The Alaska Railroad: Railfanning America's Last Frontier: Volume 1
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- Alaska is known to many as the Last Frontier, and it's charm brings millions of people to it's rugged and scenic landscape each year. It is unmatched in it's charm, and it's railroading is just as good.
I myself have visited the ARR once before in 2019, and after being impressed by my ride onboard to start a cruise vacation, decided I wanted to return some day for a full on railfanning trip. Fast forward 4 years, and that dream finally became a reality
The Class II operation known as the Alaska Railroad hosts many unique features that make it a must-do trip for any railfan who ends up in the area. With a plentiful amount of scenic bridge crossings, tunnels through the Chugach Mountains, and all out scenic railroading, this 470 mile regional railroad really does have it all. And on top of that, it is one of the few remaining railroads to host an all-EMD roster, featuring GP38's, GP40's and SD70MAC's. Some of the GP40's and SD70's even feature head-end power to support their passenger operations.
For the railfans, they host a variety of passenger and freight trains across the mainline, with road freights hauling everything to include intermodal, manifest, oil, gravel and unique flat car loads that can only be seen here. The RR is an isolated operation, and only connects to the lower 48 and national rail network via weekly barge service from Seattle to Whittier. They run DPU's on a regular basis for the freights that run from Anchorage to Fairbanks, along with it's summer seasonal gravel trains.
The passenger roster is just as enticing, with ex-CNW and ex-UP equipment making up half the roster, along with the more modern bi-level dome cars built for Goldstar passengers and cruise line charters. Seen in this series include the flagship Denali Star, Glacier Discovery Train, and various cruise season chartered trains that bring passengers directly to and from the cruise ships in Whittier and Seward.
Join me over this 2 volume series where I bring the best that the ARR has to offer during my 5 day trip in early May 2023.
Volume 1 will cover the first 2 and half days of the trip, covering both freight and passenger operations between Indian at milepost 90 and Wasilla at milepost 160. Featured are GP40 led trains including one of the coveted black and gold units leading a Whittier freight, and plenty of cruise train operations seen specifically on Saturday. Hope you enjoy the video!
Train info:
ARR 120N:
Alaska Railroad Engines 3001 (GP40-2), 3009 (GP40-2) and 3011 (GP40-2) pulling 49 cars of container and flat car loads
ARR 130S:
Alaska Railroad engines 4004 (SD70MAC), 4014 (SD70MAC), 4002 (SD70MAC) and 4324 (SD70MAC) pulling 81 cars of mixed freight and IM
ARR NB Denali Star:
Alaska Railroad engines 4320 (SD70MAC) and 4318 (SD70MAC) pulling 1 baggage car, 2 goldstar cars, 1 cafe, 1 coach and 1 dome
ARR NB Healy Explorer:
Alaska Railroad engine 4319 (SD70MAC) pulling 2 bi-level dome cars
ARR SB Denali Star:
Alaska Railroad engines 4322 (SD70MAC) and 4317 (SD70MAC) pulling 1 baggage car, 2 goldstar cars, 1 cafe, 1 coach and 1 dome
ARR NB Denali Star:
Alaska Railroad engines 4322 (SD70MAC) and 4317 (SD70MAC) pulling 1 baggage car, 2 goldstar cars, 1 cafe, 1 coach and 1 dome
ARR SB Denali Star:
Alaska Railroad engines 4320 (SD70MAC) and 4318 (SD70MAC) pulling 1 baggage car, 2 goldstar cars, 1 cafe, 1 coach and 1 dome
ARR 130N:
Alaska Railroad engines 4004 (SD70MAC), 4014 (SD70MAC), 4002 (SD70MAC) and DPU's 4013 (SD70MAC) and 4005 (SD70MAC) pulling 82 cars of mixed freight and IM
ARR 1900 Yard Job:
Alaska Railroad engines 2001 (GP38-2) and 2002 (GP38-2) pulling 37 cars of loaded ties, ballast hoppers and tanks
ARR NB Denali Star:
Alaska Railroad engines 4328 (SD70MAC) and 4325 (SD70MAC) pulling 1 baggage car, 1 goldstar car, 1 cafe, 1 coach and 1 dome
ARR 130S:
Alaska Railroad engines 4016 (SD70MAC) and 4003 (SD70MAC) pulling 78 cars of mixed freight and IM
ARR Glacier Discovery:
Alaska Railroad engine 3011 (GP40-2) pulling 2 baggage cars, 2 coach cars and a DMU cab car
ARR McKinley Explorer:
Alaska Railroad engines 3015 (GP40-2) and DPU 4326 (SD70MAC) pulling 7 coaches and a cafe
ARR NB Denali Explorer:
Alaska Railroad engine 4319 (SD70MAC) pulling 6 bi-level dome cars
ARR SB Denali Explorer:
Alaska Railroad engine 4327 (SD70MAC) pulling 7 bi-level dome cars 
Авто/Мото
Most Excellent!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video!!!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it
@@TwoRibbonRailvideos you’re welcome. 😉
Awesome stuff!
Thanks!
HEY!!! I am glad you guys enjoyed yourself in Alaska. My state. I hope that looking for those trains weren't a problem. Cannot wait for the next video. I have already been to the 557 restoration company in Wasilla.
Finding trains wasn’t too hard at all! Quite honestly it was easier than some places I constantly railfan in Florida
Love seeing the locomotives from Alaska getting some attention!! Keep up the amazing work!!!!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the production
Nice Catches! 👍
Thank you!
I live in Alaska! I feel like trains are pretty rare to see up here but that could just be cause im never near tracks. but anyways nice catches!
Glad you enjoyed the video! Most of the tracks and business of the RR is around Anchorage
@@TwoRibbonRailvideos yeah I dont live in anchorage i live up in eagle river and theres no trains up there
@@Loki_Konwrath The mainline isn't too far from you, but runs through an Air Force Reserve between Anchorage and Birchwood. If you go to Beach Lake Rd in Birchwood, which isn't too far from Eagle River, you can get to the mainline and watch trains!
@@TwoRibbonRailvideos Definitely! Ill try to check them out whenever I can! If you know, do you know how often they pass through there?
@@Loki_Konwrath During the current winter season, one passenger train in the morning on saturdays, one in the evening on sundays. NB Freight runs around 8-9pm every day of the week except saturday.
In the Summer, from mid-may to mid-September, usually 3-4 trains pass from 7am to 10am, plus the freight train from above that runs every day in the evening except saturday.
Wow that's awesome yes Alaska 😊😅
There's no union Pacific railroad in Alaska
But some of the cars are of UPRR heritage
Does any of this rolling stock ever reach another mainline? Or any other line in North America? Or does it all just stay local to this line
The general mixed freight seen on the head end of the 130S about 7 mins in gets transferred via barge to Seattle and the rest of the National rail network.
All the flat cars seen on the Whittier freight (train 120N) and the back half of the 130S stays on the ARR