Steel on steel, help make it real!

During my life I have been involved with many worthwhile causes: anti-war rallies, world peace gatherings, natural disaster fundraising and community projects. Giving service has been important to me, but life has taught me that no issue is more important than one that affects your family, friends and your community. This may sound selfish, until you realize our society has evolved from thousands of communities throughout our nation, all with a plan to make our life better.

The most accomplished communities operate with a vision for the future, life in the now is brief and it is my opinion those who choose to live in the past have serious motives for hiding from change. Please understand, we just can't hide from change, feel your heart beat, hear the clock tick, speak a word, spend a dime, every action, every thought creates change. Change is the pulse of all progress, if we try to stop change, we can expect to be soundly defeated.

So what is my point? I want to share my vision for change with the community I love, the community that welcomed me when I emigrated from Australia. I invite like minded visionaries in Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls to be part of my vision for the future, a rail link between Spokane, Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene.

As a poet I am drawn to causes, I am emotional about greed, destruction, love, hate, courage, human rights and the environment. I wrote the following poem to mourn the destruction of the many railway lines that brought prosperity to hundreds of small communities.

The death of station 838

I sat on the old railway platform and made peace with the silence,

a weathered sign gave warning about the danger of trains,

there were no buildings, no homes for the ghosts of a proud past

a rusted ticket machine and cold concrete platform were

the only memorials to the death of rail line 838.

My minds' eye opened to a vision of glory days when the

train ruled a conquered land

and the railroad station was the welcoming mat

for change and dreams of new beginning,

my thoughts then focused on the rail-less track

picked clean by the vultures of our heritage,

where are the plaques to honor the brilliance

of the surveyors and the vision of the railroad builders? where do the medals hang to commemorate

the hearts of the men who laid steel

rails on ties of American courage?

the doleful call of a coyote snapped my mind

back to reality, my eyes filled with tears as I realized

the grim reaper of progress was now the

master of station 838.

My first goal was to establish if any of the unused railway lines that serviced our defunct mills were still intact; there were rumors that sections had already been pulled up. The following day I phoned my good friend Sam, a retired railroad supervisor with 37 years experience with Union Pacific. Sam was very willing to help; he told me there had been two active railway lines from Coeur d'Alene to Spokane. Sam explained that part of his old company track had been pulled up, but the Burlington Northern rail seemed to be still intact. I was very excited when he offered to inspect the track and to show me where both tracks crossed on their way to join their main rail routes.

Several days later we followed the B. N. track from Coeur d'Alene; it weaved through the new subdivisions along the Spokane River, there were new concrete crossings and positive signs of recent maintenance. Sam explained that some of the existing rails would need to be replaced because of federal regulations, but he was surprised at the overall condition of the line. He showed me railway sidings and all the road crossings to Post Falls, all were in splendid condition.

The track snaked through Post Falls, under bridges and out to the prairie, the rails ran adjacent to many new subdivisions and finally arrived at Grand Junction near Hauser. Sam's knowledge of the lines suddenly became very apparent; he pointed out where the old Union Pacific line crossed the B. N. line and suggested the best route would be to follow the U. P. track from this point. He also made the point that avoiding the main B. N. north/south track would be smart as the track was already overtaxed and slow. We talked about technical problems and upgrade. I then asked the question, "Do you think with maintenance and update it would be possible to run a passenger rail service on the B. N. line," Sam looked intently at me as he delivered his simple answer, "sure." I became very excited at this point as I had researched the cost of developing a new light rail or a single passenger track; costs could be as high as $10,000,000 a mile. The cost of refurbishing existing rail could run as low as $100,000 to $250,000, a mile a huge saving to the developers.

I am mindful that there is a group of like-minded people in our community that have done a lot more research into the costs and benefits of connecting Spokane and Coeur d'Alene by rail, I humble myself in their shadow. I am writing this article to help bring attention to the fact local history has proven when railroad companies abandon rail routes they are quickly dismantled and forgotten. With our population set to explode over the next 10 years, the preservation of the B. N. Line would be a huge gift to future of our cities. With one in six of our community projected to be over 65 years and the expected escalation of fuel costs, cheap public transport will be a necessity in the next decade and beyond. The cities, forests and natural resources of North Idaho have been generous to the rail road companies by providing them with millions or billions of dollars in freight revenue. I challenge the rail companies to be a new partner in the future of our cities, please preserve the existing lines and resist the temptation to sell the rails for scrap. I also issue a challenge to our politicians both federal and state to work together as a team to ensure everything is done to preserve and develop the existing railway line. We also need the vision and help from our Gov. Butch Otter, his strength to succeed and love of our cities will be needed to get the job done.

The need for the cities of Post Fall and Coeur d'Alene to work together as a team to acquire the passenger rail link is paramount. Please remember, everything is possible with positive thought and the will to create a better life for your fellow citizens. I have not heard one valid reason why we can't establish a passenger/freight rail link to Post Falls and Spokane. The simple truth is it has been more important getting lumber in and out of our cities rather than people. The benefits to Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene would be huge; a single rail passenger service can carry as many passengers in a day as a four-lane highway. Put simply, less vehicles on our roads, less pollution, cheaper fares, less road maintenance and better winter safety than roads.

Connecting three cities would help their economies, enhance tourism and create a much more direct link to Spokane Airport. It is my opinion if Coeur d'Alene is to expand it's industrial base a rail link is imperative, we can't expect industry to come to an area where the transport of manufactured goods to major markets is cost restrictive. There is no current means of carrying freight or passengers that is more economical than rail, steel on steel, a much better deal!

If you also feel the need for a rail link or have a vision you want to share, please share it with your friends, politicians, city councilors and county commissioners. Please write to Burlington Northern and Union Pacific asking them to preserve the existing rail links. I would also ask those in our community who have already done a lot of work to preserve the lines to become more vocal and enlist our communities to help in your endeavors. I am glad to help in any way, please e-mail me at jocoota@yahoo.com. I would like to close by sharing my favorite saying, "Without change the miracles cannot happen."

John D. Coutts, Coeur d'Alene, with thanks to my friend Sam.