News stories tagged with "batten-kill"

(12/08/05) The governor announced this week that state will spend $40 million on upgrading rail lines. A third of that money will go to the North Country--some for short connector lines. One of those is the Batten Kill, in Washington County. The Batten Kill will receive $1 million for track rehabilitation. When Ronald Crowd took over the Batten Kill 20 years ago, it was nearly dead. Now he and his six employees run 40,000 tons of feed, fertilizer and logs along the 35 miles of track. The Batten Kill still hasn't turned a profit. And it's not just the business that's a challenge. Ron Crowd contracted polio when he was two. He uses a wheelchair. As he told Gregory Warner, that's where owning his own train comes in very handy. more