[PRCo] Re: A summer trip through the west

[Dietrich, Robert J.]

What they really need are electric powered vehicles in those parks.  Are
there any of the Montreal Sightseeing cars left?

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Vigrass, Bill [mailto:BillVigrass at hillintl.com] 
Sent:	Tuesday, July 30, 2002 2:25 PM
To:	Fred Schneider
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Subject:	[PRCo] Re: A summer trip through the west


It is ironic that at the symposium on "Accessing the Nation's National
Parks" that there were numerous photos of the White open topped buses.
Clearly they were custom designed and built; many lasted for decades. But
now they buy "off the shelf" buses, or more likely, contract with an
operator who buys off the shelf buses.  There is something to be said for
custom designed vehicles for special applications. The open topped bus tour
was part of the experience, as was the transcontinental ride in a railroad
passenger train.

Maybe they will get it right if enough people complain.  Include your
congressman in your complaint.

Bill V.

-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Schneider [mailto:fschnei at supernet.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2002 1:12 PM
To: Vigrass, Bill
Cc: AUREJOHN at aol.com; LNER4472 at bcpl.net;
pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org; ABlumb1050 at aol.com;
arthurls at nauticom.net; artschwartz at sprintmail.com; bernieo at nauticom.net;
Bibagray at aol.com; wdmiddleton at earthlink.net; bbente at cytechusa.com;
bwells at nauticom.net; BTC7407 at aol.com; TROLLEYOP at aol.com;
csiebert at paonline.com; Chr.Grimm at t-online.de; malteach at bcpl.net;
hamley at stargate.net; dfc1 at alltel.net; CRVLKOTULA at aol.com;
trainbook at earthlink.net; twg at pulsenet.com; stennyson at webtv.net;
elmerfry at desupernet.net; dam.meer at uni-one.nl; scranton at adelphia.net;
Glen.Bottoms at fta.dot.gov; LRVPCCMAN at aol.com;
transitmgr at worldnet.att.net; jmay at americomm.net; jas32 at pitt.edu;
tessk at comcast.net; Carbarn at aol.com; pghpcc at pacbell.net;
lubenau at supernet.com; johnfbromley at rogers.com; j_swindler at hotmail.com;
PSTCar14 at aol.com; kjosephson at sprintmail.com; kevin at trainbooks.com;
Gmacshea at aol.com; 504 at comcast.net; miketap at globalnet.co.uk;
pgcraig at bechtel.com; peter.johansson at ntlworld.com; r.winde at att.net;
allmanr at aehn2.einstein.edu; royking at airmail.net; JacksoRE at stvinc.com;
sbecker at pa-trolley.org; sbowman62 at hotmail.com; PTHiser at aol.com;
tsquare at toad.net; waltkeevil at surfree.com
Subject: Re: A summer trip through the west


I agree.  But Yosemite is next to population centers.  Zion is in the middle
of no where in Southern Utah.
  The Great Smoky Mountain National Park sits between two major expanding
industrial centers ... Tennessee and North Carolina.  We cannot treat each
one the same way.

The visibility from the buses at Zion is atrocious too.  You are there to
see the vertical walls of the canyon but the side windows of the bus only
lets you observe the lower few feet of the walls.  You return to the
visitors' center having seen nothing unless you get out at every stop and
wait 10 minutes for the next bus.   I seem to recall that Glacier National
Park used to have some open topped Whites way back when.  I do recognize
that you would probably need to totally redesign the bus structure (and add
or strengthen a frame) if you wish to remove the roof, but if you
expect people to go away happy, it would help.  And yes, maybe we need to
charge higher admissions if we do it right.  (I don't care about that; I
have one of those lifetime old farts passes.)

Thanks for firing back, Bill.

We'll solve all the world's problems.


"Vigrass, Bill" wrote:

> I participated in a symposium on accessing our national parks a few years
ago at the National Bldg Museum, Wash DC.  Nat. Park people presented data
and illustrated evidence that automotive traffic is so heavy at the more
popular parks that it is destroying the parks.  The highway traffic,
pollution from exhaust and oil drippings, is killing off plants.  Parking at
popular sites has become impossible on busy days.   For instance, Yosemite
now has more visitors per day than it had all season in the 1920's when the
Yosemite Valley Railway ran two trains a day. (Big deal).
> I advocated park and ride rather distant with rail access since
railroads/railways "lie lightly upon the earth".  Rain falls through ballast
into ground water.  This contrasts with rain falling on roads that washes
petroleum products off the roads into roadside earth where it (1) kills
plants and (2) seeps into the water table.
>
> The Grand Canyon National Park had a proposal for light rail access but it
has not been implemented because, I believe I recall, the senator(s) from AZ
did not want it.
>
> Yosemite has a bus system, and perhaps others do also.
>
> The supt. of Yosemite said that they had 5 mile long traffic jams on the
access road.  The Supt. of Smokey Mountain National Park said that he did
not have 5 mile back ups.  He had 11 mile back ups.    So it is a widespread
problem that causes problems beyond which he casual tourist can see.
>
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