the same place as each other and formed mini-trains.

The great feature was that the drivers did not steer the cars!

Traffic jams are a result of responses to actions of other drivers. If you can remove the driver’s input from the car, you can virtually eliminate stop and go traffic. That kind of a system would be better for all, as it is the combination of personal convenience and rapid transit.

Of course, DARPA has just funded technology that allows cars to drive over rough terrain at 40 MPH without any driver input!

See Wikipedia on driverless cars.

I lived for 10 years along a train line to Chicago, taking it daily to my job. My wife’s hometown used the be the last stop on another line to Chicago. I can tell you that properties closer to the stations in both of those towns are much more expensive than those farther away….the market says it’s very desirable.

As for the cost/beneift justification…no transportation infrastructure pays for itself using first-order calculations. If you use that logic, you wouldn’t build roads or bridges either.

The state has bigger problems then getting Griff to the Cities. Taking care of our existing infrastructure should be a top priority.