What's New - 2024 Archive
 Modeling: Rick and John do some tinkering on my HO Alaska Railroad layout. - 10/31/24 |
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557 Info: The October Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 10/30/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Sunrise at Windy Point - 10/28/24 |
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| Where Are They Now?: Ron Simpson provides some interior photos of caboose 1091. Watch for the refurbishment process to begin in 2025. - 10/25/24 |
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| Rosters: Many thanks to our research ferret Dick Morris for the Timber bridge history booklet and the wreck of #556. - 10/25/24 |
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| Modeling: Barge guardrail completion plus track and locomotive wheel cleaning on my HO Alaska Railroad layout. - 10/24/24 |
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| Film: Runaway Train: Many thanks to Rhys Davies for YouTube links to B-roll footage. - 10/24/15 |
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| News: ARRC Locomotive Utilization Reliability Audit - 10/24/24 |
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| News: Rail Grinder and Union Pacific locomotives head south - 10/24/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Denali National Park - Elephant Style - 10/21/24 |
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| Modeling: Guardrail and tunnel wall work continues on my HO Alaska Railroad layout. - 10/17/24 |
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| Rosters: William A. Gibson Jr. photo of Train 8 1514-1512 with Tanana Valley #1. - 10/16/24 |
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| News: Whittier Terminal Master Plan Update - 10/16/24 |
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| Rosters: William A. Gibson Jr. photo of RSD1 #1001. - 10/15/24 |
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| News: Alaska Railroad is taking bids for the purchase of a new recovery crane hi-rail truck - 10/15/24 |
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| Where Are They Now?: Whistle Hill acquires troop kitchen car #0020 and box car #10635. - 10/15/24 |
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| Rosters: Thanks a million to Paul Duncan who sent me 48 photos by William A. Gibson Jr. I'll put them online as time allows. Here are a few to whet your whistle - 5/23 Ton #50/#51, 2-8-0 #561 (existing, but new image was twice the size), RSD1 #1031 and RF1A #1074. - 10/14/24 |
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| Video: Cy TwoElk caught the LORAM rail grinder at Spenard on October 12. - 10/14/24 |
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| Video: Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! I've been waiting for this one. Off-grider Robert Nelson shares his Experience the REAL Alaska Railroad Flag Stop Life! - 10/14/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: A side order of Hurricane Gulch - 10/14/24 |
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| News: LORAM rail grinder arrives - 10/10/24 |
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| Admin: In June my oncologist determined my cancer had metastasized to my right lung. In the past week I've had five radiation treatments which should have killed these cancer cells. I've got a CT scan in January and this should confirm I am clear. I've been battling cancer for 11 years and figure it will be back again for another ass whooping. - 10/10/24 |
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| Modeling: Culvert work continues on my HO Alaska Railroad layout. Rick spent most of the evening cleaning wheels and track plus rewiring his video railcar. - 10/10/24 |
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| Historical News: Historical researcher Dick Morris passes along this 1936 news article entitled, "All Trains Are Stopped By Lack of Funds." - 10/8/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: The Denali Star passes through a canyon of fall leaves. - 10/7/24 |
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| Rosters: Rusty Wendlandt captures GP38 #2001 in the Anchorage Yard. - 10/6/24 |
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| News: A Guide to Taking the Alaska Railroad, From Where to Hop Off to What Routes to Take. - 10/6/24 |
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| Modeling: Scenery work continues on my HO Alaska Railroad layout. Guardrails, culverts and flower pots are in the works. Rick also snagged new video of the tunnel interior. - 10/5/24 |
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| Where Are They Now?: Ron Simpson has purchased caboose 1091 and is in the process of moving it. - 10/2/24 |
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| News: Troop Kitchen car prepares to Move from Seward to Soldotna. - 10/2/24 |
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| Admin: After seeing the devastation from Hurricane Helene, I decided I needed to take action. I sent a sizable donation to the American Red Cross's Hurricane Helena relief fund. You may want to consider doing the same. - 9/30/24 |
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557 Info: The September Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 9/30/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Dylan Robert at MP-G24 on the ARRC's Eielson Branch. - 9/30/24 |
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| Rosters: Nothing speaks sunshine better than the shiny gold and blue locomotives on a beautiful Alaskan day. Pictured here by Rusty Wendlandt is a work train traveling north through Wasilla. - 9/25/24 |
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| Links: Just in case you missed it, here is Bill O'Leary's presentation on 100 years of Delivering for Alaska – The Alaska Railroad Past, Present, and Future. - 9/29/24 |
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| Admin: After seeing the devastation from Hurricane Helene, I decided I needed to take action. I sent a sizable donation to the American Red Cross's Hurricane Helena relief fund. You may want to consider doing the same. - 9/28/24 |
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| News: Wasilla Intermodal Facilities: Alternatives Analysis - 9/28/24 |
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| Modeling: Fascia repair, culvert installation, tunnel painting and guard rail building on my HO Alaska Railroad layout. - 9/26/24 |
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| Rosters: Thomas Brooks provides some information regarding pony truss bridges plus a nice photo of the Glacier Discovery at Bird Creek. - 9/25/24 |
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| Rosters: Mike Gerenday shares an undated photo of caboose 1068. - 9/25/24 |
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| Rosters: “If I could lick the sunset, I’ll bet it would taste like Neapolitan ice cream.” – Jarod Kintz. Check out Rusty Wendlandt's beautiful Anchorage sunset along the rails. - 9/25/24 |
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| Rosters: The final three photos in Frank Keller's short Seward freight series. - 9/25/24 |
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Features: Railfan Lodging: The Train Wreck complex is finally coming to an end. As can be seen in the photo, the wooden deck is being demolished and eventually the train cars will be moved. - 9/25/24 |
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| Video: Ex Cotton Belt GP60 Loads Alaska RR Dock & More Seattle Trains! - 9/24/24 |
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| Rosters: Fabulous! Fabulous! Fabulous! I love this latest Frank Keller photo, entitled short Seward freight. The subject matter and background are absolutely striking! Also, check out the companion photo, short Seward freight at Snow River Bridge. - 9/23/24 |
