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BNSF Wreck in Wayzata Question
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<P mce_keep="true">[quote user="tomikawaTT"] <P>I also liked the whoop-de-do about the brick on the desk in the title company. The outside photo shows that it originated from the window area of the building itself. I'm not denying the fact that the lady was lucky that she wasn't sitting at her desk when the glass shards came flying in...</P> <P>The fact that this incident happened in town probably quintupled the amount and intensity of media coverage.</P> <P>[/quote]</P><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"> <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>Yes, 10 mph can smash things up, but I really don’t know how fast they were going.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They were pulling out of a passing siding and re-entering the mainline.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They probably were stopped in the siding, so they may not have been going very fast.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But most of time they roll through town there at 30-40 mph.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As train wrecks go, this one was rather mild.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I have seen much worse.</FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>But I don’t think we have heard the end of the whoop-de-do as you call it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>While the collateral damage only involved a few broken bricks, the potential for major collateral damage to buildings in Wayzata is enormous.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And this wreck will undoubtedly serve as a real eye-opener for the citizens of the town.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>There is a long history of the relationship between Wayzata and the railroad going back to the James Hill days.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The town naturally coveted its location on the shore of Lake Minnetonka.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And then James Hill built his railroad right along the lakeshore effectively separating the lake from the town.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This turned into the rather well know war between Hill and the town, which I won’t reiterate here.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But the overall effect has the town crowded up against the lake and the railroad.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>If that coal train had derailed right in the middle of town while running 35 mph, it could have taken out a dozen storefront businesses.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There are a lot of patrons and pedestrians surging though the lake area of Wayzata during the day.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Sunsets Café is full of people around lunchtime, and the trains sail by about 30 feet away. </FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>I think the point of all of this vulnerability will be driven home in the minds of Wayzata residents as they spend their time touring the wreck scene.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I don’t know what they can do about it, but Wayzata is kind of a special place, and I suspect the residents are going to be convinced that something must be done to protect their town from the trains.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They are no less safe today than they were a week ago, but today they have had their eyes opened for the first time to the train derailment potential. </FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=verdana,geneva size=2></FONT></SPAN> </P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=verdana,geneva><FONT size=2>The way I see it, this was a minor derailment and nobody got hurt.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But the real story will be the town’s reaction when their vulnerability sinks in.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Stay tuned.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
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