[see story]

Channel 2 News in Anchorage will have coverage of the road opening tonight on the Late Edition at 10pm, for all of you who have access to local Anch. channels.
.

The panorama changes abruptly when the train rounds a corner and approaches Gold Creek. Instead of trees, dozens of metal well casings stand chest high on a broad band of ground scraped bare and replanted with huts and container vans. Everything changed here on a dark night last December when a train jumped the tracks and spilled 120,000 gallons of jet fuel. And years will pass before the network of pipes and pumps built to recover or neutralize it disappears.

The Gold Creek spill was the largest in Alaska since the Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef in 1989. Though the amount of kerosenelike fuel that drained from the wrecked tank cars is minuscule by comparison, all or part of the cargo in 15 cars was lost at Gold Creek.

The job of cleaning up the spill has proved formidable.

The railroad's initial response was slowed by cold, snowy weather and the remoteness of this valley floor hemmed by the Susitna, which runs through a forest about a quarter-mile west of the tracks, and by a steep ridge to the east that the handful of locals call Nevermore. Leeroy Zeroth, who owns 80 acres adjoining the railroad right-of-way, isn't sure how the peak got its name, but has his suspicions. "It's a pretty tough climb," he said.

Instead of pooling in the snow atop frozen soil, as railroad officials first predicted, the spilled fuel quickly soaked into the ground and pancaked out for hundreds of feet. It stopped when it hit groundwater, 38 to 40 feet down.

Cleanup crews drilled dozens of wells to find it and recover it. A little over five months later, they've retrieved about 16,000 gallons. The pace has dropped to about 30 gallons a day - "If that," said Jim Kross, general manager for ESL, LLC, the contractor hired by the railroad to conduct the cleanup.

With breakup, the groundwater rose, pushing oil into a "smear zone" in the soil where it can't be pumped out. Kross and the railroad are pinning most of their hopes on clean air and the tiny microbes that naturally occur in the soil. Work crews have built a "vapor extraction" network of pipes and pumps on the west side of the railroad tracks. Later in the summer, the system will be extended through the railbed to the east side, where Zeroth and his wife Kathy are worried about fuel that has spread under their property.

Kross said vapor extraction has worked at other spill sites in Alaska. "Skimming the product is necessary, but we get more reduction in contamination from this air system," he said. Still, he and railroad officials expect it will take several summers for the microbes to consume the fuel.

Vacuum units create underground suction through the wells, drawing air from above ground down through the fuel-contaminated soil. Oxygen in the air stimulates microbes, which start eating hydrocarbons. They're especially good at neutralizing highly refined jet fuel, Kross said. The system sucks fuel vapors and dead microbes out of the ground and releases them through an above-ground exhaust pipe.

The vacuum works to about 200 feet around each unit, he said. "By keeping this system going all the time, we're affecting this entire contaminated zone."

Kross said that includes a concentrated spill site on the east side of the tracks that started in the railroad right of way but now has fanned under the Zeroths' land and up toward a rental cabin they built about 200 yards away.

The Zeroths have watched the clean-up with growing annoyance. Most of the work is taking place on the west side of the tracks, where the spill has infiltrated Denali State Park and is very slowly edging toward the Susitna River. They want the railroad to drill more wells on their property and get a better idea of that end of the plume.

They also complain that railroad officials didn't listen when they warned that spring runoff would create the giant pond that interrupted recovery efforts last week. "The ponding just kept getting bigger and bigger and deeper and deeper," Kathy Zeroth said.

Ernie Piper, the Alaska Railroad's assistant vice president for safety and environmental compliance, said crews concentrated on the west side of the tracks for a good reason. "They (the Zeroths) are uphill," Piper said. "The priority was to work downhill, where there might be some movement."

The Zeroths also wonder what will happen when summer rains saturate the contamination zones and boost the flow in the Susitna. "I do know that river is going to get higher," Kathy Zeroth said. When the river rises, the groundwater will too, and that might push the plume farther onto their land, she said.

The prospect of heavy rainfall also worries Leslie Pearson, a spill coordinator for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. "Anything feeding into this area is going to help move the plume," she said.

Piper said he thinks the contamination plume will remain stable. "The site has behaved exactly as we had predicted it would," he said. "The edges of the plume may have varied by a few feet over the months, but as a whole ... it hasn't moved much at all since February."
.

The water has formed a lake on the east side of the tracks where the railroad has drilled a network of recovery wells to suck spilled fuel out of the ground.