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| News: Little trains, big smiles: Alaska Central Railroad, 55 years chugging along & tracks of memories - 9/23/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Bill Hess's aerial view of a freight train with helper UP and ex-KCS locomotives. - 9/23/24 |
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| Video: Robert Nelson's Crumudge Inn Alaska YouTube channel has gone viral with 12,400 subscribers. His current video, CRAZY, Remote Homestead Winter Supply Run EVER!, has 306,000 views and 1,100 comments. Make sure and check this video out! - 9/22/24 |
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| Rosters: Many thanks to HFM Historical Society for sending confirmation of GE Hornell rebuilt passenger cars. - 9/19/24 |
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| Video: Graham Zielinski captures three trains at Birchwood on 9/18/24 - a freight with ARR 4003, UP 4479, ARR 4006 and ex-KCS 3946, HEX passenger and a load of hoppers. - 9/19/24 |
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| Modeling: Work began on extending the Boy Scout camp stream to the fascia on my HO Alaska Railroad layout. - 9/19/24 |
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| News: Alaska Railroad's Kids Halloween Train - 9/18/24 |
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| News: The Alaska Railroad's Catch A Train photo contest - 9/18/24 |
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| Rosters: As you might recall, the Wasilla depot was moved to a new location in preparation for a larger transit center. Bill Hess's aerial Wasilla Train Station Enhancement Progress Report photo helps to put this in clearer perspective. - 9/18/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Healy yard HEX - 9/16/24 |
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| Rosters: A pair of Frank Keller photos - centennial unit brings the Denali Star northbound at Talkeetna and first fall in Alaska. - 9/15/24 |
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| Rosters: Here is my last post for the day. It is a eye popping killer shot by the master, Frank Keller. A lengthy, by Seward standards, 110N off the barge in Seward traverses 20 Mile Slough. This one is for you, Jeff McCrea. - 9/12/24 |
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| Rosters: In this rare photo at K&K Recycling's spur, Dylan Robert captures GP38-2's 2007 and 2008. I believe this is the only photo on this website of K&K Recycling. - 9/12/24 |
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| Rosters: Andrew Packee gets a roll by of SD70MAC #3909 while on the Denali Star pulling into Fairbanks. - 9/12/24 |
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| Rosters: Bill Hess is shocked to see both a Circle K and a UP locomotive in Wasilla. - 9/12/24 |
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| Rosters: Robert Krol catches MK ballast hoppers and caboose 1069E at Portage. - 9/12/24 |
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| News: First ship arrives at the new dock at the Head of the Bay in Whittier - 9/12/24 |
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| News: New terminal in Whittier port provides opportunities for locals and tourists - 9/12/24 |
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| Modeling: Rick added more tunnel lining under the mountain while John did some light scenery repair work on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 9/12/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: I spy UP. - 9/9/24 |
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| Rosters: Vernon Carlson catches a disabled #4010 in Cantwell. - 9/8/24 |
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| Rosters: Dan Garvey shares photos of MP #1552, #1554 and caboose #1092. - 9/8/24 |
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| Video: Sam Foster's video of the Fairbanks Coal Train. - 9/8/24 |
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| News: 2024 Alaska Railroad Open House ~ Fairbanks - 9/6/24 |
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| Modeling: If 1 is good then 2 should be better. This American way thinking lead to 4 SD70s pulling a 74-car train. Super train! During train night Rick did additional work on the curve under the mountain on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 9/5/24 |
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| Video: Robert Krol's video verifies ex-KCS #3909 has escaped the Anchorage yard and is working a barge in Whittier. - 9/4/24 |
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| Rosters: Deane Motis's photo of F7 #1530and GP7 #1810. - 9/2/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Ex-KCS SD70MAC #3909 is alive and switching freight in the Anchorage yard. - 9/2/24 |
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| Rosters: Check out Dave Blazejewski's Palmer Branch Passenger, Dylan Robert's GP38-2’s 2007 and 2006 with track geometry car and 17 empty coal hoppers and Frank Keller's three yard motors as power for the Whittier-Anchorage Freight. - 9/1/24 |
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557 Info: The August Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 9/1/24 |
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| Video: Robert Krol catches a southbound freight train as it enters the Anton Anderson Tunnel on its way to Whittier. Heads up! This video is 1.83GB. - 9/1/24 |
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| Rosters: My favorite bridge has always been the one at TwentyMile. Railfanning at this bridge has now gotten a lot easier as there is now a walkway allowing for safe photography. Thanks to Robert Krol for sending photos of the walkway as well as a train crossing TwentyMile bridge. - 9/1/24 |
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| Video: Steve Katkus catches GP40 #3015 pulling the train to the Alaska State Fair. - 9/1/24 |
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| Where Are They Now?: Looks like someone purchased caboose 1070. Does anyone have any details? - 9/1/24 |
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| Route Map: Thanks to Robert Krol for current photos at the Norwegian Cruise Line dock and terminal being built in Whittier. - 9/1/24 |
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| Modeling: Super Rick replaced the kinked curve on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 8/30/24 |
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| Video: Robert Krol sent us some Whittier videos where UP #4479 is assisting the locomotive line up moving freight. These videos were taken August 17, 18 and 21. - 8/27/24 |
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| Rosters: Ex-KCS SD70MAC #3909 playing peek-a-boo in the Anchorage yard. - 8/27/24 |
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| Admin: What! No website updates for the past two weeks! Is John dead? Maybe if you play his record backwards, it will say "John is dead." Well, no such luck. I've just been on vacation through the northeast U.S. and Canada. Now, time to get back to work on the website. - 8/27/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Enjoy the next three Pictures of the Week. - 8/12/24 |
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| Rosters: Frank Keller catches one of the leased UP locomotives helping move freight north at Matanuska. - 8/11/24 |
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| Where Are They Now?: Many thanks to Dan Garvey for the wonderful photo of the former espresso shop #1776. - 8/11/24 |
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| Rosters: Robert Krol breaks out his digital SLR and snaps a cluster pf photos of the Denali Express in Whittier. - 8/11/24 |
