What's New - 2023 Archive

yellow diamondVideo: Two from RaeEllen Kurzendoerfer - hyrail school bus and hyrail in reverse - 12/29/23
yellow diamondBibliography: There are lots of new Alaska Railroad articles! Check out Inside Alaska: A Century of Frontier Railroading by ARR Conductor Brice Douglas in the January 2024 edition of Railroad & Railfan, Alaska Railroad's Whittier Shuttle by Bill Anderson in the 2023-3 edition of Passenger Train Journal, Alaska 2023: Positive outlook as ARR marks the centennial of its completion by Frank Keller in the 2023-3 edition of Passenger Train Journal and Serving Uncle Sam in Alaska in the 1960s by David Lustig in the Fall 2023 edition of Classic Trains. - 12/29/23
yellow diamondVideo: Have you ever watched the TV series Railroad Alaska? Do you remember Jim and Nancy James? Robert Nelson bought their property and is turning it into an AirBnB. Check out the video here. Don't forget to click on subscribe to see more of his off-grider lifestyle videos! - 12/28/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's Christmas Miracle in the Last Frontier and Alaskan Splendor. - 12/26/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Santa Hoghead prefers an SD70MAC - 12/25/23
yellow diamondStories: Conductor Connor Keogh shares, "A Tale of Two Teens Working at the Alaska Railroad." - 12/24/23
yellow diamondModeling: John finished Terry's cabin diorama and Rick put it into place on my Alaska Railroad layout. Cabin lighting was connected and tested as well. Next, the pair began tackling an intermittent power loss problem on the layout. As a side note, many thanks to all those who sent me helpful messages on troubleshooting problems as well as kudos! - 12/23/23
yellow diamondHistorical News: 1979 article entitled, "Healy Prominent in Running of Alaska Railroad." - 12/20/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Adding miscellaneous documents:Story for rehabilitation program (3/26/47) and standard couplers on narrow gauge equipment (7/30/23). - 12/19/23

yellow diamondRosters: And what would a day be without another phenomenal Frank Keller photo - Autumn in the Last Frontier. - 12/18/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski helps us take a peek behind the curtain. I featured a photo similar to this as a 2010 Picture of the Week. Also, check out this entry - A Marvel Of Modern Logistics. - 12/18/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dylan Robert captures the Geometry car and a load of coal at the Chena River bridge. - 12/18/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Snowfleet at Portage - 12/18/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski asks, "Did You Know that the Alaska Railroad once served Valdez?" - 12/17/23
yellow diamondHistorical News: 1940 Healy Roundhouse fire - 12/17/23
yellow diamondRosters: David Smith shares a Chuck Hakker photo of caboose #1078 in 1981. - 12/17/23
yellow diamondRosters: Frank Keller catches a fabulous viewpoint of the Denali Star exiting Healy Canyon. - 12/17/23
yellow diamondLinks: The Problem of Railroad-Moose Conflicts in the Susitna Valley: 1955-56 by Robert A. Rausch - 12/17/23
yellow diamondLinks: Beverly Hall Mitchell's Healy History - 12/17/23
yellow diamondRosters: Frank Keller braves the arctic cold to capture Winter Wonderland in Alaska and Turning the snow fleet on the wye at Healy. - 12/15/23
yellow diamondNews: Many thanks to Shane Durand for providing a better photo of coach 208 waiting outside the paint booth - 12/14/23
yellow diamondModeling: John begins filling the pond while Rick runs trains and makes adjustments on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 12/14/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's That Sweet Light - 12/13/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Adding miscellaneous documents: Planning assistance for FRA visit 1981, Cascade Machinery and Electric offer to Kennecott Copper Corporation 9/27/32, hospital cars and rotary needed 6/2/19, baggage cars needed 5/9/40 and Rolling Stock Report 6/1/49. - 12/13/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Adding miscellaneous documents: Report of Survey 4/7/47, Disposition of Hospital Cars 3/1/49, Report of Survey 3/15/54 , Plow for Engine 20 1/16/25 and Negative submission and rotary roster 8/9/44. The rotary roster document puts to rest all the speculation where rotary #2 originated. - 12/11/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Northbound AuRoRa Winter Train - 12/11/23
yellow diamondRosters: Max's Memorial - 12/10/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's 120S Emerging from Portage Tunnel and Down At The Rack. If you are on Facebook, stop by his page and click on the like button. - 12/10/23
yellow diamondLinks:  Travel with Trains: Alaska 2023 - 12/10/23
yellow diamondRosters: Frank Keller captures a MOW train moving rock to MP 52 and CP F120 and the Coastal. If you are on Facebook, stop by his page and click on the like button. - 12/10/23
yellow diamondNews: Coach 208 is outside the paint booth - 12/10/23
yellow diamondNews: FRA Announces Fed-State National Program, Corridor ID Selections - 12/10/23
yellow diamondModeling: John is almost finished with work on cabin scenery. Rick installed cabin lighting controls plus ran a hopper train on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 12/7/23
yellow diamondRosters: Although I featured this Holiday Train photo as a Picture of the Week seven years ago, I thought it would be good to post it once again to spread this year's holiday cheer as well as add Dave Blazejewski's interesting commentary. Of course, I have to provide equal opportunity, so here is Frank Keller's 2017 Holiday Train photo. - 12/6/23
yellow diamondRosters: Marty Bernard captures the Denali Star in the summer of 2009. - 12/6/23
yellow diamondRosters: David Smith's fattens up the rosters with RDC3 701 & RDC2 in Seward, GE 45 ton 7324 in Anchorage and GP7 1839 at the Anchorage Depot. - 12/6/23
yellow diamondLinks: From InsideHook - The Denali Star Illuminates the Best of Alaska - 12/6/23
yellow diamondNews: "All aboard!" Alaska Railroad turns 100 - Stretching from Seward in the south and Fairbanks in the north, the rails of the Alaska Railroad treat tourists to miles of stunning views of mountains and glaciers, waterfalls and wildlife. But for some residents, those rails are a lifeline for people in the entirely roadless wilderness. Correspondent Conor Knighton takes a ride. - 12/5/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The November Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 12/5/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: A Winter's Sunset - 12/4/23
