It all started with Tom Rader working as a marketing guy for Holland America Cruiselines. He was looking for a way to expand tourism in Alaska so that he could promote cruise ships to go there. He thought of the idea that cruise-like train service to Denali would help that. He bought some ex-Metra/ex-SP commuter cars, along with a few ex-Milwaukee full length domes, to operate those on the back of the Alaska Railroad's train.

Tom Rader started "Alaska Tour Operators" as a cruise operation in 1982.  The name was change to "Tour Alaska" in 1983 and its own private cars were added onto the Alaska Railroad.  In 1986, Princess acquired "Tour Alaska" and repainted the cars using the current paint scheme.  Pictured below is the "Tour Alaska" paint scheme.

Photo 1 (top) - Tom Rinehart took this photo.

Photos 2-6 - Jeff DeBroeck, took these photos at the old Navel Blimp hanger outside of Seattle in the mid 1980s.  The Blimp Hanger is where Princess had old SP BI-level commuter cars rebuilt into there present coaches.  Robert Krol adds, "Princess sent [these domes] down to California when the current cars came online and called the service California Sun Express.  I don't know where those four cars went when the service was discontinued, but it lost a lot of money in California."

Contributed by an anonymous source [7/1/05]: "Two of the original "Tour Alaska" cars are in Colorado Railcar Manufacturing's back lot, and there are a few more in Pasco, WA"

See also

• Restored Cars Make First Run

• Midnight Sun Express Gazette

• Tour Alaska Herald

Added 10/16/17 by Tom Rader:

Hi John,

For the 1984 season I purchased the entire fleet of 25 cars that had been retired by Caltrans. I believe we repaired and painted nine at my company Tillamook Railcar in Tillamook, OR and delivered them to Alaska in 1984. They were owned and operated by my company Alaska Cruise Train LLC. We provided Whittier/Anchorage transfers for the Cunard Princess in 1983.

In November 1986 I sold my tour company, Tour Alaska LLC, to the parent company of Princess Cruises, P&O SN Co.

As I recall I sold Alaska Cruise Train to Princess Tours after the 1987 Alaska season but it could have been earlier.

The exact history of the cars after that is not clear in my mind. John Crews might be your best source for that one.

The underframes and/or trucks that we used to make the early Ultra Domes came from the remaining inventory of the Caltrans cars that I had in Denver and not from the Alaska Cruise Train cars.

Hope this helps your history.

Regards, Tom

Added 4/29/18 by Curt Fortenberry:

As you know, these are ex-MILW.  I rode one while they were owned by VIA, on my honeymoon in 1981.  What has been said in all the articles on these cars that as domes, there were not the best.  The forward view was really compromised by the low seating. Anchorage, 4/27/85

Added 2/8/23: John Henderson photo, TAIX 7091 Full dome, Tour Alaska Inc., Fairbanks, AK, 9-4-84

Added 1/16/24 by David "Diesel Dave" Smith:

TAIX 7091. Anchorage, 7/9/87.

TAIX 7090. Anchorage, 7/9/87

TAIX 7091. Anchorage, 7/9/87.

Tour Alaska Super Dome TAIX 7092 trails the southbound Denali Express departing Fairbanks. 7/7/87.

Here is a comparison of a Westours ex Santa Fe Budd built Dome and a Tour Alaska ex MILW Pullman built Dome. Anchorage. 7/9/87.