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| Where Are They Now?: David Smith adds more photos of ex-ARR 25 ton #50. - 8/11/24 |
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| Rosters: Wasilla photographer Bill Hess gives us a little hopper car infinity as well as warning us about the Lake Lucille Alaska lake shark. - 8/10/24 |
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| Admin: Did you know that if it weren't for rock and roll this web page would be infinitesimally small? Dumping down my albums, cassettes and CDs to the computer has given me a 3,100 song playlist that runs continuously whenever I am creating and maintaining web content. I believe 90% of my brain is composed of rock and roll song lyrics. I just thought you'd like to know that fact. - 8/10/24 |
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| Rosters: ARR 3002/UP 4193/ARR 2005 ready to pull the freight from Whittier to Anchorage. - 8/10/24 |
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| Rosters: The prolific Robert Krol provides us with a baker's dozen of Whittier happenings in early August. - 8/10/24 |
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| Rosters: Just remember there is no smoking allowed on the train. Robert Krol's photo captures several fuel rich locomotives. - 8/10/24 |
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| Rosters: If only I had wings. Frank Keller catches this ridiculously good photo of the southbound Denali Star bypassing the old Garner Tunnel. - 8/10/24 |
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| Video: Robert Krol waits as ARR GP40 3002, UP SD70 4193 and ARR GP38 2005 pulls freight through a crossing on a rainy day in Whittier. - 8/9/24 |
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| Rosters: Robert Krol also grabs some photos of UP SD70 4193 in Whittier. - 8/9/24 |
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| Rosters: A video of ex-KCS SD70MAC #3909 rolling off the barge in Whittier. - 8/8/24 |
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| Modeling: Taking a new direction on fixing the rail kink on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 8/8/24 |
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| Rosters: People: Cat McGlashan shared this photo of her grandpa “Gene” Eugene Kiely. - 8/7/24 |
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| Historical: In 2022 Sue Wilson sold her railcars at The Aurora Express to Chena Hot Springs. Kerri Elan stumbled upon it and grabbed a few photos. - 8/6/24 |
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| Historical: Here are photos collected by Mary Bryan in Seward. Can anyone add information to any of the photos? - 8/6/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Red and yellow, rust and dust. - 8/5/24 |
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| Video: Troy Gladle captures drone video of the Seward coal loader before it gets torn down forever. . - 8/4/24 |
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| Rosters: Frank Keller's stellar photo of a northbound freight from Seward to Anchorage crosses the bridge between Upper and Lower Trail Lakes on a beautiful day. - 8/2/24 |
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| Modeling: Micro Trains is taking orders for an N scale 3-pack set of heavyweight passenger cars. Delivery is expected January 2025. - 8/3/24 |
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| News: Alaska Railroad OKs purchase of new Seward cruise port backed by agreement with Royal Caribbean - 8/2/24 |
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| Rosters: Union Pacific leased unit #4269 as part of a Maintenance of Way (MoW) train. - 8/2/24 |
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| Modeling: Tackling a curve rail kink on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 8/2/24 |
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557 Info: The July Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 7/28/24 |
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| Video: Steve Katkus spots the northbound freight complete with two SD70MACs (DPU) in the middle. - 7/30/24 |
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| Rosters: Maintenance of Way (MoW) tie replacement crew. - 7/29/24 |
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| News: The ex-KCS SD70MACs have arrived in Whittier. - 7/29/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Heading to Curry to load rip rap. - 7/29/24 |
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557 Info: The July Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 7/28/24 |
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| Route Map: Thanks to Robert Krol for a current photo of the ramp connecting the floating dock to land at the Norwegian Cruise Line dock and terminal being built in Whittier. - 7/25/24 |
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| Video: Robert Krol catches the DEX and MEX waiting to leave Whittier. The 9 car Dex is the biggest of the summer. - 7/25/24 |
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| Modeling: Rick replaces a section of track south of TwentyMile and squashes yet another SD70MAC bug on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 7/25/24 |
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| News: Added Deane Motis's photos of the ex-KCS SD70MACs arriving in Seattle. - 7/24/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: GP40 #3001 suspended. - 7/22/24 |
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| Rosters: Rusty Wendlandt with a Healy bound coal train at the Ferry bridge. - 7/21/24 |
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| Rosters: With bony cold white fingers grasping his camera, Dave Blazejewski declares. "Now THAT Is Cold!" - 7/19/24 |
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| News: KCS SD70MACs arrive in Seattle. - 7/19/24 |
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| Rosters: Joey Boerner spies with his little eye, a Union Pacific SD70M #4479 in Seward. Frank Keller spies with his little drone, a Union Pacific SD70M #4479 along Turnagain Arm. And some kind (and anonymous) individual sent me a photo of UP #4193. Oh, she's looking a little rough! - 7/18/24 |
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| Modeling: Indiana grandsons again serve as guest engineers, each running their own fantasy train. Jackie finishes her Flower Field while Rick continues to tweak the SD70MACs on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 7/18/24 |
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| Rosters: Someone told me they wanted to see more freight trains. Frank Keller and his magical drone capture a freight along Turnagain Arm at Indian. - 7/17/24 |
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| Rosters: Dylan Robert captures #4328 leading the Coastal Classic passenger train as it races North along the shores of Turnagain Arm. - 7/17/24 |
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| Rosters: UP SD70M #4479 in Seward as part of a freight consist. - 7/16/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Fresh photo of southbound Denali Star at Happy. - 7/15/24 |
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| Rosters: Boxcar #10808, Seattle, 1970. - 7/14/24 |
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| Video: Mike Ferguson sent us two videos from Happy - the southbound Denali Star and a freight train. - 7/14/24 |
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| Rosters: Spirit of Fairbanks, leaving Fairbanks on July 13, 2024. - 7/14/24 |
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| Freight/Passenger: Locomotive crane #23 from the 1950s. - 7/11/24 |
