|
Kenai Peninsula Online |
| WHITTIER (AP) -- Brenda Tolman, owner of Log Cabin Gifts, knows business
has been down since the state started charging a toll to drive through
the tunnel to Whittier. Her coin-operated reindeer food dispenser tells
her so.
This summer her two reindeer, Elizabeth and baby Jolie, which she keeps in a pen along the side of her gift shop, haven't been getting fed as often. That means fewer families with young children are coming to town, she said Saturday. After the 2.5-mile Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel opened Whittier to road traffic last June, the former military base turned tourist destination on Prince William Sound saw a jump in summer visitors. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| Williams Alaska Petroleum and Government Hill residents have struck
a deal that removes a political hurdle in the company's plans to expand
its fuel terminal near the Port of Anchorage.
Company executives joined with Government Hill representatives Tuesday evening to announce that Williams will remove three storage tanks within a couple hundred feet of homes if the $10 million expansion becomes a reality. |
|
Kenai Peninsula Online |
| The Yukon Fuel Co. wants to make Seward home to a bulk fuel tank farm
again.
Seward's waterfront tank farms were destroyed in the 1964 Good Friday earthquake. The Anchorage-based fuel distributor is negotiating a long-term lease with the Alaska Railroad Corp. for 10 acres of industrial-zoned land on which to construct six fuel storage tanks, according to Yukon Fuel President Larry Shelver. |
|
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner |
| Nearly two months after a driver crashed his truck into the middle
of the historic Nenana Train Depot, the depot's manager says insurance
company negotiations have delayed repairs on the building, thus hurting
tourism in the town.
"Nothing could be removed until they could agree with the contractor," building manager Joanne Hawkins said. She leases the building from the city. Hawkins regularly opens the museum and gift shop in the depot May 1. However, workers only started removing part of the chimney stack May 31. Because of the extensive damage to the building, Hawkins speculates she may not be able to open the depot for tourists this year, hurting both her business and the tourist attraction in the small town about 58 miles southwest of Fairbanks on the Parks Highway. Instead of people bustling in and out of the historic building at the end of A Street, a blue tarp covers the gaping hole in the middle of the depot. "People see it and keep driving," Hawkins said. Just before midnight March 22, Mark Malin, 47, of Fairbanks drove his Dodge truck off the Parks Highway, down the main road that runs about a mile into Nenana and into the train depot. Malin, who was later charged with driving while intoxicated, crashed his truck into the depot up to the back wheels. A criminal complaint says Malin had a .17 blood-alcohol level, above the .10 legal limit. He is scheduled to face a jury trial July 9. His truck destroyed the men's bathroom, a hallway and hit an antique safe in the museum so hard it flew 40 feet, opening a hole in the other wall. The safe hasn't been moved from its spot near the railroad tracks outside the depot, Hawkins said. "He just happened to hit the backbone of the building," Hawkins said. The building, which was completed just in time for President Warren G. Harding to drive the golden spike signaling the completion of the railroad in 1923, is listed on the National Historical Registry. This, Hawkins explained, is why special care is needed when repairing the building. Its historical value also adds to the cost of repairs, which has increased from Hawkins' estimate of $200,000 to $371,000 because the insurance company is negotiating with the city. The depot has been damaged four times by a vehicle, but by far the most damage was incurred in the latest incident. Hawkins has a 20-year lease to run her gift shop, the museum and a four-room bed and breakfast in the historic building. She also owns a cafe and gift shop in town, which is part of a guided tour. "The depot is one spoke of a wheel," Hawkins said. "There are five spokes of the wheel and the museum is the hub of that wheel. It really puts a crunch to my business." Nenana Mayor Bob Knight said it's too early in the quarter to see the effect of the depot's closure. "The road traffic is down, just generally because of the price of gas," Knight said. He's had to find other attractions, such as the sport car races at the city's airport this weekend, to bring tourists to town. "It's (the depot) quite a bit of sales tax that comes through here,"
Knight said. "Anything that brings in other people to the town will visit
the rest of the town and spend money."
|
|
Based on an email from Robert Krol |
| This past Friday was a double ship day in Seward. The Holland
America had the Ryndam in and Royal Caribbean had the Rapsody of the Seas
in. The Alaska Railroad ran a big passenger train for the passengers
of both ships. The coaches of the train were stretched out on the
dock. This will happen every other Friday through the summer.
I was too busy keeping track of luggage on the Royal ship. Princess
has the contract for three years for transportion of the people and luggage.
. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| Now that summer officially has arrived, it's time for all good Alaskans
to come to the aid of their visitors.
