Locals in shock after SPI reveals intentions to destroy Amador County's entire railroad Friday, March 12, 2010 By Scott Thomas Anderson The Amador Foothills Railroad as it looks today. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson For more than a century, a line of two steel rails has glided through the hills of western Amador. It's a narrow, rustic tribute to the county's past - and a possible glimpse into its future. Experts agree that the Amador Foothills Railroad is a cultural treasure and the only remaining surface link from Amador County to the other rail lines in the United States. In recent years, local historians have been locked in a bitter feud with corporate giant Sierra Pacific Industries regarding the fate of the railroad. As tempers rose, an independent group of railroad enthusiasts stepped in as a mediating force between the sides, restoring tracks, creating the Ione Vintage Rail Fair and getting assurances from SPI that most of the Amador Foothills Railroad would be saved for posterity. Last week, that group said SPI changed its mind - revealing a sudden and unexpected move that appears to many to be the latest in a long line of broken promises. On Friday, members of the Recreational Railroad Coalition, who have been guardians by lease of the railroad for the last five years, told the Ledger Dispatch that SPI's vice president, Mark Emerson, informed them that the RRC's lease would not be renewed, that they must cancel the upcoming Vintage Rail Fair, and that - despite nearly three years of assuring the public it wouldn't - SPI had decided to launch operations to destroy the entire railroad line. RRC members and history-lovers throughout Amador County are now reeling from the shock. However, last week's revelation wasn't the first time SPI had reversed a public stance about the railroad. In 2005, the company began the process of filing for abandonment of the rails with the federal Surface Transportation Board, which would nullify all federal regulations over the railroad and allow SPI to do what it wants with it as a private property owner. In order to go forward with the abandonment, the National Environmental Protection Act forced SPI to hire archeologists to produce a cultural resource study of the railroad. Those archeologists, Shelly Davis King and assistant Deborah Cook, found that Amador Foothills Railroad was so historically important that it qualified to be on the National Register for Historic Preservation. SPI quickly went on the record opposing any such nomination, but claimed it was willing to preserve the vast majority of the rails on its own. To prove sincerity, SPI leased 85 percent of the railroad - which stretches from a bread store in Martell to the city of Ione rail yard - to the RRC, which volunteered to continually repair and restore it. Meanwhile, SPI tore up three different sections of the historic railway that weren't under the RRC's lease. When the Amador County Historical Society began publicly denouncing the corporation, SPI spokesman Mark Luster characterized the three incidents as anomalies. In February 2008, Luster told the Ledger Dispatch that the three sections had been dismantled due to access problems and concerns from the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Luster said that two of the sections would eventually be fixed. Then, in fall 2009, without notifying the press or public, SPI began tearing up huge sections of track throughout Martell. On Sept. 22, 2009, a raging fire that threatened numerous businesses made the Ledger Dispatch aware of SPI's salvage operations. The fact that more than 1.5 miles of track had been ravaged became clear when contractors working for SPI admitted to a reporter that they'd accidentally started the fire while breaking the tracks apart. Reached for comment, Luster now said that destroying the tracks was "consistent with (SPI's) plans to develop the property." Did SPI have permission from federal authorities to destroy the tracks? According to the Surface Transportation Board, no. After learning of the incident, the board wrote a letter on Nov. 3 demanding SPI cease all salvage operations on the railroad until it had completed the abandonment process. The RRC mourned the loss of the tracks, but took solace in the fact that the vast majority of the railroad was still unharmed and under their protection. Thursday's phone call to the RRC changed that. According to Grant Vogel, the RRC's road master for the Amador Foothills Railroad, Emerson informed his group that SPI would pull the rails up forever and replace them with a walking path. Vogel opposes the destruction. He is also highly skeptical about SPI's newest offer. "Personally, I doubt that the walking trail will happen," Vogel said. In a phone call Tuesday, Luster confirmed that the RRC's lease would not be renewed for "internal reasons." He did not directly confirm or deny the threat of salvage operations, but did attest that SPI was "in the process of exploring options for walk paths" along the rail line. Gary Rienoehl, a former employee of the Office of Historic Preservation, said that stopping SPI from tearing the railroad apart may be difficult. "My understanding is that once they complete all of the stipulations in the abandonment process, they'll be out of the hands of all federal jurisdiction," Rienoehl explained. "It would be up to the county to see that they needed do any discretionary actions under the California Environmental Quality Act. If they don't, SPI can go ahead and do it." For Cook, one of the archeologists who studied the Amador Foothills Railroad, the scenario of destruction is horrifying. "That railroad was crucial to the economic development of Amador County. It provided a travel corridor and vital link in the building of our community," Cook said Monday. "This railroad is not only a valuable historic resource, but I believe it's necessary for the future of Amador. Eventually, we'll need mass transportation. It's a certainty."
Have you heard anything more, John? We (the EDWRF crew) were planning on taking the CP< speeder to the Ione Railfair, but are wondering if it's been canceled in view of recent news. As of March 15, the El Dorado County Historical Museum had received a promotional email for the railfair. Their website (http://www.ionerailfair.org/) makes it appear that the railfair is still a go.
As far as I know, the railfair is a go and will be the last one. Havn't heard much else but other sources are telling me that SPI will not be tearing up the line. Who are you gonna believe? Just gotta wait it out till something actually takes place.