yellow diamondFreight/Passenger: "Diesel" Dave Smith adds crane C69 to the roster. - 12/2/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Added Gabe Emerson's info on Valdez operations including satellite photos. - 12/2/23
yellow diamondRosters: And while we are on the subject of pipe, here is David Smith's photos of ARR Flats loaded with pipe in the yard at McKinley Park and BN Bulkhead Flats loaded with pipeline heat sinks. In the yard at Anchorage. - 12/2/23
yellow diamondRosters: David Smith shares photos of ex-ARR F7B 1507 displaying all at Limon, Colorado, RDC2 712, GP40-2 3001 & GP38-2 2005 at Whittier and GP49 2809 and four sisters await a crew on an Export Coal Empties at the Port of Seward - 12/1/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's Flying High - 12/1/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: 557 Annual Fund Raiser – Have your Contribution Matched! Today marks the beginning of the Engine 557 Restoration Company's annual fund raising campaign. This is the main fund raising request to individual donors and is a primary source of restoration funds for the year. The goal is $85,000. Pledges have been made to match the first $20,000 received, dollar-for-dollar. Be a part of returning Engine 557 to the rails! Donations may be made by credit or debit card, PayPal, or check here. They may also be during a visit to the 557 Engine House in Wasilla. - 12/1/23
yellow diamondModeling: John continues to work on cabin scenery while Rick is fine tuning hoppers on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 11/30/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: 557 Annual Fund Raiser – Have your Contribution Matched! Today marks the beginning of the Engine 557 Restoration Company's annual fund raising campaign. This is the main fund raising request to individual donors and is a primary source of restoration funds for the year. The goal is $85,000. Pledges have been made to match the first $20,000 received, dollar-for-dollar. Be a part of returning Engine 557 to the rails! Donations may be made by credit or debit card, PayPal, or check here. They may also be during a visit to the 557 Engine House in Wasilla. - 11/29/23

yellow diamondRosters: While sorting through some files I found some of my original Ken Reuben WWII scans. I have reposted in them their large size: #1001 (front), Dodge Power Wagon, 557 in Whittier, Brill #215 with Trailer #304, RS-1 numbers 1001 and 1000 at the head of a freight train, track the BTI building, RS-1 #1000 rounding the curve near Whittier and the Whittier tunnel - 11/27/23 
yellow diamondRosters: Bill Hess conducts a study of people who wave at and from passing trains - 11/27/23 
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Cabooses and sunsets - 11/27/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's Portage Valley - 11/26/23
yellow diamondAll in a Day's Work: In 2007 I began a feature called "All in a Day's Work" featuring the maintenance of way tasks facing the railroad. Although this featured ended in 2008, I will be adding a few more from the same author. This one is entitled "Thanksgiving, a reason to be thankful." 11/26/23
yellow diamondNews: Seward Coal Dock – Loading Equipment Demolition - 11/26/23
yellow diamondRoute Map: Added "Holing Through" information provided by Stephanie Carlson to the Whittier page. - 11/25/23
yellow diamondModeling: Time to tell Santa what you want for Christmas. There are new HO scale Athearn 40' Offset Ballast Hopper w/Load (single car, or two different 4 packs) or for the N scale enthusiast, the 100th Anniversary box car. - 11/25/23
yellow diamondRosters: Peter Goor grabbed a great photo of E9 #2402 leads a passenger train into Fairbanks. - 11/25/23
yellow diamondPeople's Creations: Thomas in France is gearing up to build a Z scale Alaska Railroad train layout in France. If you are a Z- scale modeler and can lend him some lessons learned feel free to email me and I'll pass them along. - 11/25/23
yellow diamondRosters: Engineering drawings: Colorado Midland "B" rotary, passenger cars 251-253, passenger cars 101-104 and 106-107, passenger car 246, passenger cars 108-110, 112 and Kenton Ohio rail cars - 11/25/23 
yellow diamondRosters: Dylan Robert grabs a photo of the Fairbanks Yard Job heads North into the small community of Moose Creek. - 11/25/23
yellow diamondWhere Are They Now?: Jonathan Fischer captures ex-ARR GP49s numbers 2802 and 2807 in Washington state. - 11/25/23
yellow diamondModeling: Rick runs trains with grandsons while John works on cabin scenery on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 11/23/23
yellow diamondRailroadiana: Passenger Tariff 80-W 4/25/63 and Local Passenger Tariff 85-E 1/1/79 - 10/22/223
yellow diamondRosters: Frank Keller making an eye popping shot of the Centennial unit at Honolulu. - 11/22/23 
yellow diamondRosters: Dylan Robert catches a Fairbanks Yard job at Graffiti Rock. - 11/22/23
yellow diamondRosters: A gloomy day with Dave Blaze and Frank Keller results in a memorable chase. - 11/22/23 
yellow diamondRosters: Diesel Dave shares of a photo of GP7L 1827 in the yard at Seward. - 11/22/23 
yellow diamondHistorical: Adding miscellaneous documents: business car SS Latouche 6/2/22, new Budd rail car 3/31/32, Narrow gauge equipment on Chatanika Branch 4/8/32, Brill gas car damage 8/22/34, Railmobile proposals 6/3/35, Dodge Railmobile problems 8/31/35, price request 12/30/35, Auto-Railer not adequate 1/20/36, interest in Lehigh Valley passenger coaches 5/1/36, Evans Auto Railer info 7/30/36, passenger equipment 8/30/48, Mikado 3160 interest 4/23/49, surplus rolling stock 5/31/49, surplus rolling stock 6/30/49, rolling stock report 7/1/49, rolling stock report 8/1/49, rolling stock report 9/1/49, received Baldwin 1000 9/30/49, equipment report 10/1/49, Engine 401 damage 10/3/49, rail equipment report correction 10/6/49, equipment report 11/1/49, overloading of diesels 11/1/51, locomotive 1809 status 11/18/51, record of train motor car and locomotive miles 12/52, heater cars for military shuttle service 6/10/53, invitation to bid Porter diesel electric locomotives 3/10/54, 1500 class working with 1000 class 5/3/54, motor car disposition 12/13/62, Records Shelf List 1/16/63, The Clark autotram, The Gandy Wagon. - 11/21/23
yellow diamondModeling: Rick runs trains plus checks out a reed switch while John and Terry work on cabin scenery on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 11/20/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Fairbanks Yard Job heads Railroad South back to Fairbanks Yard at MP G24 just outside Eielson AFB - 11/20/23