When friends and relatives come to town, it seems I'm better off keeping the car full of gas and ready to go at a moment's notice. This summer we'll be headed to Denali one weekend, the Kenai Peninsula the next, with dinner at the Glacier Brewhouse squeezed in for good measure. But it takes an army of folks to shepherd visitors around the state. One of the most successful programs designed to match up local students with visitors is a school-business partnership between local high schools and the Alaska Railroad. |
|
Kenai Peninsula Online |
| Sen. Frank Murkowski, long a promoter of a rail line from Alaska to
Canada, thinks a natural gas line to the Lower 48 could make both more
economically feasible.
Murkowski, R-Alaska, visited British Columbia last week for the U.S.-Canada Inter-parliamentary Conference. He said he's asking North Slope gas owners to consider the idea as they study ways of bringing gas to the Lower 48. Murkowski has long promoted the idea of a rail line from Alaska to Canada. The new track would stretch 1,150 miles from Eielson Air Force Base, near Fairbanks, to Fort Nelson, B.C. -- the northern terminus of the North American rail network. |
|
Office of the Governor Press Releases |
| Selected as Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement for 2001
The Whittier Access Project has been awarded the 2001 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award, one of the most prestigious awards in engineering, Gov. Tony Knowles announced today. The award is the highest honor given by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and recognizes civil engineering projects that contribute to community well-being, demonstrate resourcefulness in planning, solve design challenges, and use innovative construction methods. "I am pleased and proud that the Whittier Access Project received this highest of national engineering awards," Knowles said. "It proves the outstanding professional ability of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and the resourcefulness and power of Alaskans working together to come up with a creative solution to the longstanding issue of providing better, cheaper, and more convenient access to Whittier and western Prince William Sound." The Whittier Access Project was selected from among 17 other outstanding projects throughout the United States. Past winners of the award include the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, relocation of the Cape Hatteras Light Station, Interstate Highway H-3 in Hawaii, Denver International Airport, Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Launch Complex 39 at Cape Canaveral, and the World Trade Center in New York. "The Whittier Access Project not only serves as a symbol of engineering ingenuity, but also represents a significant contribution to Alaska communities, providing the Whittier community with improved access to retail services, social and cultural activities, and recreational facilities," said Robert W. Bein, P.E., ASCE. "We commend all of those involved from the Alaska Department of Transportation to Kiewit Construction Company for the superb job they did in working together to successfully and efficiently complete this challenging work." "The Whittier Access Project joins the ranks of the most innovative and outstanding engineering achievements in the United States of the past 50 years," said Joseph Perkins, P.E., commissioner of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. "We are all very proud of being a part of this project. I appreciate the massive effort on the part of my staff and our consultants who successfully completed Alaska's first major design/build transportation project. I also appreciate the involvement of the public, especially the residents of the City of Whittier. The Whittier Access Project is truly a legacy project for all of those involved and for all it serves." The Whittier Access Project provides highway access for the residents of Whittier, a vital cargo port, recreational area, and tourist destination located on Prince William Sound. Separated from the nearest highway by five miles of rugged mountains, lakes, and glaciers, residents previously had to load their automobiles onto shuttle trains and travel through a 2.5-mile-long railroad tunnel to connect with the highway system. The Whittier Access Project met the community's need for better access by converting the 2.5-mile long Anton Anderson Memorial railroad tunnel into a multi-modal facility, the only combined highway/railroad tunnel in the world and the longest highway tunnel in North America. The tunnel uses an innovative design of precast concrete panels with embedded railroad tracks for the road surface. The project also included two bridges, a 500-foot-long highway tunnel, 2.6 miles of road, and support facilities. To comply with Federal Railroad Administration safety requirements, the project pioneered the use of an integrated tunnel control and train signal system to ensure that cars and trains are not in the tunnel at the same time. It is the first tunnel in the United States that features safe houses spaced at 1600-foot intervals to provide emergency shelter for travelers and a ventilation system of jet fans mounted in the tunnel ceiling. Specially designed portal buildings at both ends of the tunnel can withstand avalanche loads up to 1,000 pounds per square foot. Construction was completed without impacting the freight trains running to Whittier and most of the work had to be done in brutal winter conditions with winds greater than 120 MPH, minus 40 degree temperatures, snow up to 43 feet deep, and avalanches that shut the project down for four days. The Whittier Access Project has received an unprecedented number of awards from industry associations. In addition to the ASCE award, the project has also won Outstanding Heavy/Highway Project and Outstanding Design Project honors from the F. W. Dodge Awards program; Total Program Excel Award for Public Involvement with a Consultant from the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials; the 2000 Globe Award for Engineering Excellence from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association; the 2000 Excellence in Construction Award from the Associated General Contractors of America; 2000 Concrete Bridge Award from the Portland Cement Association, and the 2001 Grand Award from the American Council of Engineering Consultants. Tom Moses, the project manager, also received the president's award as the top highway engineer in the U.S. by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials for his work on the project. Major contributors to the project include: Alaska DOT/PF; Alaska Railroad Corporation; CH2M-Hill, designer of Portage Lake Segment; Hatch Mott MacDonald, designer of Tunnel Segment; HDR-Alaska, EIS, RFP, and technical support during tunnel segment construction; Herndon and Thompson Inc., contractor of Portage Lake Segment; and Kiewit Construction Company, design-builder of tunnel segment. Other engineering firms who contributed to the project include: ABKJ; AGRA Earth & Environmental; Dryden & LaRue; Fergusson & Associates; Golder Associates; Lachel & Associates; Land Design North; Parsons Brinkerhoff Quade & Douglas; Peratrovich, Nottingham & Drage, Inc.; RIM, Inc.; RSA Engineering; SESCO Co. Inc.; Traffic Management Associates; and USKH. Numerous Alaska firms also helped in the construction of the project. . |
|
Kenai Peninsula Online |
| A Gold Creek couple is suing the Alaska Railroad for alleged damages
related to a 1999 fuel spill near their home.
