One of the most frequent questions I receive via email is "What is the best way to ride and/or photograph the Alaska Railroad?" The following are some tips I have received from fellow Alaska Railroad railfans which I have combined with my own. Please keep in mind free advise is worth exactly what you paid for it.
 

Riding the Rails

Question #1 What are my options for riding the Alaska Railroad?

Answer:
There are four basic tours, each with a different perspective and destination. The railroad also offers a wide variety of "adventure packages" which combines rail travel with various excursions such as rafting, flightseeing, fishing, etc. The four basic tours are as follows:

There are four ways to travel on the Denali Star (Anchorage-Fairbanks) train:

Alaska Railroad portion of the train

Holland America Westours McKinley dome cars

Princess Tours dome cars

Royal Celebrity dome cars

Special note: There is also a special train called The Grandview which transports cruise ship passengers from Seward to Anchorage.  It was formerly the Florida Fun Train and its interior still reflects that motif.  The enormous windows on the passenger cars will absolutely blow your mind!  From my seat, I could see 360 degrees of mountains, rivers, glaciers and even the rest of the train.  The bottom line is this train combines the most scenic section of the railroad with the best viewing passenger car.  Unfortunately, it is only currently available to cruise ship passengers.

Also, the Alaska Railroad employs local student tour guides on their passenger trains during the peak season.  They are very knowledgeable, friendly and add a great deal to the enjoyment of the trip. Sorry the tour guide program has been discontinued

Question #2
Which type of passenger car should I make reservations for?

Answer:
The answer here is a matter of person opinion and taste.

The Alaska Railroad cars have nice reclining seats, nice big windows and it is fun to take turns in the dome.  You can head to the dining cars for some reindeer sausage or stop by the gift shop for some great Alaska Railroad souvenirs.    And it is perfectly all right to hang out in the vestibules to feel the wind in your face or grab an unobstructed photograph.  The conductors are friendly and fun.

For those willing to spend the extra cash, you might want to take a ride on the Alaska Railroad's GoldStar service which features bi-level superdomes with a second floor viewing platform and first floor dining area. These coaches are lined with crystal and gold and feature Alaskan art. It includes in-seat beverage service, full-time bar attendant and tour guide.

Or how about the Princess Super Domes? Comfortable with great visibility from the upstairs full-length dome, or enjoy the wind in your face and better photograph opportunities from the open observation platform on the lower levels of the 4-car set. Great food and drinks. This service is only available between Anchorage and Fairbanks with stopovers allowed at Denali National Park.

For those willing to spend extra cash, take the Holland America (McKinley Explorer) full length domes. Dining is top notch and the staff was very friendly.  This service is only available between Anchorage and Fairbanks with stopovers allowed at Denali National Park.

You'll find more information on which car to choose here.

Important note: It is important to realize that the trains are segregated, you aren't supposed to go between different company's cars. So, for example, if you are on Princess or Holland America, you can't eat in the ARR diner or shop in the dome car gift shop. My friend and I got an angry verbal reprimand from one of the tour companies for traveling from the ARR cars through the Holland America cars to the Princess cars.  This only makes sense.  I wouldn't want every passenger on the entire train wandering the isle of my car!  So if you are going to explore, do it very discretely.  ;-)

Answer:
May is brown and ugly north of Anchorage.  July and August are the wettest months of the year and iffy. June is the best month to visit since it has the best combination of sunshine, warmth and least precipitation. Early September is autumn here and also a great time to visit and travel. Unlike Amtrak, you can hang out in the vestibules for the whole trip. Some people have asked what summer month has the highest probability of forest fires whose smoke is known to have put a damper on many a trip. I have talked to many an Alaskan and they all insist forest fires can come during any summer month.

Question #4
How early should I get to the station to get the best seat?

Answer:
Alaska Railroad coaches: First, every seat is generally a good seat.  Therefore, showing up really early doesn't buy you anything (unless you are a crazy nut like me who wants photos of the train, the depot, the conductor, etc.).  Be at the depot for seat assignments at least 30 minutes (45 minutes if you have baggage) before departure. There are two tables at the front of the passenger cars with seats that face each other which are available for families first.  The dome car seats are not reserved and are available to everyone on a rotating or shared basis. The conductor tries to keep track and rotates folks every 20 to 30 minutes or so. Don't rush to the dining cars when you get aboard as there is plenty of time for eating on whatever trip you are taking.

Tour Company dome cars: If you're on one of the tour company dome cars and have booked your whole trip through them, they will let you know what time to be up at your hotel and will then transport you via bus to the depot. If you ride the tour domes under any other conditions, be there no later than a half hour before departure - your seats are reserved - and this will give you time to see the train from outside before you board.

Question #5
Where is the best place to take scenery and train pictures from while on board?