[See Story]

No one knows for sure how many will come, though estimates run as high as 700,000 visitors this summer. They will line up in a giant parking lot and then convoy through the A-frame entrance and into dim light for about six minutes through the longest highway tunnel and the longest combined rail-highway tunnel in the nation. 

[See Story]

And David Shewfelt adds, "The First passenger train arrived at 8:15 this evening with 4001 and 4011 pulling one baggage, two coaches, 1 diner and 1 dome care all in the new paint .  It sure is a different look with the MACs up front." 
.

The Alaska Railroad and Holland/America Westours made a commitment to the Alaska Children's Hospital to operate a train [on May 11, 2000]  utilizing the Westour dome coaches and we at the Alaska Railroad committed to pulling the cars.  Holland/America provided their dome cars and all the catering for the event.      It was a dinner train along Turnagain Arm to Portage and return.   The participants paid $500 a couple to enjoy a gourmet dinner with strolling musicians on board.   This was the 3rd year it has been offered.

All the proceeds goes directly to the Children's Hospital which was just built here at the Providence Alaska Medical Center.   It is really a very neat hospital because it is "kid-friendly"........ it allows those children in Alaska who may have some debilitating disease to be treated here in Alaska without having to travel to the lower 48 and Seattle to seek treatment.   It has become the success story among our medical community. 

You [John Combs] will have to see it when you visit Alaska because all of the " theme decor" of the hospital is transportation.   The Railroad is featured, aircraft is featured and ships as well.   The rooms are all individually appointed with all the fixtures at "kid height" and there are bed facilities for the parents to sleep right in the room with their children.   The intensive unit of the facility has whales on the ceiling that provides some fun for the kids in that unit.   It helps to take the kids minds off their illness.
.

Dome 522 from the Fun Train is in the car barn as of 8 May without trucks. It appears that Amtrak's "rebuild" of the Fun Train wasn't as good as it should have been. 

4006 "Spirit of Anchorage" is still in the shops getting it's pilot rebuilt. Two of the four steps were off of it on the conductor's side as well as the right side for the step well. The plow was off and being rebuilt as well. 

The gravel train should be making two round trips a day. Crews are called at 0700 and 1900. The crew gets on the train in Anchorage, takes the train to Palmer, load, goes to AS&G or ALAGCO unload, and return to Anchorage for crew change. It takes almost a full 12 hours to make one run with the train returning to Anchorage empty around 1700. 

There's not really a training ground at Fort Richardson. It's actually just a 12 or 13 track storage yard. It allows the class to go somewhere that we won't be bothered and can "train" safely. There's no building around the yard. So 1776 acts as our mobile class room while we're out there. Of course when we were in Anchorage yard today 1776 was nowhere to be found, and we're going out to Fort Richardson again tomorrow. 

Another observation made today is that 2502, 3019, and 3020 are dead sitting behind the engine house. The plan is to salvage all the good parts and then scrap them. I hate to see 2502 go, but with all these wonderful SD70MAC's around, she's not needed any more. 

A note about the SD70MAC's, there's a list of sidings the length of my arm that they can't go into, so every thing has to get out of there way.

Another Alaska engine - this time GP38-2 #2002 - has completed its rework at LRC-Livingston and is on its way home. The engine was spotted in Missoula returning to Seattle on May04. GP40-2s 3009/ 3010 also headed back north after a visit to Livingston for some work. They looked great in the Seattle sun (?) in their new paint - the same scheme as the SD70MACs have been delivered in. Alaska dome coach 523 was spotted in Seattle as well, coming in on the back of the Empire Builder. In another twist, four cabooses were spotted coming out of British Columbia on a BNSF freight, presumably heading to the frozen frontier as well - three were painted in ARR colors (the fourth was CN). - Dave Franz, Steve Goodman, Steve Noland, Claude Prutton

BNSF Southbound leaving Brownsville at 12.30. Power was BN 2711 GP39-2 Green 
BNSF Southbound leaving Brownsville at 12.30. 
Power was BN 2711 GP39-2 Green 
BNSF 2267 GP38-2 H1 
BN 9284 SD60M Green 
BN 2706 GP29-2 Green 
At the tail end of the train were 4 CN Wide Vision Cabooses numbered CN 78196, ARR 1091, ARR 1092 & ARR 1093 

Casey adds: 

just did an equip. trace on BNSF.  It shows... 

