Here it is...the first passenger "local!"
Come one, come all!
Liz Engel Herald-Citizen Staff Wednesday, Jan 16, 2008 Yesterday, several local officials boarded the area's first passenger train to run from Cookeville to Monterey in almost 40 years. The ride gave members of the Trail Authority - the group overseeing the Rails with Trails project - a better viewpoint of where the multi-use path could go. From left in front, Cathy Andrews, project grant writer; Billy Copeland, Cookeville historical arts assistant; and local resident Don Smith were among the passengers.Herald-Citizen Photo/Ty Kernea PUTNAM COUNTY -- For the first time in 40 years, a passenger train made its way yesterday from Cookeville to Monterey.The train -- boarded by members of the Rails with Trails Authority, members of the Cookeville and Monterey city governments and various other members of the community with ties to the trail -- made its way up and down the mountain for the first time since 1968, drawing dozens of spectators, photographers and train buffs along the way.It was also the first time members of the Trail Authority -- the 10-member group overseeing the Rails with Trails project -- the Rails with Trails project engineer Crouch Engineering and Nashville and Eastern Railroad officials, including President Bill Drunsic, were all together to go look over the project landscape."It was an unbelievable opportunity for us," said Trail Authority member Keith Lilly. "It gave us a fantastic viewpoint of where the trail could go that you can't see if you're just driving down the road -- portions none of us have never seen because we don't have access."The group discussed the trail's path over the course of the six hour trip, pointing out where the trail could run in relation to the tracks as well as briefly touching on right-of-way issues.Several properties and fence lines were pointed out as either being located on or right at the railroad right-of-way, which extends 25 feet on each side of the tracks. And it's possible -- because of harsh terrain and narrow sections surrounding the railroad -- that portions of the trail will have to cut away from that right-of-way, which will affect even more property owners."I think people are beginning to see why this is going to be so expensive," project grant writer Cathy Andrews said. The project is estimated to cost somewhere around $5 million. Andrews said the project has received environmental approval, but it's still unknown when Crouch Engineering will complete the trail's final design. Lilly said Casey Langford, project manager, will take the information the group gathered yesterday and incorporate it into those plans."We certainly thank the Nashville and Eastern Railroad Corporation for providing that opportunity and also the Tennessee Central Railroad Museum for furnishing the cars," Lilly said. "It helped us visualize the trail, assess the slopes, stuff like that that we're going to have to work around."As far as the railroad tracks, work is mostly completed on the 15 miles of class two line, but Drunsic said some minor resurfacing still needed to be done on portions of the rail. He said yesterday the railroad should begin serving commercial customers -- largely the sand plants located in Monterey and Crawford Branch -- sometime in March.
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