"An Englishman's home is his castle"

[tallyho8]

Why is rails to trails such a popular topic? Perhaps this map of closed railroads answers that.

 

[Hay Dude]

Why is rails to trails such a popular topic? Perhaps this map of closed railroads answers that.View attachment 734310

So theres a ton of closed railroads. It doesnt mean they have to be turned to walking trails. Many of those railroads are in urban centers passing through dangerous neighborhoods where people can be attacked. My son is in a dangerous part of a huge city and even with his large size and physical strength, he or none of his fellow students, even in groups would venture down the abandoned rails of that town.
Or conversely, areas where people paid a lot of money for privacy, and now they lose their privacy and some of the value of their property with noise, trash or whatever just outside your windows at any time of the day or night?
Obviously, rails to trails makes sense in some areas, but I’d venture to say 95% of those rails have little to know usefulness as a trail.

 

[LouNY]

In my area most of the rails to trails proponents are non residents or summer residents.
I'd just like to see them leave period, they drive up prices and don't do anything productive.

 

[Hay Dude]

In my area most of the rails to trails proponents are non residents or summer residents.
I'd just like to see them leave period, they drive up prices and don't do anything productive.

AMEN

 

[Hay Dude]

Not a rails to trails story, but heres another example in a similar vein.

I manage a piece of farm land. It was owned by someone fairly local to the property. They had me farm the farm land and cut the grass surrounding it. The property has 5 homes along the back and for the last 30 years, those homes enjoyed the privacy and beauty of the farm.

The owner sold it to a conservancy 4 years ago.
The conservancy declared it a “park” and opened it to the public. They placed signs with historical facts about the grounds (revolutionary war grounds-blood was spilled here, etc) and now anyone from anywhere with any intentions can enter the property. The neighbors now have strangers walking 100’ behind their homes. They all have approached me and told me how disappointed they are.

I have soda cans, soiled diapers and other trash in my hay
The barn has kids in and out of it smoking weed or drinking beer and whatever else theyre doing
I bet your vaunted “rails to trails” has a similar affect on many private property owners.

 

[Rowdy Redneck]

Not a rails to trails story, but heres another example in a similar vein.

I manage a piece of farm land. It was owned by someone fairly local to the property. They had me farm the farm land and cut the grass surrounding it. The property has 5 homes along the back and for the last 30 years, those homes enjoyed the privacy and beauty of the farm.

The owner sold it to a conservancy 4 years ago.
The conservancy declared it a “park” and opened it to the public. They placed signs with historical facts about the grounds (revolutionary war grounds-blood was spilled here, etc) and now anyone from anywhere with any intentions can enter the property. The neighbors now have strangers walking 100’ behind their homes. They all have approached me and told me how disappointed they are.

I bet your vaunted “rails to trails” has a similar affect on many private property owners.

Would they rather have a subdivision of half acre lots or a rock quarry instead of the park?

 

[Hay Dude]

Would they rather have a subdivision of half acre lots or a rock quarry instead of the park?

Those are not allowed on farm land here. We have strict zoning restrictions on farms and historic battle grounds. Our zoning house lot size is usually 2 acres.
Parks are allowed, though.

 

[Jstpssng]

Those are not allowed on farm land here. We have strict zoning restrictions on farms and historic battle grounds. Our zoning house lot size is usually 2 acres.
Parks are allowed, though.

Generally they aren't paying taxes, either.
OTOH any one of those homeowners could have bought the land, and done what they wanted with it. Your land stops at the property line.

"Conservation Easements" of various types are becoming very widespread here, preventing development on wild lands and around lakes. Often they are owned by out of state interests (i.e. Apple, Amazon) who feel the need to tie up the land so that nobody can use it. They don't understand (or care) that this isn't Boston or California, and a little development isn't a bad thing here. On more than one occasion people who already have their place on the lake have been known to say "I think it's great that nobody can have a camp here."

