Can't trust me with replying to the Digest, apparently. I'm not old enough to remember when the 700 block of State St. was still a street, but I do indeed remember the front-wheel-grabbing crossing at Seminole south of Lacy. Returning from Paoli one fine day back in 1990 or so, I came across a woman who had fallen on the tracks and broken her wrist. She and her riding partners were trying to decide which farm looked like it might have a phone (I told them that they all did, along with electricity.)
I think Fitchburg tried both bulb-out style extensions of the pavement and some jug-handle style paths before the tracks were torn out in the mid- to late 90's. Not sure whether anyone ever got the hang of them. The more interesting question for the present is how motorists will view cyclist who continue to use Seminole after the trail is finished. Will they gripe the way many are prone to when they see someone riding down Williamson St.? Michael PS. My first house as a kid was the little Wausau just east of the tracks on the south side of Highway M (<http://www.flickr.com/photos/mababo/4517465879/>) and I fondly remember the rumble and soot of the orange and white Illinois Central road switchers inching their way down the rickety xylophone, a couple of cars in tow (or sometimes not); each engineer hoping he wouldn't be the one to tip it into ditch. On Sep 13, 2010, at 4:15 PM, Patrick Lenon wrote: > Just curious, anyone besides Michael & me old enough to appreciate the irony > of the bike path following the trail of the at-one-time-controversial > railroad track across Seminole? > > For years the track crossed Seminole at a close to 45-degree angle, which > forced bikers to either 1) go straight across them and risk catching a wheel > in the gap, or 2) going wide to get a 90-degree angle going across the track > and risk having cars try to kill you. (You can almost approximate this > experience today on the N. Sherman Ave. RR tracks if you want.) > > Various solutions were tried, the "best" being paved shoulder bulges that let > us angle out. > > Finally in the 90's the rail owners gave it up, sealed over the whole thing, > and it was largely forgotten. Until now. Now, when bikers on the path cross > Seminole, they'll be at the same oblique angle the tracks were at. Hope > nobody tries it with a stiff neck... > > Ah well, it still beats road dueling with Fitchburgers. > > ------------ Patrick Lenon > Previous Message: > From: [email protected] > Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:59:39 -0500 > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Bikies] Bikies Digest, Vol 23, Issue 17 > > On Sep 13, 2010, Patrick Lenon wrote: > > The trail may not be Officially open then: > > http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_fbad01f0-be9c-11df-9716-001cc4c002e0.html > > The sections I've seen are paved but the shoulders aren't done, so there's a > sharp drop off. > > Of course, that hasn't stopped a few scofflaws from sampling parts of the > trail. Nothing I'd ever do personally, of course... *koff* *choke* *koff* > > > A *FEW* scofflaws!? Watching the Ironman bikes at Seminole and Whalen on > Sunday, there appeared to be a steady stream of garden-variety Phreds out > sampling the trail. > > I very much doubt it will be ready by this Saturday, since as of yesterday, > the bridges need railings, the shoulders south of (I think) Lacy needed to be > graded, and the section south of M needed to be paved. But I only know this > because, I, um, flew over it in an airplane. Yes I did. > > I might go to the opening. I've been looking forward to it since rail > operations stopped back in the early 90's. > > Michael > > _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
_______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
