The Sign Says It All While the sign serves as warning to motorists on the parallel Seward Highway, it is equally appropriate for the railroad. On this cold clear winter morning the Alaska Railroad (ARR) dispatched a "snow fleet" work extra consisting of two GP40-2s pushing Harsco/Jordan Spreader 9 south to Portage to begin opening up the railroad to Seward. The southern end of the ARR's mainline had been out of service since the last coal train ran but was being prepped for some lumber trains from Seward later in the month. There is no snow to move here as they roll over the causeway at about MP 68.6 between Girdwood and Portage but in another dozen or so miles they will be deep into it cleaning the pass through the Kenai Mountains over Grandview Summit. North of Portage, Alaska |