Matanuska water tank, the only one with two spouts. The 550 class locomotive is on the Palmer/Chicaloon branch and the other 550 class locomotive to the left is on the same track. The main line to Wasilla and up to Fairbanks is in the foreground of the tank. Photo dates after 1944 and before 1958. Fall colors indicate September or October and the view is North East with Lazy Mountain in the background.
Another excellent view of the Matanuska water tank. Fairbanks to the left and Palmer, Janesville and Sutton to the right. 550 class steamers waiting clearance to return to Anchorage.
The town of Nenana grew up around the depot in the center of the photo. The warehouses and the fuel tank farm served the River Boats on the Tanana River that connected to the Yukon down stream to the right. The namesake Nenana River comes in from the South and can be seen in the background in this photo taken from the grade at the end of the Mears Memorial bridge that takes the ARR across the river just up steam of the town. There was no highway connection to Nenana in those days.
The Alaska Railroad riverboat NENANA at the town of Nenana facing up stream on the Tanana River. If you look close you can see the approach to the Mears Memorial bridge just off the bow of the boat. Looks like it is getting a new coat of red lead paint after about 50 years in service. Shadows are coming from due west indicating this is the height of summer and probably between 8 and 10 pm. The pipe down the edge of the dock was for delivering fuel oil to barges and boats. I believe the Nenana had been converted to oil by 1950. Curt Lind at left.
Paddle wheel of the Nenana River boat which was the largest on the interior rivers of Alaska and the Yukon. She is preserved today at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks.
The town of Nenana was regularly flooded in late summer (August usually) with the rising waters of the Tanana River. Here at the right is the clock tower that sets out on the ice in the spring to trip the time for the Nenana Ice Classic. The warm tone and shadows indicate this is about 11:30 p.m. as the sun dips toward the horizon. Tanana River Bridge Bridge 413.7 in the background
Another view of the Riverboat Alice with a fuel barge headed up the Tanana River above the town of Nenana. The ALICE was much smaller than the NENANA and you can tell the difference even at a distance by just counting the windows on the main deck. Also the proportion of the stern wheel to the hight of the deck on the Alice is smaller.
River Boat Nenana underway up river from Nenana with a fuel barge. There were several communities such as Galena and McGrath that had military airfields built in anticipation of WWII that were supported by regular deliveries by the River Boats operated by the Alaska Railroad. Notice the native cemetery on the hill in the background.
Looks like a view of Fairbanks looking South across the Chena River. Denali can just be made out in the haze at about 1 o’clock.
Section house at Eklutna looking Railroad North or real East. You can just make out the old CAA three tower antenna array on the hay flats. The square box structure to the left is an enclosed water tower. This is after 1948 because that is when they got the 52 foot box cars converted from Troop Cars. When basements went under section houses it was usually done at the expense of the family that was living there at the time. One of the benefits of being a Section Forman was housing but the ARR had no budget for improvements and no objection to a DIY project.
The aftermath of locomotive 801 with a gravel train running into the back half of a North bound freight train at the South end of the Nenana Yard. All the gore is documented elsewhere. No one died but 801 and a nearly brand new Pacific Foundry steel caboose were destroyed. That strange looking ALCO is an RSD1 converted to four wheel trucks. The high arch narrow cab gives it away as a military surplus locomotive built for close clearances.
Clean up after the wreck of Locomotive 801 at the South end of the Nenana Yard.
Another view of ALCO RSD1 #1002 with the 4 wheel truck conversion. Love that bell. Curt Lind is in locomotive cab.
The plane is owned by the engineer named Buck. He and his wife both have planes and fly out of Curry some place. It’s a beautiful 4place Stinson. They went to warm up the plane. He says they’re leaving for Fairbanks the next day where it’s 40 below. He also says he wants to learn to fly someday! And he took lessons and got to fly in 1980 when we lived in Alaska.
Cessna 150? on one of of many gravel strips along the railroad in the Broad Pass area. Possibly Cantwell. Curt Lind in photo.
Unidentified tricycle gear airplane. Curt Lind in photo.
Unidentified tricycle gear airplane.
This is the front section of the Mt McKinley Lodge served by the Alaska Railroad and the Denali Highway (sort of a highway, lets call it a gravel road). During WWII it was an R&R site for the Military and then was operated by concessionaires for the Park Service.
Mainline looking North somewhere south of Cantwell. Section house and water tower in the distance.
