An Alaskan Trip
Whilst I was in Alaska recently I took a ride on the narrow, 3-ft gauge White Pass and Yukon Railway, built in 1898 originally to carry men and materials on their way to and from the Klondike gold rush. The WP&YR railway was considered an impossible task but it was literally blasted through coastal mountains in only 26 months.
The $10 million project was the product of British financing, American engineering and Canadian contracting. Tens of thousands of men and 450 tons of explosives overcame harsh and challenging climate and geography to create "the railway built of gold."
The WP&YR climbs almost 3000 feet in just 20 miles and features steep grades of up to 3.9%, cliff-hanging turns of 16 degrees, two tunnels and numerous bridges and trestles. The steel cantilever bridge was the tallest of its kind in the world when it was constructed in 1901.
The 110 mile WP&YR Railroad was completed with the driving of the golden spike on July 29, 1900 in Carcross, Yukon connecting the deep water port of Skagway, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon and beyond to northwest Canada and interior Alaska.
Gazing out of the window at the scenery as we approached Skagway, I was amazed to see some familiar figures painted on the side of a steam engine standing derelict by the track. I had to walk back to photograph it…
Richard in the cab
from Steaming Up - May 2008
Last edited:- 06-Aug-2008