"LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Marietta residents are up in arms over a railroad’s plan to erect a shed in a historic section of the borough, claiming it will destroy the character of the area.
"They also question whether the proposal by Norfolk Southern may signal the advent of faster, louder trains passing through Marietta.
"A spokesman for the railroad denied Norfolk Southern has plans to run “fast freight” – trains traveling up to 60 mph – through the borough.
"Another official said only a limited number of sites are available for the shed, which will house required safety-related equipment.
"Residents became alarmed when Norfolk Southern recently began working on the shed site, railroad-owned property across from the 200 block of West Front Street.
“Most of the homes and a few businesses in the block are listed on the National Register of Historic Properties.”
I think the residents have to go with the flow. Who was there first? Who owns the property? Do they support railroads who want to get safer by putting Hot-Boxes in? I think they want the trains to derail and destroy her historic town.
By coincidence, I was in Marietta on
Saturday. It is a lovely river town with
many historic and well maintained
homes facing the tracks.
As a NS stockholder, I think the
corporation should put the HB Detector
somewhere else, such as east of town,
or build a red brick structure and attractively
landscape it.
Marietta will b**ch and moan no matter what NS does. If NS bows down to Marietta now (about something as trivial as a shed), what happens when they need to complete another project in any other historic town? It’s a deadly slope.
BTW, this town (marietta) also wishes to place a big levee all along the riverside…how is that historic?
Why build a brick structure ilo an aluminum
shanty? Because it would be more appropriate
to the historical nature of the community and
it is a compromise, something we have
lost in this country.
Maybe Marietta can work with NS to build a brick shanty. (and by “work”, I mean pony up the ca$h)
But they sure aren’t going to do it on their own - especially with Marietta’s constant complaining about every aspect of the RR. The fight between Marietta and the RR is a constant joke that is well known in these parts.
The real sad part is that the railroad has been there a long time, and now sees only a handful of trains. But the way they complain, you’d think they live along the NEC and PRB combined!
Yeah, but it was not much to speak of . An actual town wasn’t really formed until the iron industry…but that could not be sustained by local supply, hence the canals.
The town also wasn’t always “nimby” minded either. Now they seem to want to try and stop anything related to industry.
Its more total BS from the locals who should have more important things to worry about.
It burns me up when people complain about “faster” trains… They’re the same soccer moms and politicians who go 50 down a 25 mile per hour road. They are hypocrites and what are they worried about? Whats a faster train going to do? Nothing. And the BS about being louder… As someone who has been around trains my whole life I can speak with authority thats a baloney complaint. I’ve been around trains going 35 and trains going 60 - the 60mph freight wasn’t louder…
The railroad has the rightto put anything they want on their property… If the town wants it to be pretty or something, let the town pay for it. The railroad is under no obligation to look out for other interests but their own… Call that arrogant if you want but I have no problem with that.
I can see the town’s side of the issue, as well as the railroads - but things always go better when both sides play nice.
I’d suggest that a structure that is visually compatible with the community would be desireable. As was mentioned, perhaps the community could pony up some cash. If they would at least make civil suggestions as to what would be appropriate (maybe some faux clapboard siding, f’rinstance), they might get something out of it. Challenging something usually only ends up making both sides dig in their heels.
I’m surprised no one has complained about the RF emissions from the talking part of the detector…
I think the idea of making the town pay for extra costs of making the shack look like the rest of the buildings. If it is just the residents, and the city is ok with it, then the residents have no real say in it. but the city can put limits or restrictions on the structure.
SOAPBOX ALERT!!!
[soapbox][soapbox][soapbox]
This is an issue I feel VERY strongly on, so here goes.(May get a little off topic but still, I channel into it well.)
The City has every right to say what a new building can or can’t look like. Jackson Wy. and Park City Ut. have city ordinances in place that require all the new buildings to conform to a certian “Rustic” look. That is Why Jackson does not have a Wal*Mart., However Park City does , and they built that one special for that place but they won’t do it in Jackson. So if you are ever in Jackson or Park City, keep an eye out and notice that all the buildings look somewhat “Rustic”. It just reminds me of rich people from other places who have more money than they know what to do with and they come to theese places to live life in the mountians. I think that if you come to Wyoming and buy up some Rancher’s land for your multi million dollar house, and then complain about the smell of the cows, you shouldn’t be there, Go home. I hate that theese people are buying up land out in the middle of nowhere to “Preserve” it. No you are taking valuable grazing land for wildlife and livestock. All you are doing is buying a piece of land with worthless sagebrush on it and preventing the local people from using the land that they have been using for as long as they have known to use it. And then they complain because we mine out the resources and drill for the oil and gas, but yet complain that they are paying too much for gas for thier Hummer H2. If you don’t like ho we manage our land and resources, leave. I am proud to live here, and I hope that this state stays the least populated, most pristine state in the union.(except for Jackson hole,
“The City has every right to say what a new building can or can’t look like…”
Not when it comes to the railroad industry. Railroad operations are regulated by the federal government. If a hotbox detector is deemed necessary in that location, then local and state governments have ZERO say in the matter. PERIOD.
Now, if NS was feeling like doing some goodwill towards the town, it may choose to design the shed to blend in with the historic buildings. But the key words are IF NS chooses to do so.
Railroads are like the airline industry. When it comes to operational issues, opinions of local governments don’t matter.
Well, it’s a pretty good example of the public relations nightmare the railroads go through. Personally, I’ve got no sympathy for the residents. I’d rather see a functioning detector than a derailment. Imagine how excited the residents would be if they had a few freight cars come to disturb their National Registry tea!
Next thing you know, they will probably demand removal of all those pesky signal lights, too. 1) They use up energy which might be better used for community improvement, like lighting up the facade of the National Registry homes. 2) Those red, yellow, and green lights do not match local decor.
Call the fashion police!
PS. I wonder how many complaints the locals field about modern alterations and additions to National Registry homes… things like historically inaccurate microwaves, air conditioning/heating units… aluminum/vinyl siding…
I like the debate on this topic. Personally, I didn’t think so many people could get excited by a hot box detector and the shed that houses the equipment for it. (I might even suggest that the hot box alarm is going off for a few opinions expressed here.) NS is probably in its best interest to work with the town of Marietta to resolve any differences.
This topic is a chicken or the egg debate. Which one came first? Somebody mentioned that the town was there before the railroad, but who built the town? I’m guessing the railroad. What would Marietta be like if the railroad wasn’t built through this town? Towns with railroads in the late 1800’s (20th century?) had the ability to draw people to them and grow. Maybe the fine folks of Marietta should realize that history is more than just old houses. As much as it might trouble some people, one of their historic treasures might be the railroad itself.