yellow diamondAdmin: You probably noticed on November 15 my website was down. Actually, my Internet Service Provider was down for most of the day. Over the years, this company has given me almost 100% up time. So this was just a rare event… hopefully. Sorry for those of you who panicked when my website went away for the day. Not my fault! The next day I left on a four day trip. Several of you panicked as my website was up, but no modifications had been posted. Sorry, I was just out having fun. Now things should get back to normal for a while. - 11/20/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: 110S heads South over the Snow River Bridge - 11/13/23
yellow diamondModeling: The Tortoise switch machine is installed on the high speed turnout at the north end of the Anchorage yard and a static grass field is created at Terry's cabin on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 11/9/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad releases 2024 official print - 11/8/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Adding miscellaneous documents: locomotive boiler inspections 3/31/44, locomotive boiler inspections 5/1/46, Baldwin Locomotive Works specifications, locomotive 31 failure 7/13/29, locomotive 23 status report 10/16/45, tank for loco 221 5/11/16, GP-7 and Alco locomotives 5/3/60, Engines not to be used 3/22/60, locomotives stored and in service 6/3/60, McKeen car offer 4/23/19, Air Dump and Ballast Cars now in service 7/24/51, Chicago Freight Car and Parts Company supplying equipment 4/13/48, work train cars available 5/29/45, automatic dump cars, unassigned gas cars 3/6/45, Kalamazoo Motor Cars, Proposed Rotary Snow Plow and Tender 10/19/49, Mikado proposal 4/25/24, Lima Locomotive Works proposal 4/2/24, Bureau of Mines property transfer 2/12/45, wood constructed flat cars 4/19/49, complete list freight car and light weights 7/1/57, light weights of cement cars 10/6/52, reefer service with racks 5/28/49, renumbering of refrigerator equipment 10/26/54, purchasing box cars from Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railway 5/28/43, refrigerator and heater cars 8/28/52, Transoceanic Trading Company selling Baldwin locomotives and tank cars 11/1/48, overhead railway proposal 4/4/27, surplus narrow gauge equipment, rails and fittings 7/5/35, Kalamazoo car discussions 3/25/36, Kalamazoo car discussion part 2 3/30/36, Kalamazoo tire failure 7/20/37, Gibson logging speeder offer 8/25/37, Fairmont Railway motorcar proposal 2/19/37, Railbus for sale 6/8/35, Evans Auto Railer proposal 12/11/36 and new inspection car 5/29/35. - 11/7/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: A friendly wave from the conductor - 11/6/23
yellow diamondVideo: What is it like to live the off-grider life? Check out Robert Nelson's latest YouTube video of having the Alaska Railroad's Tundra Truck deliver a chest freezer to the trail head near his homestead. Don't forget to click on subscribe to see more of his off-grider lifestyle videos! - 11/5/23
yellow diamondModeling: Work continues on the high speed turnout at the north end of the Anchorage yard while cattails are placed at the pond near Terry's cabin on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 11/5/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The October Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 11/5/23
yellow diamondWhere Are They Now?: John and Terry Combs stop in to visit Jason Daily at the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway for a view of E9A #301 and power car P-30. - 11/1/23
yellow diamondNews: After effort to block Anchorage bike path connection, railroad to consider revised lease proposal - 11/1/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: 10 SD70MAC train - 10/30/23
yellow diamondModeling: Circle City Decals has SD70MAC 100th Anniversary decals in numerous scales - 10/29/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's Into The Wild Gold Yonder - 10/28/23 
yellow diamondRosters: Today my heart is broken - 10/26/23 
yellow diamondModeling: Pond work begins on Terry's cabin scene while Rick installs a high speed mainline turnout for the north end of the Anchorage yard my Alaska Railroad layout. - 10/23/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Peter Reinold snaps trip photos at Windy and Eagle River Bridge - 10/23/23
yellow diamondRosters: Fairbanks Yard Job heads railroad South passing MP G24 on the ARRC’s Eielson Branch - 10/22/23

yellow diamondRosters: A silhouetted GP-40 #3003 passes in front of an illuminated Anchorage skyline. I obtained this photo a year and a half ago and this has given me reason to reflect on the history of my website. When I first started, I had difficulty getting photos to post. As a matter of fact, I would send rolls of film to Alaska Railroad employees to take photos and then send them back to me for developing. Today, my "In the Works" folder has over 2,000 photos that I have accumulated and needs posting. Amazing, isn't it?

The first photos I posted in 1997 were 423 pixels wide. I had to be careful as I didn't have much server space. Axel Hessler out of Germany let me use some of his space so I split my website across two servers. Visitors to my website probably never realized this, as the transition was totally transparent. My current Internet Service Provider offers unlimited server space. Even so, several of my directories grew so large that the service provider made me split them into two pieces. The Times they are a changing. Today, I am posting photos 2048 pixels wide.

I have hundreds of negatives, photos and slides yet to scan. I have several file drawers of documents, which need to be converted into digital form. With a staff of one person, much of this may never see the light of day. With that said, I much prefer my 2023 feast over my 1977 famine. - 10/17/23
yellow diamondRosters: Maintenance of Way hopper at Rudd Spur was formerly a Hydro Train car - 10/17/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Autumn sunsets - 10/16/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's Alaska Gold Rush - 10/15/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The September Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 10/14/23
yellow diamondAdmin: I just returned from nice 10 day vacation through North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. It was great fun, but always nice to return home. I made a side trip to see ex-ARR E9 #2401 and P-30 at the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway. Photos to follow soon. - 10/14/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Added a Passenger Conductor's Report 5/3/63 - 10/3/23