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| Rosters: Former ARR locomotive engineer Steve Drassler got this photo of MRS-1 #1714. When the locomotive arrived, it still had US Navy numbering. The railroad changed it to 570 and eventually 1714. This is the first time I've seen it numbered 70. - 7/11/24 |
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| Rosters: Dylan Robert catches 110S on the newly replaced Upper Trail Lake Bridge. - 7/11/24 |
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| Video: Robert Krol catches the southbound Glacier Discovery lead by GP40 #3015 at Anton Anderson Tunnel. - 7/11/24 |
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| Modeling: Work continues on Jackie's Flower Field while Rick concentrates on tweaking SD70MACs on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 7/11/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Golden hour light casts a glow over the Alaska Railroad depot and the railroad’s Aurora Car. - 7/8/24 |
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| Admin: Just to let you know the Whittier nest cam is back up. Click on the box in the lower right corner to get a super size view. - 7/7/24 |
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| Rosters: David Smith has photos of GP40-2 3014 ready to depart Fairbanks and S-2 #7123. - 7/7/24 |
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| News: Fires disrupt Alaska Railroad Service - 7/7/24 |
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| Rosters: Jonathan Fischer has more, more, more historical photos: 1072 at Curry (ARRC COO Clark Hopp loves this paint scheme; see how it resembles the 100th anniversary paint scheme on SD70MAC #4328), SW-1 #1204 in Birchwood and #1204 in Anchorage, and a Maintenance of Way train at Hurricane in 2008. - 7/6/24 |
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| Rosters: Jonathan Fischer dug deep into his photo vault and came up with shots of RF1B #1055 and RF1A #1072. It is interesting that the railroad had #1055 for 15 years yet it wasn't spotted out on the rails. Why? - 7/5/24 |
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| Video: Robert Nelson does the Alaska live steamers 1/8th scale fun train ride. - 7/5/24 |
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| News: Three Union Pacific SD70M locomotives arrive in Whittier - 7/4/24 |
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557 Info: The June Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 7/4/24 |
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| Admin: I just returned from a four day trip to Nebraska with my wife, daughter Laura and Tazzy. We accompanied Laura in visiting her 50th state. Wow! Did you ever notice Nebraska kinda sounds like Alaska? - 7/4/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Frank Keller catches a southbound freight during the longest day of the year. - 7/1/24 |
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| News: Wildfire prompts response near Denali National Park entrance along Parks Highway - 6/30/24 |
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| News: Denali National Park closes, wildfire erupts across river from Nenana River Canyon - 6/30/24 |
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| Video: Here we see a short clip of an Alaska Railroad Excavator mounted on a "High Tracker", spreading ballast on the new MOW siding near the 557 Engine house. We also see the new track connecting us to the rest of the Alaska Railroad. - 6/30/24 |
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| Rosters: Bill Hess captures a baptism ceremony in Wasilla just as the northbound Princess Cruises/Holland American tour train passes. - 6/30/24 |
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| News: Three Union Pacific SD70M locomotives headed to Alaska. - 6/29/24 |
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| Video: Robert Nelson and Sarah Corey take us on a trip on the Hurricane Turn. - 6/29/24 |
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| Admin: We have returned from nine days in Alaska. Flag down the train and stay tuned for photos and stories. - 6/28/24 |
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| Rosters: From the vaults of the John Combs collection comes F7 1516 at Wasilla. - 6/18/24 |
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| Rosters: LORAM Rail Vac at the MP 345.1. Crossing with caboose 1069. - 6/18/24 |
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| Rosters: Phillip Faudi captures FP7-A #1530 in Anchorage in 1971. - 6/17/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Here are the next two Pictures of the Week - Fairbanks Yard Job heads Railroad North over Moose Creek on the ARRC’s Eielson Branch and southbound manifest near the Healy yard. - 6/17/24 |
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| Freight/Passenger: I am about two years late posting this one. Oops! Anyway, Pete Mejia catches an agricultural hopper outside of Alaska in the Boeing Yard. - 6/16/24 |
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| Rosters: Marty Bernard catches caboose #1043 on June 13, 2009 at Talkeetna. - 6/16/24 |
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| Video: Two videos from Robert Krol: SD70MAC numbers 4015, 4003 and 4011 in Whittier 6/7/24 and Southbound Glacier Discovery at Anton Anderson tunnel 6/14/24. - 6/15/24 |
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| Modeling: The final placement of Jackie's Flower Field, an Athearn SD70M fix plus lots of visiting guests on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 6/14/24 |
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| Video: Terry Douglas shares his excellent video of the Coastal Classic Ride, June 4, 2024. - 6/12/24 |
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| Rosters: Chris Crunkle gets a sunroof style ride on the Whittier Shuttle. - 6/12/24 |
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| Rosters: I've always been fascinated by train drone photos and Bill Hess does not disappoint with his elevated view of the northbound Denali Star passing through a forested area of Wasilla. - 6/12/24 |
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| Rosters: Rusty Wendlandt grabbed a delicious photo of a freight train emerging from the tunnel at Bear Valley. - 6/12/24 |
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| Rosters: Do you love freight train photos? Do you love the heritage paint scheme? Do you love seeing rare siding pix? Of course, you do! Check out Dylan Robert's photo of a freight train entering the Chapados siding with a lead heritage paint scheme locomotive #3006. - 6/12/24 |
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| Video: Robert Krol caught the front end of a Whittier freight train on May 25, 2024. - 6/12/24 |
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| Rosters: Todd Shechter captures a passenger train in the Anchorage yard. - 6/11/24 |
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| Rosters: Brice Douglas grabs a unique photo of the Coastal Classic at Moose Pass. - 6/10/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: The Coastal Classic rolls through Brookman. - 6/10/24 |
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| News: Roadtrippin’ 2024: the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is one of a kind - 6/9/24 |
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| News: Roadtrippin’ 2024: Riding the Alaska Railroad to historic Curry town site - 6/8/24 |
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| News: Roadtrippin’ 2024: Riding the Alaska Railroad’s Hurricane Turn flagstop train - 6/8/24 |
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| Modeling: The "Flowers at Eppley's Curve" and Boy Scout camp diorama is now complete. Also, Rick runs the first Distributed Power Unit (DPU) train on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 6/6/24 |