Kathy and Leeroy Zeroth contend their property and livelihoods were damaged when a train derailed about 40 miles northeast of Talkeetna, dumping about 120,000 gallons of jet fuel in the wilderness surrounding their home. The couple's complaint was filed in Superior Court in Palmer. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| Williams Alaska Petroleum has applied for permits to expand its Anchorage
fuel terminal, a move some Government Hill residents oppose unless Williams
agrees to relocate storage tanks that lie just below their neighborhood.
..... The project calls for building a double-track rail loop to allow Williams to unload fuel from tank cars more efficiently. The company runs a refinery in North Pole and ships jet fuel, gasoline and other products on the Alaska Railroad to Anchorage. Each track would handle up to 60 cars at a time, Williams told the Corps of Engineers. Williams said it would build four 100,000-barrel and two-40,000 barrel fuel tanks inside the rail loop, but that part of the plan apparently changed Friday. |
|
Based on an email by Casey Durand |
| It is definitely spring time in Alaska, the gravel trains are running,
the passenger equipment is being cleaned, and MOW is out and about!
The gravel train right now is standing at 83 cars. Yes, you sit at a crossing and the thing just keeps coming and coming. It is being powered by either 3 GP40s or 2 70MACs, whichever is available. It seems that the old GPs make better time. Could it be because the MACs DON'T replace the GPs 2 to 1 like advertised? Gee... The passenger trains start this coming weekend, with the addition of a new private car to each Express. The Royal Celebrity tours are adding a brand-new Ultra Dome to each Express. There big white cars and cartoonish animals definitely stick out. And no these are not like the Princess cars. They are a full 18'1" tall and the interiors are totally different. Something that is interesting is they will not fit into the shops! The biggest shop door is 17'8"! Sounds like fun! But wait, if we can clear a car at 18'1" what about double stack containers. Yes a rumer has been heard as to a report on the ability to accommodate double stack container service. MOW is running all over! Tie replacement has been cut from 80,000 to 40,000 this season, all in favor of the re-alignments. Gravel, rock, junk dirt, is being dumped all over the side of the right a way between Anchorage and Wasilla. The hope is to shorten the 1.5 hour run to .75 hour. The airport terminal is under way. You can see cast columns being erected at the airport, next to the parking garage. As of now the Anchorage double track project has been tabled so more attention can be focused on the realignment. Also we are already short of crews and motive power! That's right
before passenger season has started! The projection for the summer
is that we will be short 2 locomotives a day this summer. So much
for the idea that the 16 MACs could satisfy our needs! We should
have kept those 40s we sold!
|
|
Office of the Governor Press Releases |
| A respected leader in the Alaska business community, Carl Marrs of
the Anchorage- based Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated (CIRI) has been named
to the Alaska Railroad Corporation board of directors, Gov. Tony Knowles
announced today.
