Photographs courtesy of Mike Gerenday

For a number of years now I have been taking photos of the ARR, roster shot, photos of abandoned/Out of Service (OOS) trackage, buildings and more. But one car has eluded my lens every time I've seen it out, the business car Denali. The Denali is affectionately known as the "Old Man" as it even has its own track with its nickname on the switch stand target. It is the most luxurious car on the ARR and the oldest, it was originally built in 1930 which makes it 90 years old, though it has been rebuilt more than a few times. 

After the Coastal Classic arrived, and all the passenger dispersed, I started taking my photos. The ESS cook who was cleaning out the banquet stock (ESS is a contracted support company) asked me if I wanted to go inside to look around. She did say, "You are an employee, so come take a look!" and so I did. All I can say is there is a lot of love that went into this car, and is well taken care of. Now, imagine if 1500 was brought back and painted into the modern scheme and Denali was coupled up? What a sight that would be! After years of eluding me I now got to meet the Old Man, and I can attest to his charming character. Photos were taken on 05/31/2019 at the Anchorage Depot.