Answer:
Viewing the scenery from the dome is an awesome experience.  Hanging out in the vestibules is also phenomenal.  Be prepared to share that space with the smokers. Access doors open inward so you don't have to worry about them popping open when leaning out to get your photograph (see photo above).  From the Princess cars the best place is the observation deck. On the GoldStar it is the second floor viewing platform.

Question #6
What is the most scenic section of the Alaska Railroad?

Answer:
They are all pretty scenic!! If I had to pick one - the Seward trip packs the most punch for the buck. Once it leaves Portage it enters an area that for the next 40 miles has no roads. More better, bigger more beautiful glaciers, wildlife, rivers, mountains and tunnels. The Seward run combined with a Kenai Fjords boat tour can be the best one day trip of your life.

If the weather is clear going to Fairbanks from Anchorage, the views of Mt. McKinley/Denali are stunning, as is much of the rest of the trip no matter what the weather. Also, the first hour north of Denali through the Nenana river canyon.

Would you like to hear what others thought of their trip on the Alaska Railroad?  Check out any of the trip reports in my stories section.  In his trip report, Jim Hardy tells about riding every section of the Alaska Railroad.

Question #7
Where can I find train schedules, pricing and other information?

Answer:
On the Alaska Railroad website, http://www.alaskarailroad.com/.

Question #8
Will I see wildlife on my trip?

Answer:
It depends on what you consider wildlife.  If there are small children onboard then you can say you've seen wildlife. <grin>  Seriously though, yes you will see some of God's beautiful creatures on your trip.  On my excursions, I saw moose, dally sheep, black bear, and eagles.

Question #9
If I bug the conductor enough, can I get free stuff like playing cards and plastic locomotives to pin on my kids?

Answer:
Nope. The only free stuff you get is train route map and railroad newspaper.  Sometimes the conductor may have balloons, stickers or tattoo's for the kids.

Question #10
Will the Alaska Railroad store my bags upon request?

Answer:
The only time they do this is in Seward. This is very helpful to those taking a one day round trip from Anchorage to Seward. You can leave your bags at the Seward depot and then do some sight-seeing.

Question #11
What are the distance along the routes?

Answer:

Good Photography Locations

To help you orient yourself, I have provided a milepost overview, a clickable route map, some yard maps, and a siding chart.  Hey, you come to my website and you get free stuff!  Free is good!

Just in case you need them, here are the Alaska Railroad's radio frequencies: Ch. 1, road 164.625; Ch. 2, dispatcher, 165.335; Ch. 3, yard, 165.265; Ch. 4, alternate, 164.985.

Don't forget railroad security is pretty strict so make sure and stay off railroad property.

ANCHORAGE
An easy spot to photograph trains is the Anchorage Depot.  Trains arrive and depart sporadically from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.  There is an empty lot across from the depot which provides a nice viewpoint for a "Kodak moment".

Good photos of the Anchorage yard can be obtained from an overlook location near the car shops.  To reach this, take C Street out of Anchorage.  When the road splits, take the right curve.  As you begin driving up a hill, you will see the Anchorage yard on your right.

Elderberry Park is truly a funspot. It is located about a half mile south of the Anchorage Depot. This location is within easy walking distance of most downtown Anchorage Hotels, or may be accessed by car. This is the location of the Ken Brovald Memorial Train Watching Bench. From downtown Anchorage, take Fifth Avenue west to N Street. Walking, continue west to the small building, then left to the first bench. By car, continue west on Fifth Ave. to the parking spots facing the park and again the bench will be the first one. You will be facing the Main Line just south of the depot and there will be action through out the day. Monitoring the ARR Dispatcher with a scanner is recommended.
 

ANCHORAGE to SEWARD
Seward is at the end of the Seward Highway, and is a three hour drive from Anchorage.  It is the destination for unit coal and log trains.  The coal comes from Healy (north of Denali National Park) and goes to Korea.  The unit train is usually about 75 to 80 cars long, and is normally headed by three to six units.  The logs come from Nenana (further north of Healy) and go to Japan.  There is also a daily passenger train which leaves Anchorage at 6:00 a.m. and arrives in Seward around 11:00 a.m.  It then leaves Seward at 6:00 p.m. and arrives in Anchorage around 10:30 p.m.

The Anchorage to Seward run has two sections to grab some great photographs.  The first is a very beautiful section along Turnagain Arm from Potter to Portage.  It is all easily road accessible so train chasing is a breeze.  Once the train passes through Portage, the line breaks away from the road and climbs into the mountains thus ending your chase.  A stop at Potter should also be on your "to do" list.  Here you will find an old Rotary plow, a gas car and section house.