"Carl Marrs has an exceptional record of success as the head of one of Alaska's most successful corporations and his business savvy and dedication to Alaska will be an asset on the state-owned railroad," Knowles said. "Carl will be a tremendous addition to the new management team at the railroad headed by former General Patrick Gamble." Of Aleut descent, Marrs was born and raised in Seldovia. He started his career with CIRI in 1973 and worked his way from land manager to president and CEO, a position he has held since 1995. With 7,000 shareholders, CIRI has emerged as the most successful of the regional ANCSA Corporations with holdings in telecommunications, real estate, construction, heavy equipment, and natural resources. Committed to the local community, Marrs has volunteered for the United Way of Anchorage, Special Olympics, and the Western Alaska Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He has served on the Fiscal Policy Council of Alaska, Resource Development Council, and Commonwealth North. He is president of the Association of ANCSA Corporation Presidents and CEOs, member of the Alaska SeaLife Center board of governors, and trustee of Alaska Pacific University. "Gov. Knowles has made an excellent choice in naming such a proven business leader as Carl Marrs to the Alaska Railroad board," said Johne Binkley, chairman of the Railroad board. "We welcome Marrs' experience, skill and commitment as we work to continually improve the Alaska Railroad's safety, customer service, and profitability." Purchased by the state from the U.S. government in 1985 for $22 million,
the Alaska Railroad operates on 611 miles of track from Fairbanks to Seward.
With 58 locomotives and more than 1,700 cars, the railroad carried 500,000
passengers and 6.2 million tons of freight last year, and reported total
revenues of $94 million. Marrs fills the seat of Dale Lindsay of Seward,
who resigned last June.
|
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| A bill moving through the Legislature would help Fairbanks entrepreneur
Joseph Fields build a passenger railroad from Healy to Wonder Lake inside
the wilds of Denali National Park and Preserve.
The bill would transfer up to 3,500 acres of state land in an area known as the wolf townships to the Denali Borough. The transfer would provide a corridor for Field's company, Kantishna Holdings Inc., to construct the first 30 miles of the rail line to the eastern edge of the park. To continue the remaining 55 miles to Wonder Lake, the company would need an easement from the National Park Service. |
|
Kenai Peninsula Online |
| Track problems caused 19 accidents on the Alaska Railroad over the
past decade, costing millions of dollars.
The railroad's top-ranking officials were in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, looking for more federal financial help to underwrite improvements. Patrick Gamble urged a House Transportation subcommittee to pass legislation setting up a new grant program for track work on small railroads. Gamble, who took over as president of the Alaska Railroad two weeks ago, also encouraged Congress to make sure the corporation would be eligible for the grants. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| The Alaska Railroad Corp. made a $16.7 million profit in 2000, the
largest since the state bought the railroad from the federal government
in 1985.
The number is so big mainly because of a timing and accounting quirk. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| The Alaska Railroad agreed Monday to pay the state of Alaska at least
$530,000 to avoid civil and criminal charges stemming from five recent
fuel spills, and to pay additional costs to implement its spill response
and prevention program.
The spills occurred between October 1999 and July 2000 and included the Gold Creek spill north of Talkeetna in which 120,000 gallons of jet fuel spilled near the Susitna River. The agreement also covered a February 2000 spill in the Anchorage rail yard in which a railroad mechanic wired open a safety valve to drain fuel during repairs. That incident resulted in the state bringing criminal charges against the railroad. |
|
Alaska's 11 KTVA Anchorage |
| The corporation has released its annual report, which says that net
income for the year was up and the rate of injuries was down.
Johne Binkley, chairman of the board, says the railroad has been turned around, bothoperationally and financially. The railroad reports that the frequency of injuries dropped 25 percent from 1999, and was down almost 45 percent from the end of 1997. |
|
Kenai Peninsula Online |
| FAIRBANKS (AP) -- A Cantwell man suffered broken ribs and a gash to
his forehead after he drove into a moving train near Hurricane on the Parks
Highway Wednesday evening, according to Alaska State Troopers. A dog in
the back of his station wagon died.
James L. Miller, 60, was driving south toward Anchorage when he hit the 54th car of a 64-car train crossing the Parks Highway at Mile 169, Trooper Sgt. Sonny Sabala said. The crash occurred about 11:30 p.m. Miller was taken by ambulance to Talkeetna and then flown to Providence Medical Center in Anchorage for treatment. He was hospitalized in stable condition Friday. |
|
From the State of Alaska Website |
| A respected leader in the Alaska business community, Carl Marrs of
the Anchorage-based Cook Inlet Regional Corporation (CIRI) has been named
to the Alaska Railroad Corporation board of directors, Gov. Tony Knowles
announced today.