yellow diamondPeople's Creations: Added a new photo from Daniel Quick's layout in Soldotna - 10/3/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Here are the next three Pictures of the Week. The theme is RDC #701. - 10/2/23
yellow diamondModeling: Work continues on Terry's garden while Rick provides adjustments to freight cars on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 10/1/23
yellow diamondModeling: Work commences on Terry's garden, passenger cars return from the Eppley Shops and the Whittier siding power is modified on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 9/27/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Refueling locomotives in the field - 9/25/23
yellow diamondRosters: Diesel Dave shares photos of train 5 with F7A 1500 & F7B 1517, Anchorage yard engines GP38-2’s 2001 & 2002, Northbound Extra freight in the siding at McKinley Park, GP40-2’s 3001, 3011, 3017 & 3009 in the fuel rack at the Anchorage shop, GP40 3017 & GP40-2 3009 outside one of the shop buildings and a view at the east end of the Anchorage shop. - 9/20/23
yellow diamondWhere Are They Now?: Guess what showed up on the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway? E8B P-30! I'm gonna pay her a visit next month. - 9/18/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: I'm loving the 100th anniversary paint scheme on SD70MAC #4328 - 9/18/23
yellow diamondBibliography: Purchase the September 2023 issue of Trains magazine and check out Bill Anderson's article regarding the beginnings of the joint effort of the Alaska Railroad and the Trans-Alaskan pipeline in "Alaska Railroad's big job". Congratulations to Frank Keller for his striking photo gracing the cover! - 9/15/23
yellow diamondNews: A long-shelved railroad to the Mat-Su’s Port MacKenzie could instead become a road - 9/15/23
yellow diamondNews: End of the line for rail link to Port MacKenzie? Borough to pursue conversion to a road - 9/15/23
yellow diamondRosters: What do dogs dream about? - 9/15/23
yellow diamondModeling: John is working on Terry's cabin and vegetable garden on my Alaska Railroad layout. Rick works on locomotives surging and passenger car derailments. - 9/14/23
yellow diamondRosters: I thought I posted this a while back, but I guess not. Here is the end of the line for the Russell Plow on March 10, 2010. - 9/13/23
yellow diamondStories: Added my Alaska Railroad 100th Anniversary Trip Report using a collage style format. There is about 350MB of goodness plus a link to the Alaska Railroad VIP Train. Enjoy! - 7/9/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Riding the Hurricane Train - 9/11/23
yellow diamondWhere Are They Now?: Ahead of the Torch: Caboose 1070 in danger of being scrapped. - 9/10/23
yellow diamondRosters: Vernon Carlson from Cantwell sent us photos of idler car X511 used as a bridge. - 9/10/23
yellow diamondModeling: If you are an N scale model railroader you can pick up some cool Alaska Railroad stuff at RailSmith Models. including a 100th anniversary logo Nenana coach. - 9/10/23
yellow diamondModeling: Making dirt and running trains on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 9/8/23
yellow diamondRosters: James Sava clipped this photograph of Bartlett Glacier from a 1950s Railbelt Reporter. - 9/6/23
yellow diamondRosters: For historical purposes, here is an equipment status report from 6/1/01 - 9/6/23
yellow diamondRailroadiana: I'm finally going through all my 100th Anniversary celebration stuff to add it to my collections: 100th Anniversary VIP train access badge, 100th Anniversary coin (front, back), ARRC 2023 post pin (Nenana), 100th Anniversary golden spike, 100th Anniversary conductor's badge, 100th Anniversary logo pin, 557 steam locomotive, Centennial Celebration program, 100th Anniversary First Day Cover, 100th Anniversary Panoramas magazine and a 100th Anniversary Yeti mug. - 9/5/223
yellow diamondRosters: David Smith was very prolific in 1975-1983. He has shared tons of photos and I will get them online as time allows. Check out his pix of cabooses #1072, #1018, #1071, #1078, GP7u #1808 , steam locomotive #556, RS1 #1000, and abi hopper ASGX #647. - 9/3/23

yellow diamondWhere Are They Now?: David Smith captured a 9/6/22 photo of a GE 25-ton switcher formerly ARR #50 1946-1956. What an awesome find! - 9/5/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Lengthy passenger train at Rainbow - 9/4/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The August Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 9/3/23
yellow diamondRosters: Jonathan Fischer captures a busy day on the railroad as well as a slew of photos from March 1985. - 9/3/23
yellow diamondRosters: Jonathan Fischer captures boxcar #8009 in Seattle, a beautiful day in Alaska chasing freight and passenger trains and a one car cruise train plus the southbound Denali Express. - 9/2/23
yellow diamondModeling: Work continues on Terry's cabin as well as the new Woodland Scenics "Just Plug" system on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 8/31/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Work train at Windy Bridge - 8/28/23
yellow diamondRosters: Robert Krol provides us with some current photos of the new Whittier Cruise Terminal for Norwegian Cruise Lines - 8/25/23
yellow diamondWhere Are They Now?: Mary Krull has spoken for kitchen car #0020 at Seward's Train Wreck and will be adding it to the Whistle Hill complex as a detached preparation kitchen/bakery next year. - 8/25/23
yellow diamondModeling: Atlas N scale 70 ton Hart ballast cars 7191, 7159 guaranteed pre-order due date October 4. See their catalog for more information. - 8/25/23
yellow diamondVideo: What is it like to live the off-grider life? Check out Robert Nelson's drop dead awesome YouTube video of hiring the Alaska Railroad's Tundra Truck to deliver a Kawasaki Teryx 800 side by side to the trail head near his homestead. Don't forget to click on subscribe to see more of his off-grider lifestyle videos! - 8/25/23
yellow diamondPeople's Creations: Nate Elsner's HO Scale Fairbanks Depot - 8/24/23
yellow diamondModeling: The trains kept a rollin' all train night long on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 8/24/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Nighttime barge - 8/21/23

yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad special trains:

  • HooDoo Choo Choo: A leisurely round-trip journey to Nenana serves as the backdrop for sampling HooDoo Brewery’s finest, accompanied by light fare courtesy of UAF's Culinary Arts program. Book now.
