Continuing with the Alaska Rail Theme:
A private train from the Copper River & Northwestern Railway stable, in front of the Chitina Depot, September 1914. It makes me wonder if J.P. Morgan, a lead investor in the Alaska Syndicate, ever visited Kennecott Mines.
Today, Kennecott is still famous for its copper ore, and Chitina is famous for its “Where the Hell is Chitina?” bumper stickers. And salmon: Chitina is the gateway for Interior Alaska dip netting.
Quake Update:
Cracks along the rails north of Anchorage; Photo credit: Alaska Railroad
The railroad between Anchorage and Fairbanks remains closed from the recent 7.0 earthquake. There are several sections like the photo above, with cracks that have developed along the rails. The cracks in the photo run 2-4 feet wide, and 200 feet long.
No timetable has been given to a return to rail traffic between Alaska’s two largest cities.
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The on-ramp seen around the globe:
Before/After Minnesota Blvd on-ramp; Photo credit: Alaska Tourism Board
The onramp from Minnesota Blvd to International Airport Road became Alaska’s most famous, with the photo of the SUV left stranded eight feet below grade.
I often make fun of Alaska’s DOT, but they have done a great job, by all accounts, getting Anchorage roads ready to handle traffic again. That interchange was rebuilt, repaved and lines painted in four days. Not bad, considering there was not an asphalt plant up & running at the time. A plant had to reopen, because everything was closed for the winter season.
Back from our fishing trip to Seward, Alaska. Here are just a few of the Seward Sights:
Upon arrival, we hit the beach in late afternoon to wet our lines. This seagull watched patiently, hoping we would eventually catch it a salmon dinner.
Apparently, Seward is the Mural Capital of Alaska, a tidbit that had eluded me up until this past week. This one graces the wall of The Fish House, which is a great place to pick up any gear that one leaves in Fairbanks. It is also a pretty kick-ass hardware store.
Seward is the southern terminus for the Alaska Railroad. Across the street from the little depot, is one of the best breakfast places in town, called The Smoke Shack. This small diner is located in a complex known as The Train Rec. Made up of several retired Alaska Railroad cars, The Train Rec has a great view of the harbor.
The Train Rec complex
They aren’t fast… but they move a lot of snow…
The White Pass & Yukon Railroad’s steam powered rotary plow clearing a path out of Skagway, Alaska on 27 April, 2011.
This silent, black & white 16mm clip, is of a steam powered rotary plow near Anchorage, Alaska sometime between 1924-1930. This footage comes courtesy of the University of Alaska – Fairbanks Film Archives.