"Carl Marrs has an exceptional record of success as the head of one of Alaska's most successful corporations and his business savvy and dedication to Alaska will be an asset on the state-owned railroad," Knowles said. "Carl will be a tremendous addition to the new management team at the railroad headed by former General Patrick Gamble." Of Aleut descent, Marrs was born and raised in Seldovia. He started his career with CIRI in 1973 and worked his way from land manager to president and CEO, a position he has held since 1995. With 7,000 shareholders, CIRI has emerged as the most successful of the regional ANCSA Corporations with holdings in telecommunications, real estate, construction, heavy equipment, and natural resources. Committed to the local community, Marrs has volunteered for the United Way of Anchorage, Special Olympics, and the Western Alaska Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He has served on the Fiscal Policy Council of Alaska, Resource Development Council, and Commonwealth North. He is president of the Association of ANCSA Corporation Presidents and CEOs, member of the Alaska SeaLife Center board of governors, and trustee of Alaska Pacific University. "Gov. Knowles has made an excellent choice in naming such a proven business leader as Carl Marrs to the Alaska Railroad board," said Johne Binkley, chairman of the Railroad board. "We welcome Marrs' experience, skill and commitment as we work to continually improve the Alaska Railroad's safety, customer service, and profitability." Purchased by the state from the U.S. government in 1985 for $22 million,
the Alaska Railroad operates on 611 miles of track from Fairbanks to Seward.
With 58 locomotives and more than 1,700 cars, the railroad carried 500,000
passengers and 6.2 million tons of freight last year, and reported total
revenues of $94 million. Marrs fills the seat of Dale Lindsay of Seward,
who resigned last June.
|
|
Based on an email from Robert Krol |
| My dad said two blue and yellow domes came off the barge today and
two silver cars.Ê The silver cars might be the two diners they couldn't
get rebuilt.
. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| Days until the state begins charging drivers to use the Whittier tunnel:
1
Round-trip toll for cars: $15 Maximum round-trip toll for a commercial vehicle: $250 Average number of vehicles using the tunnel each day last summer, when it was free: 891 Number of times per day in summer that vehicles in each direction get priority over trains for access to the tunnel: 6 Time, in minutes, of each guaranteed opening for vehicles: 15 Yearly cost to operate the tunnel: $3.6 million Cost of constructing the tunnel and access roads: $80 million Capacity of tunnel in cars per hour: 800 Amount the state spent for each car the tunnel can handle per hour: $100,000 Amount the state would pay to build a mile of one-lane road, assuming a similar price per car of capacity: $40,000,000 Sources: Whittier tunnel Web site (www.dot.state.ak.us/whittiertunnel),
Daily News files, Alaska Department of Transportation public affairs office.
|
|
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner |
| Senate Bill 123 is barreling through the Capitol like a runaway train
threatening to flatten hopes for Fairbanks' new rail depot.
The proposed legislation, introduced by Sen. Drue Pearce only weeks ago, would give lawmakers veto power over new Alaska Railroad projects exceeding specified dollar values. Whatever rationale exists for mandating such legislative oversight is lost in the blur of this legislation's fast-track ride toward passage. Alaska Railroad projects aren't funded by the state. The federal government and the railroad's own profits are used the pay for ongoing track improvements, new engine purchases and other capital improvement projects, such as the new depot planned for Fairbanks. Those projects are all contingent on approval from the Alaska Railroad Corp.'s managing board, whose members are appointed by the governor. Federal environmental studies, with all their accompanying public review, are required for projects having a major impact on local communities. That would be the case with the proposed track realignment to eliminate unsafe road crossings in the Greater Fairbanks area. Yet, former Senate President and current Senate Rules Committee Chair Pearce apparently feels another layer of legislative oversight is required. Her bill would force the railroad to seek passage of a new law before commencing so much as the design of any facility worth $5 million on up, or track improvement if it's expected to cost $10 million or more. SB 123 cleared its first committee, Senate Transportation, after a single hearing and was forwarded to Senate Finance on Friday. Assuming it clears that last station of Senate committee scrutiny, Pearce, the bill's sponsor, controls the scheduling of a chamber floor vote. That discretionary power to schedule what comes before the full Senate may well give Pearce political steam to push her legislative train through the House. But that would be unfortunate. If SB 123 passes, design work on the railroad's new Fairbanks depot will be set back at least a year. And we can expect similar delays ahead on a whole range of projects. Pearce has represented Anchorage in the Legislature since 1984. She is considered one of Juneau's true power brokers, and may be accustomed to having state entities conform to her personal schedule and priorities. But is this any way to run a railroad? Let's keep the Legislature's hands off the throttle. Professional engineers
and Alaska Railroad's appointed board are far better prepared to keep the
trains moving in orderly fashion, and take the politics out of rail-improvement
projects.
|
|
Kenai Peninsula Online |
| FAIRBANKS -- A pickup truck moving between 55 and 70 mph slammed into
the historic Nenana railroad depot Thursday night, sending an old safe
flying through a wall and knocking out the building's windows.