  • The Great Alaska Beer Train: Take a scenic journey along Turnagain Arm with the world's best designated driver: the Alaska Railroad. The 'Microbrew Express' travels round-trip from Anchorage to Portage and features an impressive assortment of the finest local microbrews from the Glacier Brewhouse and the incredible scenery of Turnagain Arm. Book now. - 8/18/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad notes a century of operation - 8/18/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad centennial celebrations - 8/18/23
yellow diamondModeling: Minor repairs and running trains on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 8/18/23
yellow diamondRosters: Okay, let's fatten up the roster pages with a few of my wife's photos: SD70MAC #4322, Holland America Chena and Kobuk, Princess Denali, Foraker and Hunter and Alaska Railroad GoldStar #654 - 8/15/23
yellow diamondLinks: Ever wondered about this history of Portage? Check out Michael Dougherty's Alaska Facts and History on the town of Portage. - 8/15/23
yellow diamondRosters: Of course I love the new wrap on SD70MAC #4328 and can't get enough of seeing it. Therefore, a drone view of #4328 and the Denali Star is just too good to pass up. Thanks Bill Hess for sharing this unique photo! But wait, there more! Check out his beautiful photo of a freight train near Clapp Road Crossing. - 8/15/23
yellow diamondRosters: Jonathan Fischer chases a freight train from Wasilla to Anchorage. - 8/14/23
yellow diamondVideo: If you have a Facebook account then check out this video of Anchorage Sand & Gravel's TeleStacker Conveyor stockpiling pit run gravel straight off the Alaska Railroad hopper cars fresh in from Palmer. - 8/14/23
yellow diamondRosters: I stumbled across this nice article on ARRC President Bill O'Leary. - 8/14/23
Yellow DiamondForms: Added a switch cleaning instruction sheet - 8/14/23
yellow diamondModeling: Athearn is taking orders for HO scale Alaska Marine and Crowley 53ft Jindo Containers. Orders are due 09/01/23 with an estimated delivery 12/24. - 8/14 /23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: No. 4328 pulling the Denali Star - 8/14/23
yellow diamondRosters: Jonathan Fischer snags photos of SD70MAC #4328 in its 100th anniversary wrap pulling the Denali Star. Now what's not to love about that! Also, check out his photos of #4009 pulling a freight train through Wasilla. - 8/12/23
yellow diamondRosters: Robert Krol catches GP40 #3007 on a beautiful day in Whittier plus a military transport. - 8/12/23
yellow diamondModeling: Three different tours take place on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 8/11/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The July Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 8/8/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Riding the Coastal Classic - 8/7/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski captures ten locomotives along Turnagain Arm and The Other Half of the "Fleet" - 8/6/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Celebrating 100 years: A photo journal entitled, "John and Terry Combs ride the VIP Centennial Train." - 8/4/23
yellow diamondModeling: Guard rails and running trains on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 8/3/23
yellow diamondModeling: Big Mac combo meal or 55 minutes of fun on the Alaska Central Railroad? That's a no-brainer! For the price of that combo meal you can have more fun than a barrel full of monkeys! Head out to Wasilla on weekends 10:00am to 4:00pm. Train leaves the station every hour. - 7/24/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Celebrating 100 years: Jason Kuehn and John Gray capture the entire history of the Alaska Railroad with Centennial History of the Alaska Railroad . This monster 53 page document is the stuff books are made of. Please show your appreciation for their hard work by making a donation to the restoration of steam locomotive #557. - 7/12/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: My favorite locomotive at the airport! - 7/31/23
yellow diamondModeling: Running two trains simultaneously on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 7/28/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dyan Robert catches a train before it heads into the Eielson Branch - 7/26/23
yellow diamondModeling: Big Mac combo meal or 55 minutes of fun on the Alaska Central Railroad? That's a no-brainer! For the price of that combo meal you can have more fun than a barrel full of monkeys! Head out to Wasilla on weekends 10:00am to 4:00pm. Train leaves the station every hour. - 7/24/23
yellow diamondNews: Nenana Celebrates Alaska Railroad Centennial With Gifted Gazebo - 7/24/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad 100th anniversary driving the Golden Spike July 15th 2023 - 7/24/23
yellow diamondNews: The Alaska Railroad celebrates 100 years of service with centennial event in Nenana - 7/24/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad celebrates centennial anniversary - 7/24/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad marks 100th anniversary, names Terry VP of real estate - 7/24/23
yellow diamondNews: The Alaska Railroad celebrates 100th year - 7/24/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad Celebrates 100 Years of Service - 7/24/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Centennial train - 7/24/23
yellow diamondRosters: Mike Gerenday captures the centennial paint scheme on SD70MAC #4328 - 7/13/23
yellow diamondFreight/Passenger: Many thanks to Shane Durand for capturing the scrapping of the Haliburton cars as they met their 50 year life span. - 7/13/23
yellow diamondModeling: Running trains the entire evening on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 7/13/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Celebrating 100 years: Jason Kuehn and John Gray capture the entire history of the Alaska Railroad with Centennial History of the Alaska Railroad . This monster 53 page document is the stuff books are made of. Please show your appreciation for their hard work by making a donation to the restoration of steam locomotive #557. - 7/12/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Here are the next two Pictures of the Week - 7/10/23
yellow diamondStories: Added my Alaska inside passage cruise journal using a collage style format. There is 139.8 MB of goodness including 63 photos and 5 videos. Enjoy! - 7/9/23
yellow diamondLinks:  The Alaska Railroad GoldStar ride from Anchorage to Seward Review 2023 - 7/8/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The June Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 7/7/23
yellow diamondVideo: More "off-the-grid" lifestyle with Robert Nelson as he executes Off Grid Water collection at the Curmudge Inn. There are other great videos there as well so you'll want to subscribe to his channel. - 7/6/23
yellow diamondModeling: Replacing a coupler with a short knuckle on a hopper car on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 7/6/23
yellow diamondVideo: Robert Krol catches the Glacier Discovery entering Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel - 7/5/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Celebrating 100 years: Bill O’Leary President and CEO Alaska Railroad Corporation shares words of centennial celebration - 7/5/23
yellow diamondRosters: Max: Oh to be young again - 7/5/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: MEX at Bird Creek - 7/3/23
yellow diamondNews: Although it is not Alaska Railroad related, I must share this one with you since I pass it frequently on the road while train chasing - The Parks Highway Igloo’s being renovated to sell booze - 7/2/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Celebrating 100 years: says Happy centennial to the Alaska Railroad! - 6/27/23
