Friday, May 05, 2006
Photo by Pat SchueIf a picture is truly worth a thousand words, as the old saying goes, then this picture should be all that is needed for this post…. Narrow Gauge... STEAM!
Skagway, Alaska, is home to the uniquely Alaskan, White Pass and Yukon narrow gauge railway, which offers a number of very interesting, educational and scenic excursions throughout the summer months. Not all the excursion trains are pulled by the “steamers” any more, but I was lucky enough to be aboard one that was in September, 2005. Number 73 pulled our tour to the outskirts of town where the rail shop is located. Here a diesel was substituted for the long haul up the mountain. The “steamers” are mostly used as switch engines in the yard these days; however, there is still an occasional “steamer” run, on very special tours, all the way to the top of the mountain.
As you sit in a lovingly restored passenger car looking out the window and listening to the story of the gold rush, and the painful process of constructing the railroad, you cannot help but see and hear some of the humans and animals that lost their lives in this effort. Their ghosts must surely still reside in this incredible place.
Near the depot in town there is a narrow guage hand truck and a narrow gauge snowplow that you can stand in front of for that REALLY “cool” (That is pretty bad, isn’t it?) picture to take home to the folks. You can also purchase a book about the railroad in the small gift shop in the depot.
Learn more about the White Pass and Yukon Railroad, and check out some great photos and a live web cam at http://www.whitepassrailroad.com/.