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557 Info: The May Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 6/6/24 |
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| Rosters: Brice Douglas captures an usual viewpoint of the Glacier Discovery train on Turnagain Arm. - 6/5/24 |
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| Freight/Passenger: Two (1, 2) photos of the recently leased Greenbriar gondolas. - 6/5/24 |
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| Where Are They Now?: Jon Porter captured a crisp clear photo of Troop Sleeper 8300 at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum.. - 6/5/24 |
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| Rosters: Thanks so much to Jon Porter for helping us to beef up our rosters with photos of F7s 1507, 1508, 1512 and P-4. - 6/5/24 |
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| Rosters: Locomotives in the Anchorage diesel shop. - 6/4/24 |
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| Rosters: John Henderson with a black and white photo of Power Car P-30. - 6/4/24 |
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| Rosters: Numbers 1839 and 1826 on the Whittier Shuttle at Portage. - 6/4/24 |
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| Rosters: Jon Porter captures a superb photo of Power Car P-7. - 6/4/24 |
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| News: Alaska Railroad's Request for Proposal: Intermodal Business (TOFC/COFC) Services Assessment - 6/4/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: SD70MAC #4008 with a load of empty hoppers at Matanuska. - 6/3/24 |
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| Rosters: Adding a David "Diesel Dave" Smith photo of GP7 #1826. - 6/2/24 |
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| People's
Creations: Rusty Wendlandt kit bashes a True Line Trains PSC Caboose 1091. - 6/1/24 |
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| Route Map: Thanks to Robert Krol for a current photo of the new Norwegian Cruise Line dock and terminal being built in Whittier. - 6/1/24 |
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| News: Alaska Railroad purchases SD70MACs - 6/1/24 |
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| Rosters: Someone asked for more freight train photos so here is an eye popping pipe train heading through Turnagain Arm. - 6/1/24 |
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| Rosters: Here is an interesting group of photos. Dylan Robert spotted several imploded tank cars in Fairbanks. Does anybody know some additional history on this? I would also love to know the dates behind this occurrence. - 6/1/24 |
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| No.
557 Info: 557 Boiler Hydrostatic Test Completed! The boiler work on ARR #557 that started in the fall of 2012 reached a major milestone on May 21, 2024. An inspector from the Federal Railroad Administration, our boiler consultant, and the volunteers from the Engine 557 restoration crew conducted the formal hydro test of 557's boiler. Work on the boiler has included installation of a new fire box, installation of new stays, and new tubes and flues. From the report, “No Exceptions taken during observation of satisfactory hydrostatic test of steam locomotive boiler. MWAP 225psi, tested at 281psi, water temperature 90 degrees.” Per FRA inspector Milo Voigt, "On a report all you want to see is No Exceptions Taken." That says it all. It can't get any better than that. We encourage your financial support of Engine 557 via credit or debit card or Paypal. - 5/25/24 |
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| Modeling: Work begins on the "Flowers at Eppley's Curve" and Rick runs a 40-car consist on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 5/30/24 |
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| Rosters: I got a request for more freight photos so here is Frank Keller's ten photo series on the winter run of an export coal train. - 5/29/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: 5 SD70MACs hauling a freight train across Hurricane Bridge. - 5/27/24 |
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| No.
557 Info: 557 Boiler Hydrostatic Test Completed! The boiler work on ARR #557 that started in the fall of 2012 reached a major milestone on May 21, 2024. An inspector from the Federal Railroad Administration, our boiler consultant, and the volunteers from the Engine 557 restoration crew conducted the formal hydro test of 557's boiler. Work on the boiler has included installation of a new fire box, installation of new stays, and new tubes and flues. From the report, “No Exceptions taken during observation of satisfactory hydrostatic test of steam locomotive boiler. MWAP 225psi, tested at 281psi, water temperature 90 degrees.” Per FRA inspector Milo Voigt, "On a report all you want to see is No Exceptions Taken." That says it all. It can't get any better than that. We encourage your financial support of Engine 557 via credit or debit card or Paypal. - 5/25/24 |
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| Modeling: Work continues on Boy Scout Camp Gorsuch and Rick eliminates more ankle biters on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 5/25/24 |
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| Freight/Passenger: Added Fred Wing's photos of the 40 leased gondolas from Greenbriar. - 5/22/24 |
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| News: The Fair Train returns to the Alaska State Fair Grounds in 2024 - 5/22/24 |
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| News: Seward dock bond approved - 5/22/24 |
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| News: Seward dock funding moves ahead but Port MacKenzie rail extension is stripped by Senate Finance - 5/22/24 |
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| People's
Creations: Jeff McCrea adds his amazing customized and weathered GP40s. - 2/21/24 |
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| Index: I spent three hours doing some updates on the website's index page. - 5/21/24 |
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| Rosters: And here is another photo of my favorite locomotive #3015. Many thanks to Terry Douglas for sending this one to me! Incidentally, what happened to the logo on the nose? - 5/20/24 |
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| Rosters: Yesterday, I posted some Whittier yard photos from Robert Krol. I have updated the gondola photos to indicate the ARRC received 30 of them on lease from the Greenbriar Companies. - 5/20/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Passengers on the northbound ARR Denali Star get some friendly waves from the 557 crew. - 5/20/24 |
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| Rosters: A few odds and ends in the Whittier yard. - 5/19/24 |
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| Rosters: I can't help adding yet another photo of my favorite locomotive #3015. Here she is in Whittier amidst a host of Princess rail cars. - 5/19/24 |
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| Route Map: Thanks to Robert Krol we have some new photos of the new Norwegian Cruise Line dock and terminal being built in Whittier. - 5/19/24 |
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| Video: Robert Krol snags two videos (1, 2) of Maintenance of Way (MoW) equipment at Bear Valley. - 5/19/24 |
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| News: The ARRC looks into upgrading passenger cars to Wi-Fi. - 5/19/24 |
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| Video: Terry Douglas captures video of three GP40-2's picking up a side dump car, May 13, 2024. - 5/18/24 |
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| Freight/Passenger: 1987 leaking tank train car photos added to the TankTrain car section. - 5/17/24 |