The driver, Fairbanks resident Mark A. Malin, was taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital where he was treated for his injuries and released. Nenana Police Chief Milton Haken said Malin had a .17 blood-alcohol level and he was charged with driving while intoxicated. The depot, completed just in time for President Warren G. Harding to drive the golden spike signaling the completion of the Alaska Railroad in 1923, suffered about $200,000 in damage, said Joanne Hawkins, who manages the city-owned building. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
|
Based on an email from Tom Koole |
| Just received word that Atlas will be coming out with an N scale GP-38
painted in the Alaska RR scheme. Two road numbers will be available.
Suggested price will be somewhere between $89.00 and $99.00 dollars.
Webmaster's additional remarks: This new model will be offered in two variations: one with a factory-installed Lenz decoder and the other with a PC board designed for easy conversion to DCC if desired. Features Include:
Coming in June! MSRP Range: $89.95 to $99.95
|
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| Juneau -- Calling the plan to build a train depot at Anchorage's international
airport "a failure in the public process" and "a $28 million waste of taxpayer
money," lawmakers urged a Senate panel Thursday to pass a bill to require
the Alaska Railroad to get the Legislature's approval before starting any
new big projects.
Plans for the airport rail station moved forward without legislative input and lacked a public review process despite affecting hundreds of residents and possibly needing future state dollars, Sen. Drue Pearce told the Senate Transportation Committee. |
|
From an anonymous source |
| RDC 711 hit a frost heave around Klatt Road on Wednesday, March 14.
The plow was destroyed.
. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| Call it the last dance.
Rising insurance and operating costs, worries about avalanches, red tape and regulations have caught up with the polka-swaying ski train to Grandview Valley. After more than 30 years of sponsoring the rolling spring party train -- with its oompah band strolling the aisles and playing for booted dancers -- the Nordic Ski Association is calling it quits. The last ski trains are scheduled for March 24 and 25. |
|
Kenai Peninsula Online |
| FAIRBANKS (AP) -- The Alaska Railroad Corp. is proposing to relocate
a Fairbanks line between Sheep Creek Road and the median of the Parks Highway.
The new alignment would move onto the Tanana River Dike and stay there past North Pole to the Moose Pass Road interchange, eliminating 48 road and trail crossings. That plan also cuts out about 18 miles of track. Thomas Engineering and Peratrovich, Nottingham & Drage Inc. drafted the conceptual designs for the project. Bob Thomas, with Thomas Engineering, said the project has a price tag of about $90 million. Thomas estimated project completion to be six to 10 years from now. |
|
Posted on the Trainorders.com Forum |
| Royal Celebrity Cruise Line has accepted delivery of two passenger
cars from Rader Railcar near Denver. These two cars eventually will go
to Seattle for furtherance to Alaska for service up there. They will make
a short "tour" on their way to Seattle, however.
Car numbers are RCIX 1001 and 1002. RCIX 1001 & 1002 will display Denver CO 2/28 & 3/1. RCIX 1001 will route BNSF to FWWR 3/2 thru 3/5
RICX 1002 will route Denver - Richmond CA (via Barstow) on BNSF manifest
trains 3/2 thru 3/9.
|
|
Based on an email from Robert Krol |
| Channel 2 News had a story on tonight about the safety of the Port
of Anchorage. The news story says the fire foam system Williams installed
doesn't work and hasn't passed Anchorage Fire Dept. inspection. Williams
wasn't required to put in the fire system at the tank car unloading racks,
but put it in as a safety precaution. The story was directed towards
Williams and not the Alaska Railroad.
. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| The Anchorage Assembly unanimously agreed on Tuesday to set aside a
corridor for a possible railroad extension up the Girdwood Valley, but
several conditions must be met before tracks could be built.
Among the conditions: the Alaska Railroad would build a multimodal transportation center at the valley entry, the city would hold an advisory vote on the rail spur, and the Assembly would consider information on things like traffic levels before making a decision. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| Wasilla -- Not many people get hit by a train and live to tell about
it. Vicki Wohlers doesn't remember much.
One minute the Anchorage woman was reaching down to grab her snowmachine trying to free it from the railroad tracks. The next she was flying through the air. |
|
by John Combs |
| Alaska Railroad locomotives 3013, 3014, 3015 left Seattle this morning
and are headed for Illinois for a rebuild. Check it out on the BNSF
equipment trace.
. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| Wasilla -- A woman suffered a broken leg Monday after nearly being hit by a train while riding a snowmachine along the railroad tracks in Wasilla, Mat-Su public safety officials said. |
|
Excerpt from Kenai Peninsula Online |
| A $1.8 million grant was awarded to the Alaska Railroad to build a
pedestrian safety access facility in Whittier. The money will be used to
build a pedestrian underpass below the Whittier train yard.
