Rail Wreck 

Editor:

In his letter of July 26, "Railbanking Sham," Mr. Mitchell seems to believe that restoring rail travel will be as simple as putting trains back on existing tracks. He writes, "It would be a tragedy to see this 100-year-old asset simply vanish due to unnecessary destruction of the railway."

All one has to do is walk the tracks between Eureka and Arcata to see that the rails are rusted and the ties disintegrating. No train could run on those tracks as is -- the entire line would have to be torn up and replaced no matter what. So, why not use the path as a trail until such time as trains run again?

Edward "Buzz" Webb, McKinleyville