yellow diamondAdmin: Okay, I am back from my Alaska inside passage cruise. Time to get busy on the website! Photo collage to follow. - 6/26/23
yellow diamondModeling: Lots of videos and train running on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 6/15/23
yellow diamondRosters: Graham Zielinski's photo of the Denali Star at milepost 356 - 6/13/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Windy Perfection - 6/12/23
yellow diamondRosters: Graham Zielinski captures the new track geometry car - 6/11/23
yellow diamondRosters: A person can't view too many Frank Keller photos. Here is the southbound Denali Star as it emerges from Healy Canyon. - 6/11/23
yellow diamondRosters: Frank Keller catches a southbound Seward freight at Bird Point, the work train at Bird Point and crossing the Susitna River at Gold Creek - 6/9/23
yellow diamondModeling: Lots of work took place on my Alaska Railroad layout - wheel replacement, plow reduction, window light blocking, 3D printer items, coupler replacement, turnout tuning and adding double thickness to the base of Terry's cabin area. - 6/8/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: Iron Horse in the Mat-Su Valley from HeritageRail Journal - 6/6/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Celebrating 100 years: Randy Thompson shares The Alaska Railroad, A Brief & Incomplete History - 6/6/23
yellow diamondModeling: Rick and John resume the hunt for narrow tread width cars on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 6/6/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Pittman Siding meet - 6/5/23
yellow diamondAdmin: Returning from an extended trip in New York/New Jersey. Time to get busy on the website! Or maybe I should just stop traveling. Not! - 6/4/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The May Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 6/1/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Celebrating 100 years: Patrick Durand does an audio commentary of Just Call Me Dave, The Alaska Railroad Centennial, memories by Dave Davenport - 5/27/23
yellow diamondRosters: RaeEllen Kurzendoerfer captures an empty continuous welded rail work train - 5/30/23
yellow diamondLinks:  From businessinsider.com - The famous Alaska Railroad turns 100 this year. Here's what it's like to ride to North America's northernmost train station! - 5/30/23
yellow diamondModeling: For those of you who are N-scale modelers, RailSmith is releasing a 100th anniversary Nenana passenger coach in July - 5/30/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: The stranger - 5/29/23
yellow diamondRosters: Yet another perspective of the Chena Flood Plains by Dyan Robert. Also, check out the Fairbanks local at MP G24 and the Usibelli Coal Turn near Slide Zone 415. - 5/28/23
yellow diamondRosters: Robert Krol's Whittier May 2023 photos - 5/28/23
yellow diamondNews: Trains.com article on ex-Alaska Railroad E9A 2401 in its new life on the Aberdeen Carolina & Western - 5/28/23
yellow diamondNews: Bobbie Strong bird dogged an article for us entitled, Hurricane Turn, the Alaska Railroad Train You Can Flag Down Like a Taxi - 5/28/23
yellow diamondRosters: Diesel Dave shares photos of GP38 2005 and two ex-SP Gallery cars , the Southbound Aurora arrives at Denali Park and the Whittier Shuttle arrives at Portage - 5/28/23
yellow diamondVideo: Robert Krol catches the Glacier Discovery entering Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (25.7MB) and horn echoing through the valley (15.9MB) - 5/26/23
yellow diamondPeople's Creations: James Stump's Alaska News Source cars - 5/26/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Celebrating 100 years: Retired Alaska Railroad Corporation Vice President of Corporate Affairs Jim Blasingame shares with us an article entitled, 100 Years of the Alaska Railroad. Jim worked for the railroad 42 years and has a strong interest in the history of the Alaska Railroad. - 5/26/23
yellow diamondModeling: Work on Terry's cabin begins. John ran a 19-car fright car consist. Rick and John resume the hunt for narrow tread width cars on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 5/25/23
yellow diamondPeople's Creations: Max Corey's construction era HO scale diorama - 5/22/23
yellow diamondRosters: A.E.C. #415 flat car with a load of railroad ties - 5/22/23
yellow diamondRosters: Terry Douglas sends us a photo of the new MOW Brandt R4 Railcar Mover - 5/22/23
yellow diamondSpecial Features: Snow fighting: Many thanks to David Smith for the photo of Jordan Spreader 3 - /22/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Caboose 1073 was abandon after being wrecked in 1950. It's wreckage is in Nenana near the original accident location. - 5/22/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Alaska Railroad open house 2023 - 5/22/23
yellow diamondVideo: Check out Brice Douglas's presentation, “More Than Just a Train” - 5/21/23
yellow diamondRosters: Mike Gerenday captures the Curry quarry equipment train - 5/20/23
yellow diamondNews: Richardson Highway MP 359 Railroad Grade Separated Facility - 5/20/23
yellow diamondStories: Can't make it to Alaska this year? Then check out Richard Rafalski's railfanning trip. It's almost like being there!- 5/19/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Celebrating 100 years: Sharing Mike Gerenday's photos of the Anchorage Museum's display celebrating the Alaska Railroad's centennial - 5/19/23
yellow diamondModeling: Running trains and hunting for issues on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 5/18/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's Under The Rainbow - 5/16/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: One of each flavor please - 5/15/23
yellow diamondVideo: I've always been infatuated with the "off-the-grid" lifestyle. Check out Robert Nelson's video How a train whistle stopper in remote Alaska gets home with supplies. There are other great videos there as well so you'll want to subscribe to his channel. - 5/14/23
yellow diamondFreight/Passenger: Crane update: "LC108 and LC111 were surplussed in 2022 sometime, and were scrapped last month. There was part of one last week left, I don't know which one. LC110 must have been very recent, and it's odd because it just had major work done two years ago. I understand that there will be four new cranes total." - 5/14/23
yellow diamondNews: After an extended hiatus, the Railroad Days make a return - 5/12/23
yellow diamondModeling: Dealing with permafrost heaves on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 5/12/23
yellow diamondAdmin: Returning from a week long trip in Nevada/California. Time to get busy on the website! - 5/11/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The April Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 4/27/23
yellow diamondNews: Harbor Train Station to disembark Seward? - 4/28/23
yellow diamondModeling: It is time to have some fun! Running a GoPro video camera on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 4/27/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Celebrating 100 years: JUST CALL ME DAVE The Alaska Railroad Centennial, memories by Dave Davenport - 4/27/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The April Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 4/27/23
yellow diamondRosters: Rusty Wendlandt is fattening up the rosters with photos of caboose #1069, flat cars #95804 and #97006, gondolas #13841, #95302 and #95308, and box cars #10632, #901554 and #901563 - 4/24/23
yellow diamondRosters: Ira Silverman shares his Fairbanks to Anchorage train trip photos - 4/24/23