The underpass will include lighting, heating, ventilation and video
safety surveillance.
|
|
From ADN editorial section |
| I read Cynthia Wentworth's Compass piece (Jan. 30) with equal surprise
and pleasure. Her points were all quite accurate, but all too frequently
overlooked by those in the general public who dismiss railroads as 19th
century technology. The amazing capacity of a railroad track and the tremendous
fuel efficiency of a steel wheel on a steel rail are well established facts.
As a 30+-year career railroader, I know those facts, but once in a while
it's nice to see someone outside the industry does too.
I would, however, like to add another point to her list, and I suggest it belongs at the top. Directly below Ms. Wentworth's article is a cartoon depicting three citizens shivering in fear at the prospect of crossing a street. This page was printed only hours after a man lost his life right here in Anchorage just because he was on the other side of the street from the restaurant at which he planned to have breakfast. North American passenger trains are orders of magnitude safer than our highways. Last year we replaced the Alaska Railroad's Whittier Shuttle with a highway. The railroad had provided service for 50 years without a single fatality or major injury. The highway's record failed to reach 50 days. The price we pay in human pain and suffering for our "modern" automobiles is beyond imagination. Call railroads 19th century if you will; they still often beat the best the 21st has to offer. -- Joshua D. Coran
|
|
by John Combs |
| There were two protests with the award for the rebuilds to 3013, 3014
and 3015. However, the units are now en-route in anticipation of
resolution of the protests.
. |
|
Based on an email from Robert Krol |
| In case you haven't scoped out the ARR Bid section.Ê They have out
for bid: new vehicles, new or used flat cars, new or used COFCs,
watering spots for passenger cars, Seward dock eng. services, passenger
car cleaning and food service,
depressed flat car, equipment leases, and shoulder ballast and ditch cleaning services. They also have quite a few jobs open right now too.
|
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| A group of Assembly members failed to muster enough votes Tuesday night
to delay a major study of a possible rail spur up the Girdwood Valley for
up to 15 years.
Two votes to delay the project ended in a 5-5 tie, so the Assembly will take yet another vote Feb. 20 when an absent member is present. |
|
From the MSNBC Website |
| Anchorage, Feb. 5 - It appears a change in presidents has stalled a
study to connect Canada and Alaska with a railroad.
Yukon Premier Pat Duncan says she hasn't heard from U.S. officials about
building a railroad. Alaska Sen. Frank Murkowski is calling for the
joint study to see if the project is feasible. President Clinton
approved $6 million for the three year study. He hoped to link the Alaska
Railroad to the Lower 48 by way of Canada. Murkowski believes that
could tap coal and mineral resources in Alaska. Officials say they
expect the railroad initiative will wait until President Bush gets settled
into office. The connection would require about 1,100 miles of track
at a cost of between $1 billion to $2.3 billion.
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|
By John Combs |
| GP40-2 numbers 3013, 3014 and 3015 (to be rebuilt at National Railway
in Illinois) arrived in Seattle today. They are currently showing
up on the BNSF
trace.
. |
|
Anchorage Daily News |
| The directors of the Alaska Railroad have picked a four-star general
and former head of the Alaskan Command to be the next president of the
state-owned line.
Gen. Patrick K. Gamble will take charge of the railroad in mid-March, when he retires from a 31-year career in the U.S. Air Force. A former director of air and space operations for the Air Force, he is currently based in Hawaii and commands all Air Force installations in the Pacific. He held the Alaskan Command from 1996 to 1998. Also see the story in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Also see the story and photo in MSN NBC Also see the Alaska Railroad's press release |
|
Based on an email from an anonymous source |
| GP40-2 numbers 3013, 3014 and 3015 headed out on the barge January
20th to be rebuilt with head end power (HEP) at National Railway in Illinois.
They will use the F40 system so the rebuild will fit in the present carbody.
The paint scheme will be like that on the 3009-11, a modified SD scheme.
. |
|
Submitted by John Combs |
| This news item may be a little bit dated, but still noteworthy.
The Alaska Railroad has a new locomotive crane. ARRC LC111 is an American
60-Ton Locomotive Crane built in 1982 and rebuilt in 1996. It had recently
been leased to AMTRAK to install catenary lines on the Eastern corridor.The
ARRC purchased the crane from Eastern Railway Supplies in Buffalo, New
York in October 2000. Its first job on the Alaska Railroad was in
support of rail grinding operations.
. |
|
Based on an email from Jerry VanThomme |
| Friday [January 12th] I witnessed the building of the first Whitier
freight to go out this weekend. On the point were three 2800's, a
4000, 3015, 3014, and 3013. I thought they were just sending extra
power down to Whitier to do the second barge while half the power brought
the first barge back to Anchorage.
