New York state residents fight over saving old railroad route or turning it into an Adirondack trail

Several years ago, locals here raised around $400,000 to build a replica of a train station that was torn down in 1975, just one of many steps necessary to make a locomotive roll through this old railroad town once again.

The next step is paying to rehab a 68-mile stretch of dilapidated tracks that cut through some of the most remote and scenic areas of the Adirondacks, either with state funds or private donations, or both.

But after decades of delays, the fate of those tracks is now dividing this town and those around it.

Some residents say they should be fixed up and used to extend the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, which runs seasonal tourist trains with themes ranging from zombies to wine tastings. In the long-term, the tracks could establish an Amtrak link for passenger trains between New York City and Lake Placid.

Amtrak is, in general, "interested in the expansion of passenger rail," said spokesman Steve Kulm. "And where it can connect with Amtrak, it will provide even greater benefit."

A growing opposition, though, insists that the tracks should be torn up and the path instead used as a trail for hikers, bicyclists and snowmobilers. In June, officials at the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Transportation said they would review this plan—a small but important victory for advocates of a trail.

The track through Tupper Lake was part of the Adirondack Division of the once-mighty New York Central Railroad, which did a brisk business hauling lumber, animal carcasses, tourists and wealthy people (in private railcars) to their camps.

The railroad went into a long decline starting in the 1930s. Now there is barely a train in sight. New York state owns the tracks, which are on the National Register of Historic Places.

The leg of track in question is so deteriorated that it rarely sees any action. Nearly every fall, a work train moves heavy equipment from Lake Placid to points south for use on other trains and for maintenance. Work trains aren't able to move faster than 10 miles an hour. The cross ties are so rotted that the spikes can be pulled out by hand.

"It's a hell of a way to run a railroad." said Tony Goodwin, 63 years old, an activist from Keene, N.Y., who supports turning the stretch into a hiking trail. "They have been trying to do this for 40 years, and it never gets done."

"It is absolutely absurd" to rebuild the tracks, said trail supporter Lee Keet, an eight-generation Adirondack resident and chief executive officer of private equity fund Vanguard Atlantic Ltd. in Saranac Lake. "The only argument you can muster for train restoration is nostalgia."

He suggested the Tupper Lake depot could become a "wonderful café and information center" for trail-goers.

Click for more from The Wall Street Journal

summary: Several years ago, locals here raised around $400,000 to build a replica of a train station that was torn down in 1975, just one of many steps necessary to make a locomotive roll through this old railroad town once again.

Wall Street Ends About Where It Started

“We need to recognize that lack of demand will be a major constraint on output and employment in the American economy for the foreseeable future,” Mr. Summers, director of the National Economic Council, told a group of economists in St. Louis, Reuters reported.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 20.86 points, or 0.21 percent, to close at 9,885.80 while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index added 4.70 points, or 0.44 percent, to end at 1,076.19. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.14 points, or 0.01 percent, to 2,139.14.

In the energy markets, crude oil settled at $73.27 a barrel, up $1.50, as temperatures fell, increasing demand for heating oil.

One measure of how cheap or expensive stocks are — the ratio of prices to corporate earnings — briefly reached its highest point since 2004 for companies on the S.& P. 500, according to Bloomberg data. Although stocks are no longer heavily discounted by that measure, bullish investors say that higher corporate earnings will make stocks seem to be better bargains in the next weeks.

Economists are joining in on the optimism. The National Association for Business Economics released a survey on Monday showing that a “vast majority” of economists believed the recession had ended and predicted that the economy would grow by nearly 3 percent in the last half of 2009. But worries about towering national debt and high unemployment dimmed their longer-term outlooks.

The dollar continued its fall against major world currencies, slipping to $1.48 against the euro. Meanwhile, gold and crude oil prices climbed, lifting shares of mining companies, oil producers and other commodities companies.

Even as unemployment has climbed and the economy has slogged through a slow and jittery recovery, businesses have impressed investors this earnings season. The aluminum maker Alcoa reported a slim profit for the summer after a year of losses, and the power-tool maker Black and Decker raised its outlook on Monday, sending its shares 7.6 percent higher to $50.82.

Consumer-focused companies like the toy maker Mattel and the Safeway supermarket chain are also set to report earnings this week, offering investors a glimpse into how consumers are spending on necessities like groceries, as well as discretionary purchases like Hot Wheels and Barbie dolls.

The recession has depleted millions of 401(k) accounts, erased trillions of dollars in household wealth and destroyed some seven million jobs, raising big doubts about whether the American consumer can pull the retail sector and the broader economy out of the downturn.

“A lot of it’s going to depend on what goes on with retail sales,” said Don Bright, a partner at Bright Trading in Chicago. “I don’t care what anybody says. They’ve got to come through O.K.”

On Wednesday, the government will report its regular retail sales numbers, which tally sales at gas stations, supermarkets, department stores and other businesses.

A version of this article appears in print on October 13, 2009, on Page B10 of the New York edition with the headline: Wall Street Ends About Where It Started. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

summary: After briefly touching highs for the year, shares on Wall Street ended the session mixed in a day of light trading.

Iwate Prefecture

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit northern Japan on Wednesday, shaking buildings in Tokyo and prompting the country's meteorological agency to issue a tsunami alert for the northeastern coast. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but officials were still assessing the situation.

Two strong earthquakes rattled Asia on Thursday, triggering alerts for a tsunami that harmlessly lapped Japan's northern coast and another in Indonesia that didn't materialize but briefly sent residents fleeing to high ground.

Two strong earthquakes rattled Asia on Thursday, triggering alerts for a tsunami that harmlessly lapped Japan's northern coast and another in Indonesia that didn't materialize but briefly sent residents fleeing to high ground.

Two strong earthquakes rattled Asia on Thursday, triggering alerts for a tsunami that harmlessly lapped Japan's northern coast and another in Indonesia that didn't materialize but briefly sent residents fleeing to high ground.

A magnitude 7 earthquake hit northern Japan on Thursday morning, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 struck off the northern Japanese coast early Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of major damage, the nation's weather agency said.

summary:
Collection of all USATODAY.com coverage of Iwate Prefecture., including articles, videos, photos, and quotes.