Here’s another observation: the St. Lawrence Seaway brought zebra mussels to the Great Lakes.
Perhaps they are not as bad as rabbits are in Australia, but we certainly could do without them in our freshwater lakes.
Johnny
The Seaway also allowed the lamprey eels to enter the Great Lakes, although some of them may have gotten in via the Welland Canal.
It should have been named the “Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Redundant”. It didn’t go anywhere that others hadn’t gone before west of Miles City, MT. Lots of duplicate mileage and branches to ‘nowhere’. It was colorful and innovative. The restored (no trains) station in Great Falls, MT is magnificent.
Today, the Montana Rail Link’s ex-Northern Pacific route only handles a dozen-and-a-half trains, not enough for two parallel railroads, and that includes some ‘newer’ PRB coal traffic.
Bill Hays – Shelby, MT
I think they should have built the St. Lawarence Seaway locks wider to handle larger ships. On the flip side of the coin it’s probably better for the railroads East of Chicago that they didn’t.
Lampreys got into the Great Lakes before the Seaway was built. They probably got in by way of the small 250-foot ocean freighters that could fit through the old locks.
If they had made the St. Lawrence Seaway capable of handling bigger (wider) ships, they would have had to re-build the Welland Canal, widened/deepend the Detroit River, and, probably, replaced the locks at Sault Ste. Marie. A great boondoggle opportunity missed! Where was O’Bamonopoly money when we needed it?
Off-topic, again, but… Yesterday, BNSF named a new siding, on the Great Falls Sub. (Laurel-Shelby), near Broadview, MT for Walter Braeunig. Walter will turn 113 y-o-a next month, with any luck, and the siding is called “Walter”. He worked for the Great Northern Railroad for about fifty years, and is, reportedly, the oldest man in the world! The siding is part of a new spur line to the Signal Point Coal Mine, which is 35-miles in length. BNSF CEO Matt Rose attended the dedication at Mr. Braeunig’s nursing home in Great Falls, MT. He is still a pretty chipper guy! There is hope for us all!!!
Broadview is about 15-miles south of the old MILW crossing at Slayton Jct., just west of Roundup.
Bill Hays – Shelby, MT
Back to the original post, let’s just hope if it comes to pass they don’t actually call it the “North Coast Hiawatha”, that name is synonymous with the poor service of Amtrak’s early days. “North Coast Limited” would make more sense, and keep it from being confused with Amtrak’s current Chicago to Milwaukee “Hiawatha” service.
I
I like that idea.
Old Northern Pacific names, North Coast (anything) and Mainstreeter (“Mainstreet of the Pacific Northwest”), just don’t do justice to the route. Likewise, a reference to either Dakota or Montana is insufficient. Lewis & Clark would be awkward and irrelevant to North Dakota. Western Star is a good Great Northern name, heritage aside; but still ambiguous. Northern Star, Northern Lights, Northern Plains, Northern Trail, and Northern Passage would seem to be more appropriate.
This gets back to the old issue that Amtrak went into business with the remnants of a luxury long-distance rail travel fleet. The implicit idea was that this is the business that was inherited with little regard for a more appropriate role and business model for intercity rail passenger service. I struggle with the thought of more long-distance service and the financial drain and political capital this represents. Would the states between Chicago and Spokane be willing to support this train; or is it the cost for votes for Amtrak services in more populous regions?
We should closely monitor VIARail Canada’s new policy of naming trains for their destinations. The “Skeena” has become the “Jasper-Prince Rupert” train, so as not to confuse the Francophones. They are easily confused…
A re-instated “North Coast Limited”, or “North Coast Hiawatha”, could be, simply, the “Slightly Southern Route Chicago to Seattle/Portland (no stops in NIMBY South Dakota), making stops in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington Train”. Cool!
I do miss the “named trains” on the NEC route. Gone are “The Colonial”, “The Merchant’s Limited”, “The Flying Yankee”, “The Congressional”, et. al., replaced by silly numbers. Maybe, one of these days, Amtrak will field a train worthy of the “Twentieth Century Limited” name, albiet updated!
Bill