. |
|
From the Alaska Railroad website |
| The Alaska Railroad is holding an open house Jan. 24, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
at Railroad Headquarters, 327 West Ship Creek Avenue, to provide a status
report and solicit public comment on its capital improvement projects.
The open house will cover the Railroad's program of projects from Seward
to Fairbanks with an emphasis on Anchorage area capital projects including:
The meeting will be an open house format from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with presentations given at 6 p.m. on the track realignment project, South Anchorage double-track project and the Airport Rail Station. The objective of the meeting will be to inform the public, government
representatives and special interest groups about the Railroad's various
projects and solicit input on the Railroad's capital improvement plan.
People unable to attend can submit written comments by e-mail at public_comment@akrr.com
or by writing Capital Projects, P.O. Box 107500, Anchorage, Alaska, 99510-7500.
|
|
Based on and email from Robert Krol |
| If you haven't seen the ARR Bid page recently, the following is up
for bid: Renovation of the First Floor of the Depot Building, Depressed
Flat Car.
. |
|
Based on and email from Robert Krol |
| Last night on Channel 2 News they reported the high wind gust was 102
mph in Bear Valley. There are two Bear Valleys, I'm not sure if it
was Bear Valley near Whittier or Anchorage. The tunnel was closed
and people were trapped on both sides. Anchorage people were trapped
in Whittier and Whittier people were trapped in Anchorage. I heard
trees were blocking the Portage Glacier Road. The winds have died
down now. Power was or is still out in Hope, Moose Pass, and parts
of Anchorage.
. |
|
Submitted by Tom Koole |
| Tom Koole brought it to my attention that there are several fine Alaska
Railroad posters for sale here.
. |
|
Submitted by Harold Emerick |
| MTH Premier will
add an ARR SD70M diesel engine box set to its line. It has an estimated
delivery date of June 2001 and will cost $599.99.
Features include Directionally Controlled Headlights, Metal Wheels and
Axles, Die-Cast Truck Sides, Pilots and Fuel Tank, (2) Remotely Controlled
Proto-Couplers, Authentic Paint Scheme, Operates On O-42 Track, Metal Handrails
and Decorative Horn, All Metal Wheels and Gears, Illuminated Number Boards,
Lighted Marker Lights, Spinning Roof Fans, Metal Body Side Grills, Operating
MARS Light, (2) Precision Flywheel Equipped Motors, Intricately Detailed
ABS Body, Metal Chassis, Lighted Cab Interior, (2) Engineer Cab Figures,
Operating Ditch Lights, Operating Smoke Unit and Proto-Sound 2.0 With The
Digital Command System Featuring - Variable Locomotive Speed Control, Independent
Light Control, Diagnostic Memory Features, Customizable, Downloadable Sounds,
Simultaneous TMCC Operation, Squeaking Brakes, Passenger Station Proto-Effects.
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|
Kenai Peninsula Online |
| FAIRBANKS (AP) -- Cigarette smokers who work on the Alaska Railroad
might want to start chewing Nicorette.
Former-Gov. Bill Sheffield, president and chief executive officer of the state-owned railroad, signed an order Tuesday banning smoking by employees while working in railroad-owned vehicles or buildings. |
|
Kenai Peninsula Online |
| ANCHORAGE (AP) -- President Clinton has signed legislation crating
a bilateral commission to study the feasibility of building a rail link
between Canada and Alaska.
The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska. It creates a 24-member commission, with half the members from the U.S. and the rest from Canada. The commissioners are to study the economic and technological feasibility of such a rail link. Negotiations would have to be opened with Canada to encourage that nation to accept the measure and appoint its 12 members. It appears likely Clinton will leave the matter to President-elect George W. Bush to implement later this winter, Murkowski said. "It is wonderful that America has taken the step of creating and funding a commission to thoroughly study whether it makes economic and environmental sense to improve transportation through Northwest Canada to Alaska," Murkowski said in a prepared statement. "A railroad extension may be the best way to solve the region's long-standing
transportation needs in a way that makes good environmental sense."
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|
11 KTVA Anchorage |
| The assessment is being done because of the costly Gold Creek cleanup, at nine-point-three million and rising. Less than 15 percent of the 120-thousand gallons spilled north of Talkeetna a year ago has been recovered. |
|
Submitted by an anonymous source |
| The rumor on the street is that once Bill Sheffield terminates his
employment with the Alaska Railroad, he will work for them as a consultant
in the area of securing federal funding for the railroad.
. |
The information on this page was last updated
June 25, 2001