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| Historical: Three Charles Drum photographs from the 1986 derailment at Fort Richardson. Does anyone have more information regarding this incident? - 5/17/24 |
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| Rosters: On April 17, 2021 the last CN barge docked in Whittier and Frank Keller was there to capture the last run. - 5/17/24 |
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| Modeling: The invasion of the Indiana grandsons plus The Eppley Shops fix all the ankle biters on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 5/16/24 |
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| Freight/Passenger: Robert Krol catches a pair of Difco dump cars in Portage. - 5/14/24 |
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| Rosters: GP40 #3011, with nice shiny freshly repainted silver trucks, heads up the Whittier daily train in Whittier. - 5/14/24 |
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| Historical: Thomas Brooks shares his narrow gauge rails discovery along Moose Creek. - 5/14/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Winter Aurora at Broad Pass. - 5/13/24 |
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| Rosters: Filed under, "Interesting items you'll find in the Anchorage yard" are an electric loader and a fire truck. - 5/12/24 |
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| Rosters: Dylan Robert catches a tie drop on the Eielson Branch. - 5/12/24 |
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| Video: RaeEllen Kurzendoerfer shares a video of three SD70MACs and the geometry car in Anchorage. - 5/12/24 |
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| Industries: Added a demolition section to the Seward Coal Terminal. - 5/12/24 |
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| Historical: I am so grateful to the great grandson of Charlie Drum for sending me the Alaska-Yukon Chapter National Railway Historical Society Calendars for the years 1974, 1975 and 1976. He's sent me a lot of other items as well and I will eventually get them online. - 5/11/24 |
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| Modeling: Operations session with cousin Eric as well as train repairs on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 5/9/24 |
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| Rosters: Many thanks to David Smith for the photo of GP40 #3019 and RF1A #1078. - 5/7/24 |
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| Freight/Passenger: David Smith shares photos of a roof hatch equipped 3 bay Hopper 14551, gondola 13811. - 5/7/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: The last winter Aurora at the Mears Memorial Bridge. - 5/6/24 |
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| Historical: Adding Alaska-Yukon Chapter National Railway Historical Society Calendar 1974. I will be adding 1975 and 1976 soon. - 5/3/24 |
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| Route Map: Robert Krol adds some 2003 photos and video of the Norwegian Cruise Line dock and terminal being built in Whittier. - 5/3/24 |
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| Modeling: Lots of cab ride videos on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 5/2/24 |
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| No.
557 Info: The April Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 5/1/24 |
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| Rosters: Many thanks to Andrew Packee for a pair of caboose 1092 photos in Fairbanks. - 4/29/24 |
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| Route Map: Created a page for the new Norwegian Cruise Line dock and terminal being built in Whittier. - 4/29/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Seward Coal Terminal demolition - 4/29/24 |
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| Modeling: A pine forest at Rudd Spur and Rick creates onboard train videos using his GoPro on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 4/26/24 |
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| Rosters: A freight train running late benefited photographer Frank Keller as he caught it at MP 206 with Denali in the background. - 4/24/24 |
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| Rosters: David Smith captures of photo of a tunnel icicle breaker. - 4/24/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Alaska Railroad Corporation Fairbanks Yard Job heads Railroad South over the Spur Court crossing and past K&K Recycling - 4/22/24 |
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| Rosters: Many thanks to Martin E. Hansen for this drop dead awesome photo of #557 in Whittier. An additional thanks to Patrick Durand for a nice commentary accompanying the photo. - 4/18/24 |
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| Historical: Adding a document: Conductors seniority list 1/1/1966 and Hazardous Materials Check List. - 4/18/24 |
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| Modeling: We spent most of the evening running daring trains on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 4/18/24 |
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| Film: Here is a copy of the letter for the Runaway Train Employee Only movie night at the Fireweed Theater - 4/16/15 |
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| Picture of the Week: Aurora in Wasilla - 4/15/24 |
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| Modeling: Grandsons invade my Alaska Railroad layout while the Eppley Shops work on squealing locomotives. - 4/11/24 |
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| News: Federal grant awarded for Whistle Hill solar project - 4/9/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Freight at Nenana - 4/8/24 |
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| Historical: Goodbye to Old Healy - 4/7/24 |
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| Rosters: David "Diesel Dave" Smith provides three views of Rotary #3 - 4/7/24 |
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| Rosters: Robert Krol spotted the snowfleet resting at Portage - 4/6/24 |
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| News: Alaska Railroad 2-8-0 Restoration Enters Home Stretch - 4/6/24 |
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| No.
557 Info: The March Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 4/6/24 |
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| Historical: Dave Wallingford shares his story about walking the Meadow Lake Trail to Regalvista in 2007. "Back in the day" guests at the old Curry Hotel could walk across the foot bridge and hike to Regalvista which gave them views of Mount McKinley (now Denali). - 4/5/24 |
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| Modeling: Train night on my Alaska Railroad layout got back underway after taking a three week break. - 4/5/24 |
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| Links: Chat with Railroad Mike's Alaska at The Curmudge Inn - 4/1/24 |
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| Links: Alaska Railroad Conductor/Engineer Realistic Job Preview - 4/1/24 |
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| News: Failure Of Resolution May Benefit Whistle Hill In The Future - 4/1/24 |
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| News: Bill seeks privatization of Alaska Railroad - 4/1/24 |
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| News: ARR Solicitation for New 110 Ton 64’ General Service Flat Cars - 4/1/24 |
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| News: Coal loading equipment in Seward is set to be demolished, likely a permanent end to Alaska coal exports - 4/1/24 |
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| No.