CN 78196 not found 
ARR 1091 in Tacoma, 5/8 6:00am 
ARR 1092 in Tacoma, 5/8 6:00am 
ARR 1093 at Brownsvill, B.C., 5/8 12:24am 
.

ARR covered hoppers in the 14500 series are still floating around. The 14600's are leased in Canada. The earlier series is not suitable to interchange due to the conversion trucks (friction converted to roller bearings). A few are sitting at the east end of the Anchorage yard, still in their original paint (badly worn too). 

Also, GP30 2504, and GP35 2502, have been retired. Presumably they will be sold at a future auction. 
.

For those not accessing the Yahoo list, the Seward Fun Train is here as well as new domes 521 and 522. Still haven't see 523. Also, reported on the Yahoo list were coaches 201-204 leaving LRC for Seattle. Should be a great film-burning summer with all the new equipment!
.

John Henderson

4-21
Four Alaska Railroad passenger cars that were at the Livingston Rebuild Center in Livingston MT have been released and are heading home via Seattle. ARR 201/202/203/204 departed Missoula MT this morning at 06:55 on train HLAUPAS1 20, after being ferried to Missoula by train H LAUMIS1 20 yesterday. As of this evening, they were sitting in BNSF's Hauser ID yard, waiting fortransport to Seattle. They should be there in time to catch the barge to Alaska next Thursday. Three of the cars show as empty while #204 shows asloaded, which could mean that there is an escort aboard this car. - Warren Bell, Dave Franz, Ken Liesse, Brent Mueller

4-23
Alaska Railroad's passenger cars being returned from LRC - Livingston MT may have been split up. The latest trace shows ARR 201 & 202 in Spokane as of15:34 yesterday, while ARR 203 & 204 show in Pasco at 06:40 Apr22. There have been no sightings from the field on these four cars since they were spotted by Dave Franz coming out of MT. Also, out of the four cars there are three different due dates in Seattle. Go figure. -- Ken Liesse

4-24
In the other "Trace of the Week" category, the saga of the four Alaska Railroad cars as previously mentioned gets stranger and stranger. Cars ARR 201/204 are both shown as being sequence 90 and 91 respectively on the MPASINB1 23, passing Easton WA (Stampede Sub) at 21:48 Apr23. ARR 202/203 still show in Pasco, arriving there at 06:40 Apr22. All four show as planning on interchanging to the ARR on Apr26 at 16:30 (handed off to the barge). By any means, at least two of the cars will be in Seattle by Monday morning. - Ken Liesse
.

The loaded coal train sat on the P-Main next to the yard for Thursday and Friday with 4009, 4003 & 4004 on the head-end humming away. 4009 has not received its "Spirit of" decals yet.

As an aside - all of the Helm units have been parked out back of the Anchorage shops. Are any of them still being used on trains with all the MAC arrivals? I'd imagine they'll start shipping them southward soon.

Finally, the railroad must be laughing over the Whittier tunnel fiasco. In the Daily News today, everyone is now arguing over who should have priority use of the tunnel - trucks, cars or buses and in what order of passage. What a mess! And to think they could have achieved the more controlled level of traffic into/out of Whittier for 1/2 the cost by allowing the railroad to increase shuttle service.
.

[See Story]

[See Story]

Alaska RR single level dome coaches 551, 552, 553 & 554 along with bi-level cars 351 and 352 were on track four at Denver Union Station.  They're freshly painted Alaska RR's blue and yellow scheme.  All cars will likely move west on Amtrak's California Zephyr, train #5, departing Denver 4-8-00.
 

American Model Builders, Inc. 
1420 Hanley Industrial Court 
St Louis, MO 63144 
314-968-3076 Phone 
314-968-0799 Fax

While working on this website, I have made a great number of lifelong friends as well as met many railfans.  Your excitement is very contagious!  I truly hope that I can remain in contact with all of you over the years.  You have given me a very deep love for the greatest railroad in the world! This news item is an April fool's joke.  I will keep this website online and active until the first of May in case there is anything you wish to view, print or save.  Thanks a million! -- JC

[See Story]
 

Back in April 1915, President Woodrow Wilson decided that construction of a railroad to Alaska's Interior was the single greatest step he could take to unlock the then-territory's great promise and to get the region's economy on track.

Some 85 years later times have not changed.

Alaska and the neighboring Yukon Territory in Canada are still North America's last untapped storehouse of mineral and natural resource wealth. We now know where much of that treasure lies--economic transportation to get the materials to market remains the chief impediment to its development.

