Alaska Railroad

Sometimes a forgotten carrier because of location, the Alaska Railroad (ARR) today is a Class II, Regional operation with nearly 400 miles of trackage. Its lines are essentially a single mainline stretching from Seward in the south to Fairbanks in the north. Since its beginnings in the early 1900s the railroad has done much to bring prosperity and a transportation need to a region and state that lacks infrastructure because of topography. While it may not seem likely the Alaska Railroad does have a lot of freight business with wide range of customers part of which is thanks to its two port connections. And, with recent expansions the company is looking to even further develop its services. Today the ARR is owned by the State of Alaska (since 1985) and is one of only a few private railroads in the country to still host passenger trains regularly (especially during the summer months, serving vacationers), adorned in a beautiful dark blue and yellow livery with ALASKA flanking the sides of its locomotives.

Alaska Railroad SD70MAC #4320 powers the "McKinley Express" away from Whittier on July 13, 2009. This train is operated by the ARR for Princess Cruises, which takes passengers to the nearby resort of Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, owned by the cruise line.

The State of Alaska's rail heritage dates back to 1898 when the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad completed its 111-mile route between Skagway and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Not long after, in 1903 the Alaska Central Railroad (the state's first) completed its main line between Seward and 51 miles to the north near what is now Anchorage (a point known as the Ship Creek). This was essentially the beginning of what is today widely recognized as the Alaska Railroad. While the AC only important connection was at Steward, service to the port city was nonetheless a vital transportation artery for region that was so rugged viable horse trails and roads were scarce. Still, with limited online business the railroad went bankrupt just four years later and was reorganized as the Alaska Northern Railway in 1909.

The Alaska Northern extended the system to Kern Creek, 71 miles from Seward by 1910. The Alaska Railroad came into being in 1914 when Congress purchased the Alaska Northern and authorized funding to complete a line from Seward to Fairbanks, realizing that a privately funded railroad probably could not complete the link to the state's largest cities due to the high cost and relative low return on investment (in other words, the new business gained would not be able to cover construction expenses). With the government takeover and new funding the first step was to purchase the narrow-gauge Tanana Valley Railroad near Fairbanks, which operated about a 45-mile system serving nearby mines.

Now retired and on display at the Museum of Transportation & Industry in Wasilla is Alaska F7A #1500, seen here on July 24, 1995. The railroad purchased a fleet of F7s new between December 1952 and December 1953; F7As #1500-1508 (evens) and F7Bs #1501-1507 (odds).

From that point, forward, the task of linking Anchorage and Fairbanks began. After the purchase of the Tanana Valley Railroad it took construction crews six years to link the two cities completing the line, officially, on July 15, 1923. By 1944 with the establishment of a second port at Whittier (the other being at Anchorage, which after 1915 was the Alaska Northern's headquarters, and remains so today under the ARR), the Alaska Railroad was all but complete and has changed little over the last 70+ years.

The Alaska Railroad became state owned in the 1980s when President Ronald Reagan, in 1983, signed legislation transferring ownership of the railroad to the State of Alaska. The transfer was official on January 5th, 1985 when on that day the ARR came under ownership by the state. The state spent $22.3 million to purchase the railroad although the final price tag was nearly $100 million as Alaska had to spend an additional $70 million bringing the right-of-way up to proper standards due to many years of deferred maintenance. To learn more about the Alaska Railroad please click here to visit their official website.

On the evening of August 22, 2009 ARR GP40-2 #3015 brings up the rear of the "McKinley Express" (being powered by the SD70MAC ahead) as it travels through Portage.

In all, the Alaska's system runs roughly due north winding its way from Seward in the south to Eielson in the north, where the Alaska serves the Eielson Air Force Base. And, currently the Alaska Railroad’s roster consists entirely of EMD power from two F40PHs to more than two-dozen almost-new SD70MACs.  Throughout the years the Alaska has a wide range of steam and diesel locomotives it has rostered. However, the below information covers only the current units on the fleet. Of note, if you might be interested in learning more about the companies fleet of steam locomotives please click here.

Alaska Railroad Locomotive Roster

Alaska SD70MAC #4322 and a mate haul a string of tankers loaded with petroleum products near Wasilla on August 11, 2009.

For more reading about Alaska's railroad heritage you might want to pick up a copy of Portrait of the Alaska Railroad by author Kaylene Johnson. The book details the early years of Alaska's railroads and more specifically focuses on the Alaska Railroad itself. And, another noted book covering the AAR is Rails Across the Tundra: A Historical Album of the Alaska Railroad by author Stand Cohen. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.