557 Info: The February Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 4/1/24 |
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| Admin: My wife and I just returned from a 26-day trip to New Zealand and Australia. Did you miss me? - 4/1/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Next five Pictures of the Week - 3/4/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: "Cool" snowstorm photo - 2/26/24 |
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| Rosters: Dave Blazejewski's 120N At Potter Marsh, Digging Out and Frank Keller's southbound coal at Brookman. - 2/25/24 |
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| Modeling: Rudd Spur is now complete and the devil in the double crossover was found on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 2/22/24 |
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| Rosters: Them's not railroad tracks. Them's bear tracks! Check out Frank Keller's snapshot of a bear in the Anchorage Yard. - 2/21/24 |
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| Rosters: Brian Reed spotted ballast regulator #23 on Fort Richardson. - 2/21/24 |
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| Rosters: David Smith shares photos of F7 #1530, Denali Express ready to depart Anchorage and GP49 #2809 - 2/21/24 |
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| People's
Creations: John Gray submits another video of his N Scale ARR equipment on his friend's Canadian Pacific Railroad - 2/21/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Fairbanks Yard Job plowing railroad North towards Eielson AFB with 30 cars of black diamonds in tow - 2/19/24 |
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| Rosters: Josh Crump provides us with some great drone photos of the Knik River Bridge. See more of his excellent photographic work on Facebook at JTC Media. - 2/18/24 |
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| Links: Seward - The Port of Tomorrow - 2/15/24 |
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| News: Whittier meets to discuss Whittier Terminal Master Plan - 2/15/24 |
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| Modeling: RDC operations and double crossover devils on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 2/15/24 |
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| News: DOT & Alaska Railroad Advance Development Of Drone-Led Avalanche Mitigation Effort. - 2/14/24 |
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| Links: Many thanks to David Duffy for the link to the North Slope Railroad Company. - 2/14/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: This Ain't Right! - 2/12/24 |
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| Historical: Duane Lohman shares a few photos of Tunnel and The Loop from 1943. - 2/11/24 |
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| Video: RaeEllen Kurzendoerfer catches video of Maintenance of Way trains (1, 2) from the passenger car winter. - 2/11/24 |
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| Historical: From Ken Cringan, here are the Alaska-Yukon Chapter National Railway Historical Society Calendars: 1971, 1972 and 1973. - 2/11/24 |
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| Historical: From Ken Cringan, here are the Alaska-Yukon Chapter National Railway Historical Society Calendars: 1969 and 1970. - 2/8/24 |
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| Bibliography: Congratulations to Frank Keller for his Mount Alyeska/SD70MAC photo on page 55 of the March 2024 issue of Trains magazine! - 2/8/24 |
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| Modeling: Scenery and ballasting work continues on Rudd Spur while Rick chases power drops on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 2/8/24 |
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| Rosters: Many thanks to Don Marenzi for the additional commentary on ARR. A, Wanigans and Workers homes and water tower. - 2/6/24 |
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| Historical: MOOSE GOOSER issue 26. I am still missing issues 17, 22, 23 and 102-119. If you got them then please send me the scans! - 2/5/24 |
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| Rosters: From the Alaska Historical Museum Association - ARR. A, Wanigans, Workers homes and water tower and three coaches with X numbers. - 2/5/24 |
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| Historical: From Ken Cringan, here are MOOSE GOOSER issues 28, 30, 31, 32, 62, 63, 64, 69, 73, 90, 93, 94, 97, 98, 99 and 100 plus the Alaska Yukon Area Railfans Guide. - 2/5/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Fairbanks yard at -50F. - 2/5/24 |
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| Historical: Here is MOOSE GOOSER issue 27 from Ken Cringan. - 2/4/24 |
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| Rosters: Jonathan Fischer's photos at Healy in 1986. - 2/3/24 |
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| Rosters: Bringing in the last of the high resolution photos from Levi Ballard with the Alaska Military Historical Association: Brill #304, Pittman Section House and outfit cars used as worker homes, - 2/3/24 |
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| Historical: Here is MOOSE GOOSER issue 25 from Ken Cringan. - 2/3/24 |
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| Rosters: Jonathan Fischer shares photos of Denali Depot 1986 and the northbound freight just before arrival. - 2/2/24 |
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| Historical: The MOOSE GOOSER was the monthly newsletter of the Alaska Yukon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, Inc. Ken Cringan has pledged to send me the remaining issues I need to get a complete set! Here is his first submission, issue 21. This is very exciting as I haven't updated this section in over six years. - 2/2/24 |
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| Rosters: Do you need some RDC manuals? Here is the General Manual as well as the Operator's Manual. Enjoy! - 2/2/24 |
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| People's
Creations: The Alaska Railroad is alive and well in Switzerland as Thierry shares with us his wonderful N scale shelf layout. - 2/2/24 |
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| Modeling: Prairie Shadows Model Railway Company is taking orders for N scale Pointe St. Charles Cabooses 1091, 1092 and 1093. They talked about this back in 2013 and are finally producing them. - 2/2/24 |
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| News: Railroad solicits 2025 official art print - 2/2/24 |
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| Modeling: Running trains and working on Rudd Spur scenery on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 2/1/24 |
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| No.
557 Info: The January Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 2/1/24 |
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| No.