Late fall at Mt McKinley Park (now Denali) This shows the hotel complex behind the lodge entrance.
Rock slide at the North entrance to the Garner Tunnel MP 356.2. Lets just call it rotten stone which was always weathering away. That rock outcrop guarded the North end of the Nenana Canyon and was a constant problem until it was finally blasted away and the tunnel daylighted.
Looking South over the Hurricane Gulch Bridge mid morning with the shadows on the down stream side of the bridge. Notice the water barrels on the platforms that also support the telecom cross bars and insulators.
Another train shadow in the gulch under the Hurricane Bridge. We assume it was taken from the caboose.
Overhead view from Hurricane Gulch bridge.
Midday photos that capture the shadow of your train crossing the Hurricane Bridge.
From the shoulder of the railroad right of way looking generally North North West at the railroad facilities at Healy Alaska. Structures from the left to right are the two stall engine house, RR Hotel, Section Gang cottages and a small Fairbanks Morse coaling tower for filling locomotive tenders. The yard here made up the coal trains headed North to Fairbanks and the military bases at Fort Wainwright and Ladd Field. At the far North End of the yard the track looped down to the lower bench along the river and came back South to this crossing of the Nenana River. The tracks continued up grade from there to the Suntrana tipple where hoppers were loaded with coal from the Usibelli coal mine. Today on the river bottom to the right of the bridge are two coal fired power plants. Taken from the Main line. Bridge is on the Suntrana Branch (Formerly known as Healy River Coal Spur) Br. D-1.0
Nenana River south of McKinley Park.
Somewhere along the Nenana Canyon.
Just south of Windy going north about MP323 the snow covered mountain is Panorama Mountain.
Look closely or you will miss the subject of interest in this expanse of late fall scenery. That is a 400 class Consolidation pulling a pretty good string of cars, assuming the photographer is on the same train. Looks like a Hart Convertible Gon, an outside braced box car and at least two Pullman troop sleepers still in OD paint. Between Chulitna and Hurricane. Mt. McKinley is faintly showing in the background.
Great pose of a red head in red suit and red shoes! The Conductor did not have much to do on this train other than entertain the travelers. The 214 had just been rebuilt in 1948 to receive that new gold and blue paint job. The Brill was accompanied by a trailer on most runs, as it is here.Brill 214 was operated between McKinley Park and Fairbanks during Summer Season (See Prince’s book Page 783).
No idea who the resident Section Foreman was at Gold Creek but the family obviously took great pride in their section house accommodations. Good looking Park Service Green paint with white trim was the standard on the railroad from 1923 until modernization in 1948. The window screens, flower boxes and the candy stripe window awnings were not issued by the Alaska Railroad as there was no budget for such frills. This just demonstrates that your little acre of heaven is just a frame of mind and the ambition to enjoy life where ever you find yourself. From Gold Creek the only connection to the world was the railroad.
Best guess is headed South from Broad Pass.
A pair of GP 49 units at a grade crossing. These 2800 HP units were new in 1983 so we can date this photo as much later that the previous shots in this collection.
Consist behind the GP49’s (in previous photo) was a mixed bag of passenger equipment. Possibly at the Sunshine grade crossing near the Susitna River.
Going north in Healy Canyon just south of Moody tunnel MP352.
Same late season vegetation same timber on the slopes.
Caboose is one of five all steel cabooses #1022 to 1026 built new in 1946. Curt Lind standing second from left.
Caboose 1065 was built 3-1949 by PC&F. The location is Healy yard. The buildings behind the caboose are two Railroad owned duplexes.
Somewhere in the Broad Pass area this MOW train is headed up by a steam engine. Right behind the loco is a large track mounted shovel on a flat car. It appears to be moving to a new work site with a string of well used Hart Convertible Gondolas and a menagerie of odd gone. The car in the foreground has seen better days as a result of that shovel banging away on it. This is after 1948 because they are already using a Pullman Troop sleeper as a camp car. Notice the telecom lines along the ridge line. In those days there were no roads in this area. Is that white line going across the swamp a pipeline just laid on the ground?
Summit Lake northbound MP 314. The MOW ballast train.
Between Chulitna and Hurricane.
Climbing the hill from Chulitna up to Hurricane, the mountain is Denali, MP 273 to MP 277. MOW crews with empty Hart Convertible Gons and a Jordan spreader tow headed back to the pit. These were wood gondolas with floor decks that could be configured to dump between the rails or outside the rails. These are empty and appear to be configured to dump between the rails where the Jordan spreader could then plow it out to the final grade.