Over the years one thing has changed: We now know how to develop our mineral, energy and timber resources in an environmentally sensitive manner, so we can protect the beauty and the wildlife of the North, while producing jobs to sustain the region's human inhabitants.

We know there is a mineral zone that extends throughout the Yukon-Tanana uplands near Faro, Yukon Territory, north to Fairbanks. The zone, home already to the Fort Knox gold mine and the future home of mines working the huge Pogo gold deposit, contains large amounts of silver, tungsten, copper, lead, zinc, and other ores. On the Alaska side of the border there are already more than 14 major hard rock deposits identified, while in the Yukon there are more than 10 major mineral deposits known. This does not include the Alaska coal deposits a line could move to Lower 48 or East Asian markets.

The same zone is also filled with timber. Within just 15 miles of a likely 1,200-mile railroad corridor through Canada into Alaska, there are 1.4 billion board feet of hardwood pole timber and almost 1.7 billion board feet of mixed pole timber.

Further to the North lies a second developmental target that another railroad could help get on track. That is the huge low-pollution, high-quality coal deposits at Point Lay and also the vast minerals of the Amber mining district farther to the southeast.

It would take just a 90-mile line to carry the coal from Point Lay to the Red Dog mine where a 60-mile line along the existing mine haul road would carry it to tidewater. Such a railroad could bring energy, in the form of coal, to the mine where it could be used to power a new electro-refining technology that would add tremendous value to the zinc-lead ore being shipped from Alaska, and most importantly provide additional jobs to the region. It also would finally allow some of the North Slope's 6 trillion tons of coal to be exported.

It would take just a 150-mile line to access the vast hard-rock resources of the Ambler Mining District and bring them to the coast, or about a 350-mile line to tie into the Alaska Railroad heading south.

Some would say talk of railroad extension is nothing more than "pie-in-the-sky" rhetoric. But railroads offer a host of benefits. They are the most energy efficient form of transportation. More importantly, they are one of the most environmentally sensitive forms of transportation. Railroads offer controlled access that removes the environmental threat of uncontrolled development. They emit the lowest levels of air pollution and usually cause the least disruption to the land.

And a rail corridor would encourage the co-location of all pipelines and power transmission lines--a process that makes especially good environmental sense.

Last year, after talks with Canadian Parliamentarians during the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Conference, I held discussions with Canadian Ambassador Raymond Chretien and Canadian Minister of Transport David Collinette, and later with the Canadian-American Border Trade Alliance.

In January I was further encouraged by estimates that there might be 120 million tons of freight a year from new mines and timber development along the Alaska-Canada rail corridor that would utilize such a new railroad link.

Thus I am introducing legislation in Congress to advance consideration of that railroad project. My bill will create an impartial bilateral commission to study the economic, environmental, and engineering feasibility of completing the transcontinental railroad linking Canada with Alaska.

A joint commission should have the funding--I'm proposing $6 million--and the authority to oversee a comprehensive feasibility study of a line from where the Canadian rail system ends at either Fort Nelson or near Fort St. James, about 900 miles from the Alaska border, northward to link up with the Alaska Railroad, 270 miles from the border near Fairbanks.

My bill would create an 18-member commission, half being appointed by each country. The commission would be fully representative of the residents of the area and also include scientific expertise to make sure that the difficult issues surrounding a railroad will be thoughtfully considered.

Quick action to set up the commission is particularly timely since a decision is likely within the next year on whether the United States should proceed with construction of an anti-missile defense system. And perhaps the best site for an initial 100-missile interceptor base is at Delta Junction. That decision must justify extending the railroad to Fort Greely, 80 miles closer to the border than Eielson Air Force Base--reducing the amount of additional track needed in Alaska to about 190 miles.

We should not be afraid to think seriously about big projects. Just because they're daunting, doesn't make them impossible. In this day and age of great concern for the environment: if one assumes--as I do--that the resources of the Yukon and Alaska inevitably will be developed, then rail looks like a very healthy way to make that possible.

All the commission will do is bring about debate. It will consider and explore new ideas. If a railroad connection is economically, environmentally and socially sound, then we should move ahead with it. If it is not, then it should be dropped. But at the very least, let's give the idea an honest hearing, now before any more decades pass.