557 Info: The January Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 1/30/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Stunning winter photo taken from the UAF overlook. - 1/29/24 |
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| Links: Check out this great website The Alaska Frontier. There is lots of good information and cool photos! - 1/26/24 |
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| Modeling: Running colorful trains and working on Rudd Spur on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 1/25/24 |
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| Rosters: Jonathan Fischer catches freight trains at Healy and Broad Pass. - 1/23/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Northbound freight at Broad Pass - 1/22/24 |
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| Rosters: Frank Keller catches the snowfleet at Healy at -36 degrees. - 1/21/24 |
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| Modeling: A hobo camp and Rudd Spur is added to my Alaska Railroad layout. - 1/18/24 |
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| Freight/Passenger: David Smith shares photos of the Tour Alaska railcars, cabooses 1025E, 1075 , 1023, 1072, 1079, 1086, 1087 and 1776. And let's throw in a few random ones just for fun - LC #58, LC #103, GP35u 3051 (don't name a locomotive or you will curse it forever), RDCs #702 and #721, spreader #6 and GE 45 ton #7249. - 1/16/24 |
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| Rosters: Here are a few night time photos of a sleepy work train at Potter. This is part of the effort to replace the Snow River Bridge. - 1/15/24 |
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| Bibliography: Don't forget to check out this Trains magazine article telling of their Alaska adventure, Travel with Trains: Alaska 2023. - 1/15/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: The contours of Turnagain Arm - 1/15/24 |
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| Rosters: Added RSD-1 #1026, SW1 #1203 and FP7-A #1512. - 1/14/24 |
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| Rosters: Bryan Saul adds photos of MRS-1 1606 , GP7 #1803, F7-A #1500, S-12 1841, summer gravel train business, a freight passes a gravel train at Alagco, RDCs in Fairbanks and Switching out the UP barge. - 1/13/24 |
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| Modeling: A new spur is added to my Alaska Railroad layout as work continues around the Whittier Depot. - 1/12/24 |
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| Rosters: Adding some high resolution photos from Levi Ballard with the Alaska Military Historical Association: Potter section house and McKinley Park Depot. - 1/9/24 |
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| Historical: The first and only head on collision on the Alaska Railroad occurred on October 19, 1943 when northbound freight Extra 901 collided head on with southbound train #553. Both locomotives were badly damaged, two freight cars were completely wrecked and many other cars received minor damage. One passenger and three employees were slightly injured. (Bernadine Prince). Many thanks to Levi Ballard with the Alaska Military Historical Association for photos from this Head-On Collision. - 1/8/24 |
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| Historical:Many thanks to Levi Ballard with the Alaska Military Historical Association for supplying Alaska Railroad photos from WWII. If you would like to add to the commentary of any of these photos please send it to me and cite the image number. - 1/8/24 |
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| Rosters: Many thanks to Levi Ballard with the Alaska Military Historical Association for supplying photos (1, 2) of steam locomotive 752. I did not have a photo of 752 on my complete roster section and therefore fulfilled one of my website needs. - 1/8/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: Wasilla’s old Alaska Railroad Depot is once again a real, genuine, depot. - 1/8/24 |
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| Rosters: Frank Keller's Next stop Colorado. - 1/7/24 |
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| Freight/Passenger: David Smith shares photos of outfit cars 1504E and 1571E plus hoppers 14333 and 14432, 14744, 14761 and 14770 and 16009 and 16027.- 1/6/24 |
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| Rosters: Many thanks to Casey Durand for sharing this postcard of the old McKinley Park Depot. - 1/6/24 |
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| Rosters: David Blazejewski freezing his socks off capturing Spreader 9 as it blasts toward MP 345 inside Denali National Park and the longest passenger train at Montana. - 1/6/24 |
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| Video: A video taken yesterday of SD70MAC #4319 in front of the Anchorage Depot. This was part of Thursday's Hurricane Turn. SD70MAC #4320 was on the other end. - 1/6/24 |
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| Admin: We are in search of photos or drawings of the Track Geometry box car. If you have any, please send to john@alaskarails.org. - 1/5/24 |
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| Modeling: Woodland Scenics paint markers and power problem investigations on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 1/5/24 |
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| News: Alaska Railroad makes first stop at new Wasilla depot location - 1/4/24 |
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| News: Alaska Railroad Passenger Stop in Wasilla is Moving, Rail passenger stop relocating on January 4, 2024 - 1/3/24 |
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| Rosters: Jonathan Fischer grabs surplussed locomotive photos in Seattle on December 9, 2000. - 1/3/24 |
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| Historical: Many thanks to retired ARRC employee Thomas Brooks for providing important historical information on the AACX grain cars.- 1/2/24 |
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| Modeling: Trying to track down "The Ghost of RailPro" as well as designing a new spur on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 1/1/24 |
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| Hall
of Fame: The 2023 inductee to John's Alaska
Railroad Web Page Hall of Fame is David Smith. Congratulations! - 1/1/24 |
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| Video: Railroad Mike's Alaska captures Snow Fleet in Action - 1/1/24 |
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| Admin: Happy New Year! - 1/1/24 |
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| No.
557 Info: The December Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 1/1/24 |
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| No.
557 Info: 557 Annual Fund Raiser – Have your Contribution Matched! Today marks the beginning of the Engine 557 Restoration Company's annual fund raising campaign. This is the main fund raising request to individual donors and is a primary source of restoration funds for the year. The goal is $85,000. Pledges have been made to match the first $20,000 received, dollar-for-dollar. Be a part of returning Engine 557 to the rails! Donations may be made by credit or debit card, PayPal, or check here. They may also be during a visit to the 557 Engine House in Wasilla. - 1/1/24 |
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| Picture of the Week: The Battle For Winter - 1/1/24 |
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| Bibliography: There are lots of new Alaska Railroad articles! Check out Inside Alaska: A Century of Frontier Railroading by ARR Conductor Brice Douglas in the January 2024 edition of Railroad & Railfan, Alaska Railroad's Whittier Shuttle by Bill Anderson in the 2023-3 edition of Passenger Train Journal, Alaska 2023: Positive outlook as ARR marks the centennial of its completion by Frank Keller in the 2023-3 edition of Passenger Train Journal and Serving Uncle Sam in Alaska in the 1960s by David Lustig in the Fall 2023 edition of Classic Trains. - 1/1/24 |
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