Climbing the hill from Chulitna up to Hurricane, the mountain is Denali, MP 273 to MP 277. More of the MOW ballast train and we now see there are two Jordan Spreaders, one facing each direction in the consist with a caboose at the end. The photographer was able to take photos 38,39 and 40 from the roof or control cab of the trailing Jordan Spreader. 41 is clearly taken from the top of the caboose.
More of the MOW ballast train and we now see there are two Jordan Spreaders, one facing each direction in the consist with a caboose at the end. The photographer was able to take photos 38,39 and 40 from the roof or control cab of the trailing Jordan Spreader. 41 is clearly taken from the top of the caboose.
Here they are preparing the ARR C5 shovel for a short move. We can hope it is a short move if they plan to leave the boom and bucket up in the air. This machine and the cat are both cable operated, no hydraulics. The flat at least is a heavy duty car with 6 wheel trucks, but with both vehicles setting over the trucks it still a marginal load. Notice there are two people on the car deck probably setting chocks. The cut bank in the back ground appears to be the source of the gravel being loaded out.Great shot of X-3200 75 ton capacity heavy duty flatcar Built for the US Army Transportation Corps. Acquired in 1950 by the ARR as 2nd #5570, became work car X-3200.
Sure enough, that is 406, a consolidation leading the work extra with an old wooden caboose # 1023 which had been built on a steel frame for snow fleet use. X1901 is one of the Troop Cars received in 1948, still running the Allied Full Cushion trucks. Caboose 1023 one of five all steel cabooses #1022 to 1026 built new in 1946. These were ARR's first all steel cabooses. (The snow fleet cabooses that the ARR built that Pat refers to were # 1021 to 1021).
The suspension bridge was built across the Susitna River at Curry to allow access to the trail leading uphill to the right. That trail lead up the ridge to the Observation Hut in photo 50. The bridge is obviously in need of some repair. Today the only trace is some concrete foundations where the towers were on the Curry side. The cables were back stayed by being connected into several 55 gallon drums of concrete that were buried as anchors.
View back toward the Susitna River from the Observation Hut. You can just make out the railroad right of way on the far bank of the River.
Curry Lookout hut on top of Curry Ridge (formerly Camp Regalvista) See wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry Lookout - Curry was for many years an overnight stop along the Susitna River for Passenger trains. The Curry Hotel was the center of activity for the railroad employees and visitors. Curt Lind in photo.
Another view from the Observation hut. Curt Lind in photo.
This ugly duckling was number 1050, the first attempt to modify an ex-army RSD-1 into a “stream lined” locomotive. It was a proof of concept and fortunately the follow on units built by Puget Sound Tug and Barge were ruggedly handsome. Under the sheet metal the original RSD-1 controls were moved from one side to the other so the locos could run short nose forward.
Unidentified Section House and siding.
This is a Pacific Car and Foundry built caboose at an unidentified location.
Unidentified young man on the hill side trail going up Government Hill at Anchorage. The Emard Cannery is just over his left shoulder. The photo is post war as there is a quonset hut above the building in the railroad yard. Ship Creek meanders among the mud flats out to Cook Inlet.Anchorage from Government Hill. The warehouses on the left are “Loctwall” prefabricated Warehouses 40’ x 100’ erected in 1949. Erecting Instructions for the warehouses was received in the office of the Chief Engineer on December 2, 1948.Curt Lind in photo.
Early winter view of well maintained grade taken from the top of a caboose. Northbound about MP 400.
ALCO 1076, the more handsome brother of 1050, is making a flag stop to pick up passengers in the out back. These locomotives came into service in 1949.
Engine facility at Healy Alaska with the two stall engine house, water tower and a stiff leg crane. The tank cars on the left are USATC 10,000 gallon tanks used to move fuel from Whittier to Fort Wainwright and Ladd Field later Eielson AFB out of Fairbanks. Date is after 1948 when the ARR structures were repainted from Park Service Green and White to tan with brown trim.Healy roundhouse. On May 10, 1952 the 250 by 50-foot roundhouse at Healy was destroyed by fire, along with 2 diesel locomotives, a large crane, a railroad ambulance and tools and other equipment.
Another MOW movement with a Jordan Spreader and a steam locomotive on both ends of the movement. The string of equipment is a mystery as they just do not look like ballast cars.