Copyright 2000 MediaNews Group, Inc. and Fairbanks Publishing Company, Inc
 

[See Story]
 

[See Story]
 

[See Story]
 

Send your contributions to: 
Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry, Inc. 
MRS1 Preservation Fund 
P.O. Box 870646 
Wasilla, AK 99687 

If you wish to donate by credit card: Visa or Mastercard you can call or FAX your donation amount along with credit card number and expiration date to: (907) 376 1211 or FAX (907) 376 3082. 

I need your help with this project now. Thanks for any support you can offer. 

Pat Durand 
 

4001 is Spirit of ??? 
4002 is Spirit of Seward 
4003 is Spirit of Moose Pass 
4004 is Spirit of ??? 
4005 is Spirit of Girdwood 
4006 is Spirit of ??? 
4007 is Spirit of ??? 
 

[See Story]

Read a bit more about it on:
     http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/1794/

More info will follow. I only received the positive mail yesterday...

I'll start some fundraising actions here in Belgium (Belgian Railway employees, Belgian railfans,...). If anyone has other suggestions?

Many greetings from a very happy (and a bit proud too, ok) Belgian railfan!

The tracks were reopened between Anchorage and Whittier late Thursday and the MACs have left Whittier.  One freight came into Whittier and took off pretty fast with the MACs and an outbound freight.  Another crew was busy working another barge that arrived and while they were busy on that barge another freight train arrived in Whittier from Anchorage to get more freight out of Whittier.  Rumor has it when the three barges were unloaded in Whittier they were sorted for their destinations, Anchorage or Fairbanks, so the Anchorage Yard crews didn't have to do it when the freights arrived and they could be expedited to their destinations.

The bulbous-nosed beasts have been dying in droves the past month as heavy snow in much of Southcentral has caused them to seek out clear but deadly paths. 

[See Story]

The bill, drafted with help from the Department of Environmental Conservation, is designed to give the state control over anyone carrying large amounts of oil or fuel in Alaska. Three fuel spills in four months from the Alaska Railroad have drawn attention from environmental groups and legislators. The measure is aimed at clearing up what the state wants when it comes to these kinds of spills. 

Cleanup is full-speed ahead north of Talkeetna at the Alaska Railroad's largest spill in recent history. Some 120,000 gallons of jet fuel spilled in December. Many environmentalists and some legislators say the cleanup is taking too long.

"The DEC feels that if they had a contingency plan or required to have a contingency plan, the cleanup and subsequent mitigation would have been a lot better," said Rep. Andrew Halcro, R-Anchorage, House transportation committee chairman. 

The railroad has a lengthy response plan, but it admits changes need to be made. "I think it's the logical next step," said the railroad's Wendy Lindskoog. "In the early 1990s, basically after the Exxon Valdez, they regulated larger entities and now they're just looking at other entities that haul oil."

The bill would also apply to large fishing boats, cruise ships and freighters like the Kuroshima, which spilled 39,000 gallons of bunker fuel at Dutch Harbor in 1997.

"It would make them have contingency plans on file," Rep. Halcro said.  "It would make them have in place contracts with spill response contractors. It would mandate a time frame as far as how quick the railroad has to respond and what type of resources they have to allocate."

For the first time, all major fuel or oil-carrying vessels privately or publicly owned would have to get state approval to travel through Alaska.  The bill asks for all the regulations to be in place by next summer.

[See Story]

[See Story]

[See Story]

[See Story]

Message 2 - Another avalanche has come down on the Seward Highway this time there are injuries.  An ARRC employee was caught in the slide.  He is listed in critical condition at an Anch. hospital.  Channel 2 News is trying to get the live report from the reporter who filmed it all.  Channel 2 News has a satellite truck that can shot live from anywhere if they can hit the satellite. 

Message 3 -  Channel 2 News finally got their link from the satellite truck.  They are reporting three bulldozer operators were swept away in a slide.  One was able to get out, one was buried, and the other an ARRC employee who was airlifted to an Anchorage hospital.  The Channel 2 News satellite truck was also hit by the slide, but they were not injured.  More dozers were sent down to the scene, since the others are a little buried. 

Message 4 - Channel 2 News says the ARRC employee was Terry Brookman.  The Channel 2 News satellite truck is now blocked by slides on both sides and can not return to Anchorage and have to spent the night on the highway.  The winds are now picking up and are suppose to get up to 100 mph and the snow is coming with the wind.  The drift will probably be big. 

Message 5 - Sad news from Alaska.  The ARRC employee caught in the slide has died.  Channel 2 News reports that he died after emergency surgery. 

