Popping Out Of Tunnel 5 At first it seems a bit ungainly and dare I say ugly, but after a bit it really does kind of grow on you. I imagine this is how fans felt in 1949 when they gazed at the first Budd RDC polishing the high iron. I probably should have titled this photo "Can you believe I get paid to do this!?" On Thursday the 29th the U.S. Forest Service needed to take a dozen people in to inspect their construction sites at Spencer and Grandview where they are building a series of "whistle stops" and trails only accessible by rail. Since I hadn't been in there in a while I was real interested to see the progress as this is a real exciting project that should draw a lot more people to the railroad. Also, I talked to the Alaska Railroad's head of passenger marketing about doing some promotional shots of the DMU for future railroad Public Relations use since we weren't on a schedule and there were no conflicting train movements. All in all, a great day out on the railroad visiting with employees, our Forest Service partners, and enjoying the stunning fall scenery. For those interested in a bit more detail, this particular spot is the southernmost of five tunnels that come in quick succession between MP 52.7 and 51.8. After exiting this last and final tunnel on the on the southward climb trains immediately cross the gorge over the Placer River on a 133 foot deck truss bridge all while climbing a steady 2.1% grade. Addendum: alas the propulsion system just wasn't up to the task and the Glacier Discovery became much more popular and outgrew the seat capacity of 751 alone so while it remains in daily service today it is only used as a cab control car on the expanded locomotive hauled train that makes this run all summer long. Near Tunnel Station |