yellow diamondNews: Trains magazine special tour- 2023 Alaska by Rail – 100th Alaska Railroad Anniversary - 4/24/2
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Early morning Anchorage Yard - 4/24/23
yellow diamondRosters: Many thanks to Shane Durand for scanning and sending his father's slides. Here is Patrick Durand's photos of MRS-1 #1715, MRS-1 numbers 1609, 1602 and 1517 and MRS-1 1517 and 1607 - 4/23/23
yellow diamondFreight/Passenger: MoW gondola/crane tender ARRW with a locomotive crane. - 4/23/23
yellow diamondFreight/Passenger: Added two wonderful Patrick Durand photos of gallery cars - 422/23
yellow diamondVideo: Michael Maillet's video of a freight train along Turnagain Arm - 4/22/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad Open Houses return in 2023 - 4/20/23
yellow diamondModeling: Liquid Nails and GoPro on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 4/20/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: 1980's Fair train - 4/17/23
yellow diamondRosters: Mike Gerenday adds photos of RSD1 #1016, F7 #1510, 2-8-0 #557 and RS-1 #1001 - 4/13/23
yellow diamondModeling: Liquid Nails work is now complete on my Alaska Railroad layout. The diesel shop crane was repaired and scenery work continues. - 4/13/23
yellow diamondRosters: Max dons The Cone of Shame - 4/12/23
yellow diamondStories: In September 2022 I was asked by a TV producer with Viacom if I would appear on a show for the UK's biggest and most popular channels, Channel 5. Tony Knowles Amazing Railway Adventures would be an eight part series one of which would focus on the Alaska Railroad. Why me? They said I am the Alaska Railroad's #1 fan. Why yes, of course I'll do it! Being limited mobility I have trouble traveling solo so they agreed to have my wife Terry accompany me. The experience was an amazing adventure in and of itself. We also stayed a few extra days to breath in even more of The Great Land. I was permitted to release my journal once the show aired on Channel 5. This journal is in a minimal photo collage style. I hope you enjoy it. - 4/12/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Winter Aurora crossing the Mears Memorial Bridge - 4/10/23
yellow diamondModeling: Painting and Liquid Nails work on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 4/7/23
yellow diamondNews: I don't typically post news unrelated to the Alaska Railroad, but A moose walks into an Alaska hospital and finds a snack was just too good to pass up. - 4/7/23
yellow diamondNews: From the Alaska Railroad, Tales From The Rails: A Storytelling Project - 4/7/23
yellow diamondPeople's Creations: John Gray's commentary and video of Operating an Alaska Train on a Canadian Layout - 4/7/23
yellow diamondRosters: Frank Keller snaps the sun setting on the Glacier Discovery - 4/5/23
yellow diamondSpecial Features: It is rare to see "behind the scenes" of the Alaska Railroad. Therefore, I am so excited to share two new special features with you - A Day in the Life of the Mechanical Department and Mechanical Department Journeyman. - 4/4/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The March Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 4/3/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Northbound winter Aurora in Anchorage - 4/3/23
yellow diamondHall of Fame: The 2023 inductee to John's Alaska Railroad Web Page Hall of Fame is Todd Shechter. Congratulations! - 4/2/22
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: Mike Gerenday captures installation of the flues and tubes - 3/31/23
yellow diamondRosters: Rusty Wendlandt captures the winter Aurora arriving in Anchorage - 3/31/23
yellow diamondModeling: A busy week on my Alaska Railroad layout including a grandson invasion, the completion of the Mountain and Canyon subdivisions and Liquid Nails work at the Portage depot.- 3/31/23
yellow diamondRosters: Frank Keller's Trail Lake Transportation, Muddy Matanuska and Turning North - 3/28/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: A few photos of 557's flue installation - 3/27/23
yellow diamondRosters: Steam locomotive #6 - 3/27/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Added the February 1953 edition to Railbelt Reporters (ARR employee newsletters). - 3/27/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Gordon Carlson took these pictures from his loader while he helped lift a traction motor. - 3/27/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's Bumped Off Budd - 3/26/23
yellow diamondVideo: Robert Krol captures a freight train north of Girdwood - 3/25/23
yellow diamondRosters: An eye popping Frank Keller photo, Fall Colors in Healy Canyon - 3/24/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's Northbound Blade Train - 3/24/23
yellow diamondRosters: A few more from Dick Morris 2-8-0 Consolidation and Iron Dough Boy in Battle Dress - 3/24/23
yellow diamondRosters: Who Is This Guy? By the way, he is standing on the front of my favorite locomotive! - 3/24/23
yellow diamondRosters: Max and Mary Poppins - 3/24/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dick Morris did a beautiful summary on the Alaska Railroad's 400/500 Class steam locomotives - 3/24/23
yellow diamondFreight/Passenger: Rusty Wendlandt grabbed flat car 188XX loads: 18811 with caterpillar equipment, 18824 with lumber, 18813 with containers and bulktainers - 3/24/23
yellow diamondFreight/Passenger: Rusty Wendlandt discovers LC108 and LC111 in the Anchorage surplus track - 3/24/23
yellow diamondVideo: Mark Butler's Facebook video, "Southbound Winter train on Sunday March 19th. Beautiful day in the neighborhood." - 3/23/23
yellow diamondVideo: Many thanks to Mike Gerenday for bird dogging this wonderful YouTube video entitled, The Alaska Railroad, circa 1955 - 3/23/23
yellow diamondModeling: Ballasting and Liquid Nails work continues on my Alaska Railroad layout. - 3/23/23
yellow diamondRosters: Seward freight train with frac sand by Rusty Wendlandt - 3/22/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dick Morris added a 1932 Baldwin Magazine blurb on steam locomotive #801 - 3/22/23
yellow diamondRosters: Bill Hess caught the winter Aurora as well as #557 work crew - 3/20/23
yellow diamondWhere Are They Now?: In 2022 Sue Wilson sold her railcars at The Aurora Express to Chena Hot Springs. Eric Hume grabbed these photos at Chena Hot Springs - 3/20/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Dick Morris adds another article from the August 1, 1947 edition of the Saturday Evening Post - 3/20/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: A string of tank cars - 3/20/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dick Morris added a photo and commentary regarding steam locomotives 556 and 559 - 3/19/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Dick Morris shares articles Big Machines Defeat Big Snow Troubles from December 1949 Engineering and Maintenance magazine, Anchorage, Alaska Co-op Given G&T Loan by REA from Electrical World 3/27/1950 and Alaska Railroad Fire Department from Fireman Magazine 2/1950 - 3/19/23
yellow diamondHistorical: Patrick Durand shares a pair of aerial photos of the Anchorage Yard in October 1958 - 3/19/23
yellow diamondModeling: Rock climbers invade my Alaska Railroad layout. Ballasting and Liquid Nails work continues as well. - 3/16/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Dashing through the snow - 3/13/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's Moody, The DMU Arrives, Blue Ice And Golden Leaves and Popping Out Of Tunnel 5 - 3/12/23
yellow diamondFreight/Passenger: Lisa Krol captures two photos (1, 2) of locomotive crane #112 at Dimond Blvd. - 3/12/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: Rusty Wendlandt's photos of 557 at the Wasilla shop - 3/12/23
