Last month, I attended the premiere of “From Rails to Trails.” at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in Washington, D.C. The documentary is now available on pbs.org and airing from time to time on broadcast.

Edward Norton narrates the story of one of the most unlikely social movements in American history: the struggle to convert thousands of miles of abandoned railroads into trails for cycling and walking. Facing fierce opposition and legal challenges from private property owners, leaders fought to reclaim these corridors for the public, creating a national network of scenic, car-free paths.

I enjoyed learning about the history of rail trails and seeing some familiar trails. I came away with a new appreciation for Tommy Thompson, former Wisconsin governor too. It’s an important film when the current administration shows hostility to anything that provides a public service. My favorite rail trail, the W&OD¹, is featured prominently. It was one of the early ones, providing an important proof of concept for policy makers.

The Rails to Trails Conservancy² is profiled. Their review of the doc: “From Rails to Trails”: The Origin Story of America’s Beloved Pathways.

There is a book as well which I’m looking forward to reading.

More coverage

• New PBS documentary to highlight W&OD Trail and other rail-to-trail conversions – Fairfax Now
• Edward Norton Reveals His Passion for Converting Old Railways to Public Trails Started with His Father – People³

Footnotes

1. It celebrated it’s 50^th anniversary last year. I have a half-written blog post about it, but never finished. Perhaps I’ll finish it up some time. ↩︎
2. I applied for a job there a decade ago, but didn’t hear back. ↩︎
3. Perhaps the only time I’ll ever link to this publication. ↩︎