The second section is from Moose Pass to Seward and is much harder for train chasing.  The mainline roughly parallels the road, but is usually not easily accessed.  However, there are a few good spots.  Railfan Robert Krol says, "If you catch the trains just right, Moose Pass has some good spots to  catch trains.  Crown Point is a good spot, there's a rail bridge right next to the highway.  There's a small spot to park near the Snow River Bridge the tracks go under the Seward Highway.  Snow River Bridge is about MP 18.  The rails cross the Snow River at about MP 15 on the highway.   About MP 13 of the highway there's a nice spot of Divide Hill, there's a rail siding there too. At about MP 6 on the highway, there's a nice spot to catch trains dropping down into Seward or climbing out of Seward."

Once in Seward, you can hang around the depot and get some close up shots of the locomotives and freight cars.  Nearby you will find four passenger cars converted into a gift shop, bike rental, fishing charter and lodging rooms.  Around the docks area, you'll find the coal loading facility and a bunch old Alaska Railroad boxcars converted into storage sheds.
 

ANCHORAGE TO DENALI
The railroad doesn't really parallel the road very much on this section so photo ops are few.  However, the few spots where it does has some beautiful mountains in the background. Some easy access locations are Talkeetna depot and as the train runs through Cantwell.

The Bible Camp Road a.k.a. Beach Lake Road grade crossing (ARR MP 133.2) is in the middle of a .42% upgrade (southbound, towards Anchorage) and the track speed limit there is 35 mph. To get there, take the South Birchwood Exit, the one for Chugiak High School. Go past the high school on Birchwood Loop Road and about a quarter to half mile down, turn left on Beach Road. Just a quarter mile or so from there is the grade crossing. There are parking areas on either side of the road if your vehicle has good ground clearance. Don't try it in a sports car. Catching a train on the curve can be very striking.
 

DENALI TO FAIRBANKS
I have many favorite photo ops locations for this section.  The first one is in Denali National Park.  Enter the park and go past the Visitor's Center.  Keep an eye in your rear view mirror until you see a long black train bridge.  Pull your car off the road, put on your parking brake, turn on your emergency flashers and walk back down the road about 30 feet.  The bridge you are viewing is Riley Creek Trestle.  A train crossing this bridge makes for a truly spectacular photo!  Check with the Denali Depot folks to find out arrival and departure times.  You can also hang around the depot and photograph the trains as they drop off all the tourists.

My second favorite spot is just north of Denali National Park at Windy Bridge.  The wind can be so strong here that a wind sock was placed at one end to give truck drivers a "heads up" for controlling their vehicles.  From the middle of the bridge, you have great views of the train as it emerges from Moody Tunnel on one side and Million Dollar Curve and Nenana Canyon on the other.  Please exercise great caution while on this bridge!  It is a long fall from the bridge with a sudden stop at the bottom plus there is nothing between you and the vehicular traffic crossing the bridge.

How about a photo of the train crossing the historic Mears Memorial Bridge in Nenana!  The photo location is just outside the Nenana Depot and thus easily accessible by car.  For you hardcore railfans, there are several old passengers located in a parking lot between the depot and the bridge.

Lastly, the diehard railfan can grab some pix of the Fairbanks yard at various locations along the roads that bound it.

FAIRBANKS
Fairbanks gets only a freight train or two during the day. So just sitting around and waiting for one is not recommended. The train comes in from Anchorage anywhere from 7 am to 9 am. Usually something is heading south early to mid afternoon. The oil train to the North Pole refinery usually heads out around 10 am, returning between 1-3. Some days sees a coal train to Eielson as well. There is a coal train to Nenana about 3 times a week. Usually down in the evening and back in the morning. And the passenger train arrives Saturday evening, and leaves Sunday morning.

So where to go? There is an overpass on the west end, and you can see a fair amount from the new depot. There is also a public road that parallels the railroad access road on the west end as well (at the end of Peger Road). Most switching of the airport spur is at night. There is also a nice overpass off Loftus, the access road off of Geist to the University. At grade crossings are on University Ave, College Ave, Old Steese and New Steese highways and on the Richardson highway near North Pole. The line to North Pole and Eielson parallels the old Richardson Highway as well from Badger Road.
 

PORTAGE TO WHITTIER
Whittier is accessed from the Seward Highway.  At one time, the only way to reach the town over land was via the Alaska Railroad.  You could even drive your vehicle onto a railroad flatcar and be part of the train into Whittier.  Toot!  Toot!  Unfortunately, those exciting days came to an end in 2000 when an $80 million transportation project (do I smell pork barrel?) made it possible for vehicles and trains to share the same tunnel. Be that as it may, a shot of a train emerging from the tunnel can quicken the pulse of any hardcore railfan.

Whittier is the port where the Alaska Railroad receives its interchange traffic via ocean-going rail barge from both the CN in Prince Rupert and the UP/BNSF in Seattle.  There used to be some great photo ops at the dock, but the railroad has now fenced the entire area off and mans the gate with private security.

Whittier also has a small train yard that has super easy access.  If you're a hardcore railfan, check out the old refrigeration car converted into a storage shed.