yellow diamondEquipment Rosters: A partial scan sent by a friend of a 1938 locomotive roster - 3/11/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: By request I have added all the photos and videos I took while 557 was loaded in Anchorage and transported to Wasilla. - 3/10/23
yellow diamondAdmin: My new computer is up and running! Lightning fast! - 3/10/23
yellow diamondAdmin: After ten years, the computational power of my current computer is grinding to a halt. Sometimes it goes off into never-never land for 30-60 seconds. Then magically, it returns and starts doing stuff again. I get pretty angry every time I use it. I finally purchased a new one and it arrived yesterday. I will be spending the next several days migrating the old computer information to the new one plus possibly doing a lot of troubleshooting. This should not affect the website, but you just never know. Wish me luck! - 3/9/23
yellow diamondModeling: We get smarter as we go along. A LED indicator now shows when power is present on the diesel and passenger car tracks on my Alaska Railroad layout. We also did some RailPro AM-1 troubleshooting and some additional scenery in the Tunnel Subdivision. - 3/9/23
yellow diamondModeling: Finishing the mountain and repairing the barge motor on my Alaska Railroad layout - 3/6/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Chena Flood Plains - 3/6/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The February Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 3/1/23
yellow diamondNews: The Train-Themed Restaurant In Alaska That Will Make You Feel Like A Kid Again - 2/22/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's Seward freight - 2/28/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Caboose 1093 and the northern lights - 2/27/23
yellow diamondVideo: Two videos taken by R. Lolli Morrow while riding the DMU - 2/26/23
yellow diamondModeling: Building mountains and replacing a reed switch on my Alaska Railroad layout - 2/25/23
yellow diamondRosters: Five amazing photos by Dave Blazejewski: In The Shadow Of Site Summit, Bill Sheffield Depot, Winging Out Hurricane, Roadless Railfanning and Mixed Train Weekly - 2/22/23
yellow diamondNews: The Train-Themed Restaurant In Alaska That Will Make You Feel Like A Kid Again - 2/22/23
Yellow DiamondTerminology: Many thanks to George Moore who sent in the song Giro Giro taught to him by his grandfather in the 1950s - 2/22/23
yellow diamondRosters: Mike Gerenday captures another Maintenance of Way train at Talkeetna - 2/21/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Work train at Portage - 2/20/23
yellow diamondRosters: Wonderful historic Jack Klingbeil photo with Mike Gerenday commentary of #1530 - 2/19/23
yellow diamondModeling: Valentine's Day is celebrated on my Alaska Railroad layout - 2/17/23
yellow diamondRosters: Mike Gerenday captures a Maintenance of Way train at Talkeetna - 2/16/23
yellow diamondRosters: Frank Keller's White As Snow, Cantwell snowfleet and More Winter Goodness 2/15/23
yellow diamondRosters: Taking Max to Put-in-Bay - 2/14/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: 30,000 pounds of railroad ties loaded in Whittier - 2/13/23
yellow diamondRosters: Bill Hess uses his drone Sancho to grab a photo of the Winter Aurora at Lake Lucille - 2/12/23
yellow diamondRosters: Black And Gold Beauties captured by Dave Blazejewski - 2/10/23
yellow diamondRosters: Deane Motis's shot from 1981 of two F7's in the Anchorage Yard - 2/10/23
yellow diamondModeling: More Liquid Nails work on my Alaska Railroad layout - 2/10/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The January Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 2/9/23
yellow diamondFreight/Passenger: As you may recall, Tour Alaska was the predecessor to Princess. Here is John Henderson's photo of full dome TAIX 7091. - 2/8/23
yellow diamondRosters: A blast from the past, "At Your Service" delivery trucks - 2/7/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski's The Stories She Could Tell - 2/6/23
yellow diamondFreight/Passenger: Rusty Wendlant's photos of the Denali business car - 2/6/23
yellow diamondNews: Bridge Program Fact Sheet (2023) - 2/6/23
yellow diamondNews: ARRC Controller Michelle Maddox promoted to fill Chief Financial Officer post - 2/6/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad names Susan Lotter of Pennsylvania as Catch the Train photo contest grand prizewinner - 2/6/23
yellow diamondPeople's Creations: An update on Daniel Quick's layout in Soldotna - 2/6/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Shop Scene - 2/6/23
yellow diamondModeling: Running trains with grandsons, working on scenery, troubleshooting a CB-1 segment and stabilizing foam board on my Alaska Railroad layout - 2/3/23
yellow diamondRosters: John Henderson's photo of MRS #1818 - 2/1/23
yellow diamondStories: Here is our 1986 Alaska Railroad trip journal which gave birth to our (Terry and John's) love for Alaska and it's magnificent railroad. - 1/30/23
yellow diamondAdmin: My birthday is January 29. If you appreciate the work I have done on this website then please send a donation (the bigger the better) to the Engine 557 Restoration Company. - 1/29/23
yellow diamondStories: Here is our 1986 Alaska Railroad trip journal which gave birth to our (Terry and John's) love for Alaska and it's magnificent railroad. - 1/30/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Prefabricated outhouses - 1/30/23
yellow diamondRosters: John Henderson's photos of RDC #702 - 1/29/23
yellow diamondAdmin: My birthday is January 29. If you appreciate the work I have done on this website then please send a donation (the bigger the better) to the Engine 557 Restoration Company. - 1/29/23
yellow diamondRosters: John Henderson's photo of #16 at the 1967 Alaska Purchase Centennial - 1/28/23
yellow diamondModeling: Liquid Nails and track panels on my Alaska Railroad layout - 1/26/23
yellow diamondRosters: Yet another amazing photo from master photographer Frank Keller - Reflections of Summers Past - 1/24/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Avalanche! - 1/23/23
yellow diamondWhere Are They Now?: Jonathan Fischer shares some photos of ex-ARR GP49 numbers 2802 in Washington - 1/22/22
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad avalanche - 1/22/23
yellow diamondCalendar contest: Voting is now live for the Alaska Railroad 2024 Calendar. Our own Donald Wendlandt was lucky enough to have this picture selected. Please use this link to vote for his picture. Or go to the Alaska Railroad Facebook page and vote for his picture there.- 1/21/23
yellow diamondNo. 557 Info: The December Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 1/19/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad to mark 100 years - 1/9/23
yellow diamondNews: Alaska Railroad's 100th anniversary - 1/9/23
yellow diamondBibliography: Purchase the January 2023 issue of Trains magazine and read the article on steam locomotive #557 entitled, "Last Alaska Railroad steam engine reaches restoration milestone" - 1/9/23
yellow diamondRosters: Dave Blazejewski captures a coal train at Usibelli Tipple - 1/9/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: 100 Years Strong - 1/9/23
yellow diamondRosters: I just love photos of frac sanding unloading in Seward. Here is some photos from the latest effort. - 1/8/23
yellow diamondModeling: Ground scenery, Liquid Nails and locomotive fixes on my Alaska Railroad layout - 1/5/23
yellow diamondLinks:  Robert Krol submitted a link Lionel's Alaska Railroad F7 Passenger Set is Over 18 Feet of Train! - 1/2/23
yellow diamondPicture of the Week: Winter Desolation - 1/2/23