Railroads were a major influence in the development, growth and history of Alaska. At one time there was over 20 railroads operating in the territory. Today, only two of these railroads remain: the White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&YR) and the Alaska Railroad (ARR).

The Alaska Railroad is the product of two gold-rush railroads, the Alaska Central (later known as the Alaska Northern) and the Tanana Valley Railroad. The Alaska Northern's route traveled 71 miles north from Seward to Cook Inlet.  The Tanana Valley extended from Chena, a settlement on the Tanana River, to Fairbanks.

The Alaska Engineering Commission (A.E.C.) was created by Presidential appointment to "locate, construct and operate" a railroad in the Territory of Alaska.  They surveyed, planned, marked the routes and set the effort in motion.  The A.E.C. bought both railroads when they went bankrupt, the Alaska Northern in 1915 and the Tanana Valley in 1917.  The Alaska Railroad was finally completed in 1923.