 

[ovrszd]

Generally they aren't paying taxes, either.
OTOH any one of those homeowners could have bought the land, and done what they wanted with it. Your land stops at the property line.

"Conservation Easements" of various types are becoming very widespread here, preventing development on wild lands and around lakes. Often they are owned by out of state interests (i.e. Apple, Amazon) who feel the need to tie up the land so that nobody can use it. They don't understand (or care) that this isn't Boston or California, and a little development isn't a bad thing here. On more than one occasion people who already have their place on the lake have been known to say "I think it's great that nobody can have a camp here."

To quote my large farmer friend, "They don't make any more land".

 

[Hay Dude]

To quote my large farmer friend, "They don't make any more land".

Used to think thats true, but after I saw what is happening in Detroit and other cities hollowed out by unions and offshoring of industry, I have seen city blocks revert back to open land.

 

[ultrarunner]

Very true... the cost of city infrastructure skyrockets with one home occupied in a neighborhood.

One of the rail to trails or habitat sanctuaries for firmer military bases is it prevents other uses and could in theory revert back to historic use should the need arise.

The Alameda Navel Air station is animal sanctuary but runways on the Bay remain... hum?

 

[ovrszd]

Used to think thats true, but after I saw what is happening in Detroit and other cities hollowed out by unions and offshoring of industry, I have seen city blocks revert back to open land.

And how many hundreds of acres has reverted back to farm land?

 

[Hay Dude]

And how many hundreds of acres has reverted back to farm land?

150 acres, just in one area.
Read much?


“A private company is snapping up 150 acres on the Motor City's East End -- property where more than 1,000 homes once formed a gritty neighborhood -- and turning it into what is being billed as the world's largest urban farm. Hantz Woodlands plans to start by planting trees, but hopes to raise crops and even livestock in the future, right in the midst of the once-proud city.”

Urban decay to be replaced with farmland in Detroit

The blight of some neighborhoods has gotten so out of hand that the city of Detroit is literally looking towards greener pastures to stop it.

www.foxnews.com

 

[ultrarunner]

10,000 acres is in the works...

New Detroit Farm Plan Taking Root

A scaled-back plan by a local entrepreneur envisions growing trees on city's blighted east side, returning thousands of vacant lots to tax rolls.

www.wsj.com

 

[ovrszd]

150 acres, just in one area. Read much?


“A private company is snapping up 150 acres on the Motor City's East End -- property where more than 1,000 homes once formed a gritty neighborhood -- and turning it into what is being billed as the world's largest urban farm. Hantz Woodlands plans to start by planting trees, but hopes to raise crops and even livestock in the future, right in the midst of the once-proud city.”

Urban decay to be replaced with farmland in Detroit

The blight of some neighborhoods has gotten so out of hand that the city of Detroit is literally looking towards greener pastures to stop it.

www.foxnews.com

and that will have what percentage impact on this nation's productivity?

 

[Hay Dude]

and that will have what percentage impact on this nation's productivity?

“Nations productivity”?

Hundreds of acres of urban land IS reverting back to farmland, despite your mockery and flimsy attempt at changing the subject.

 

[ovrszd]

“Nations productivity”?

Hundreds of acres of urban land IS reverting back to farmland, despite your mockery and flimsy attempt at changing the subject.

No subject change here. So how many Millions of acres of farmland is there in the U.S.?

And what impact would hundreds of acres have on that productivity?

 

[Hay Dude]

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

we love our abandoned rail lines. We use them all four seasons as great access routes into the very remote areas.

 

[ultrarunner]

Thought on equestrians...

I live in an area with plotted equestrian trails that have not seen a horse in 50 years.

The idea was to tie into a vast and broad network of trails which still exist.

That said... some of the original horse trails are now off limits to horses by public demand.

The once tended trails are often unusable because it was the horse people with loppers and saws maintaining.

Walkers seldom do the heavy lifting and are now asking taxpayers to maintain citing safety concerns.

I've been around a lot of horse people and they did a great job maintaining the bristle paths...