On May 28, 1937, right at 12-noon local time, the Golden Gate Bridge opened to vehicular traffic. The 1.7 mile long suspension bridge cost $35 million to build (several billion in current dollars) and was finished under budget and ahead of schedule. It had been considered an impossible project for several reasons. First, no one had ever built a bridge that long and big before, and they just weren’t sure it could be done. Second, for all of the people who were in favor of a bridge link between San Francisco and Marin County, plenty of others considered it a waste of resources or felt other bridge projects should come first. Third, where in the world was the money going to be found for this project?

I do hope you’ll drop in on this month’s TAMR column. Peter Maurath, one of the TAMR’s fine young members and a valued writer on our staff, catches some comments on Amtrak on the rebound of an earlier column. Many of them suggest that we build high-speed monorails to the airports and even consider them for intercity traffic. Peter wisely asks where the money will be found.

Where did the money come from to build the Golden Gate Bridge? It was, after all, in the crushing heart of the Great Depression, in 1933, when construction began. To fund the process, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly approved $35 million in bonds at a time when folks were standing in bread lines. People bought the bonds as investments, their money returned to them with a handsome interest. The cash raised from bond sales went out to purchase supplies and hire workers. Four years later, the bridge was finished.

Here’s the magic of this process. We all know that we pay about a dollar in taxes for every three dollars we earn. Interestingly, every dollar that the government puts into a project like this turns into three or more dollars of economic activity before it finally comes to rest in a savings account or is invested. So every dollar spent upon the bridge was drawn out of the government bond account, went out and generated three dollars or more of economic energy, and that paid off with a dollar in taxes. In short, the government got the dollar back, each and every one of them.

As a result, the Golden Gate Bridge was a free bridge. All of the bond investors got their money back with interest. Taxes were not raised on the citizens at either end of the bridge because it was being built. The quality of life was improved because the bridge was built, and it has been both a bridge and a landmark ever since. The bonds did not fund the operation and maintenance, however. Much of that is paid by the tolls charged to those who use the bridge.

So could we do that same thing today? Sure. There’s no reason why we couldn’t and every reason why we should. Hong Kong has a high-speed maglev monorail running between its new airport and downtown, and it is the pride of the city. The Chek Lap Kok Airport is located some 24 miles outside the main city. The airport was built on several thousand acres of land dredged up from the China Sea and is a completely modern facility. Trains operate every 10 minutes and only require 23 minutes to cover the distance. The traffic removed from the highways is significant.

This rail link is called the “Airport Express” and was designed as part of the original proposal, since this dramatically decreases the expensive and time-consuming automotive services required at the airport. High-speed passenger rail service to airports is a very important growth industry in America, one that we can afford, if we use the lessons of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Model railroaders can play a role in all of this. If you have a modern-day layout, consider adding a high-speed commuter line. Spend some time studying how modern high-speed lines are set up. There will be no diamonds or grade crossings, no turntables, no massive yards. Most of them are double-tracked and are either flying on elevated monorails above or plunged into tunnels below, and some do both.

Bachmann and other train makers are cooperating by producing models of existing high-speed equipment, though a model of a maglev has yet to appear on the mass market. My guess is that it would operate rather like a very long solenoid. For now, you’ll be operating trains on standard track, but in a nonstandard way.

As you do, you will have a chance to vision how the community of your model railroad is served by modern, high-speed rail. While you’re at it, do some research. For example, I looked up Portland’s MAX Light Rail system and found out some interesting things. When it was first built, they had “convenience” stops where there was little more than a parking lot, a bus stop, and not much else. Today, many years later, strip malls, shopping centers, apartment buildings, and much more have been built to take advantage of the light rail service.

This service also includes the airport. The total system is 38 miles of track and accounts for a half million operational miles every month; it stays busy! If you’d like to see how Portland’s MAX light rail system is set up, visit their web site at: www.trimet.org/max/index.htm

When I visited back in our nation’s capital, I enjoyed getting around on the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority’s “Metrorail.” On a given day, they may handle over 800,000 passengers! Small wonder it gets traveled so much; I found it quite easy to use. With 106 miles and 86 stations, it provides the spine for a larger transportation network. See: www.wmata.com/

As you begin to work high-speed commuter service into your layout, you will also come to appreciate how it would be placed into your real-life community. You will also have an excellent animated demonstration of how such a system could work. Imagine: model railroading preparing a person for community leadership!