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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 4, 2005 The first train to pull into Jacksonville was pulled by the �Tea Kettle� in 1891. A local engineer hopes to revive a light rail between Jacksonville and Medford. Train buff proposes light rail Plan would use federal grants to build a light-rail loop through Jacksonville and a line to downtown Medford By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE — A local train buff wants to take Jacksonville for a ride — back to its past. Engineer Craig Adams is working with city leaders to reanimate the town’s old railway system and give residents and visitors a taste of what used to be. Adams’ dual-phased plan would initially boost tourism and provide parking relief in Jacksonville, then offer light-rail transit between the town and downtown Medford. "We’d be restoring what we once had at one point in time," says Adams, referring to the Rogue Valley Railroad, which ran between Jacksonville and Medford from 1891 to the 1920s. "It used to come right down C Street," Adams says. Adams hopes to use federal transportation grants to create a light-rail system which will benefit the economy and reduce traffic woes — especially during busy tourism times. Beginning at the old C Street station, the train would make a loop out to the Little League fields on Jacksonville Highway, where it would pick up Britt passengers at a proposed 1,000-car parking lot at the back of the park, he says. Advertisement "People could take (the train) in to Britt. That loop would be about a mile and a half to serve the tourists," says Adams. Adams says removing car traffic from downtown streets would benefit the environment, too. "(The Britt season) is the worst time of year to be idling around town, especially on hot days," says Adams. City Administrator Paul Wyntergreen says he’s intrigued by Adams’ plan. "It’s green, it’s clean and no one’s against it," says Wyntergreen. "There’s an interesting synergy to this plan." Phase one could add other recreational opportunities, such as creation of a wetlands, with the help of land swaps with private property owners, the Medford Irrigation District and others, Wyntergreen says. The town would take over the irrigation district’s old storage lagoons to create the wetlands and expand the area to include a recreational lake, he says. Adams is still investigating rights of way for the creation of a light-rail system between Medford and Jacksonville. But initial inquiries are looking promising, he says. "It appears we still own some of the rights of way. We’d be running from Jacksonville to Medford proper," says Adams. "There have been proposals to run light rail from Ashland to Grants Pass for years." Adams says some of the light-rail system could be paid for by public transportation funds. The system would be similar to Portland’s mass transit system. "A lot of the time we pay taxes and it goes out of our area. Portland has had more than their fare share of money," says Adams. The history of the old system has been preserved through photographs and records. Most of the photos were taken by Peter Britt’s son, Emil, Adams says. One famous photo depicting the Number One Locomotive is in "This is Railroading." That book and that engine caught Adams’ attention at age 6 and helped cement a lifelong passion. "I’m a bona fide train buff," says Adams. "I’m also a history buff. (Jacksonville’s rail history) is very well known because of photos of a little locomotive pulling this huge car. As a kid, I fell in love with that engine." Adams says he was excited to learn the original locomotive is still operating in California. He is trying to persuade the current owner to return it to Jacksonville. "We’re trying to get the Southern California owner to trade with us for a new engine," says Adams. In addition to the old engine, there are other physical remnants of Jacksonville’s old rail system, including tracks unearthed and placed in storage during the town’s $3.5 million Highway 238 reconstruction project last year. Many more tracks are still buried under city streets, says Adams. Adams is sold on the energy efficiency of light rail. Portland’s system is a "step above" the light-rail system, he says. And Amtrak is heavy-rail, says Adams. "Light rail is the most efficient way to haul people around. Anyone who’s ever lived where there was an efficient trolley system knows how efficient they are," he says. "The train’s speed would top at 14 miles an hour, with an average speed of 8 miles an hour. The whole idea is not to go fast, go safe." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail Train buff proposes light rail ">[email protected] . 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