Message 6 - The wind is howling here.  Power is out in various places all over Anchorage and out in some other towns.  Here in Kenai the power is trying to go out.  A gust was reported in Eagle River at 138 MPH, according to Channel 2 News.

[See Story]

Kerry Brookman, 53, a heavy equipment operator with the railroad for 21 years, died Tuesday evening after being airlifted to Providence Alaska Medical Center and spending most of the afternoon in surgery. He suffered a crushed pelvis, internal injuries and bleeding. 

[See Story]

Leslie Pearson, cleanup coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said the railroad and its contractors also submitted overdue response plans and water quality reports during a three-hour meeting Thursday afternoon. 

[See Story]

[See Story]

Alaska Railroad spokesman Scott Banks said laboratory tests completed Thursday detected no contamination in eight of nine samples taken from the river late last week. Results on the ninth sample were inconclusive. 

[See Story]

Former Gov. Bill Sheffield, president and chief executive officer of the railroad, said cabooses will be added in about two weeks to trains carrying fuel and other hazardous material. 

[See Story]

So far, the four holes the railroad has punched have been more successful at finding the lost fuel than in recovering it. Response crews have located pools of fuel about a foot thick overlaying groundwater at a depth of about 30 feet on both sides of the tracks, railroad and state environmental officials said. 

[See Story]

 Rep. Andrew Halcro, R-Anchorage, told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner he has tentatively scheduled a hearing for Jan. 25 to hear from railroad and Department of Environmental Conservation officials about the spill. 

[See Story]

When the day  began, 10 of the 15 derailed tankers remained at the site - emptied and lined up in a row alongside the tracks. At mid-morning, a D-8 Cat operator shoved one of the big cylinders close to the tracks, where other workers looped cable around each end so the two crane operators, working in tandem, could lift the tanker onto a flatcar. It was not a speedy process. 

[See Story]

Response crews excavating at the site haven't reached the bottom of the contamination zone. They also have not hit ground water yet, said Ernie Piper, the railroad's assistant vice president for safety and environmental compliance. 

[See Story]

[See Story]

[See Story]

Webmasters note -Here is the final tally of what the ARRC has sent to Livingston Rebuild Center:

1. Three GP-40s (3009, 3010 and 3011) - rebuilt engines and rotating equipment, oil filled gear cases, toilets, microprocessors, paint
2. One GP-38 (2002) -rebuilt engine and rotating equipment, oil filled gear case, toilets, microprocessor, paint
3. Two baggage cars (former SP "economy" bags) - generator sets 
4. Five coaches (former UP) - seat and floor repair, paint, upholstery 
5. Two RDCs (702 and 711) - ADA accessible toilets at the baggage room end, new wiring, upholstery, rebuilt seat mechanisms, new light weight engine covers, rebuilt transmissions

"It's been two weeks since the spill occurred and we haven't seen any cleanup of the spilled fuel," said Leslie Pearson, an on-scene coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Conservation. "We're concerned about impacts to the ground water."

Officials of the state-owned railroad on Monday attributed the derailment to an abundance of snow and ice near a rail switch.

Three locomotives and 15 tanker cars derailed near Gold Creek, north of Talkeetna. On Sunday, work crews removed an estimated 22,000 gallons of jet fuel from a rail car remaining in the area. Two other rail cars were cleared of residual fuel on Monday.

Pearson also complained that railroad officials did not adhere to a written cleanup plan submitted after the spill. The plan called for crews to work Dec. 29-31 to remove the fuel still on the rail cars, but Pearson said that did not happen. She said she planned to outline her concerns in writing and forward them to the Alaska Railroad Corp.

"They didn't begin lightering those four cars until yesterday (Sunday)" Pearson said. "It was definitely a concern of ours because they deviated from a plan that was in place with no written modifications."

Ernie Piper, the railroad's assistant vice president of safety and environmental compliance, defended the cleanup effort and said the slowdown was attributed to cold weather and the remoteness of the site. Piper said that Brad Hahn, a senior DEC official, was notified of the changes.

"The DEC had agreed that people had been working long periods of time in adverse conditions," Piper said. "We decided to take the holidays off and regroup."

Pearson was unhappy that the effort was demobilized and said rail crews could have worked last Wednesday and Thursday.

"If they don't have enough people, then they need to hire people," Pearson said. "The basic concern in any response is to make sure they get the proper response. There's plenty of people out there that have got the appropriate training."

The railroad resumed hauling Anchorage-bound shipments of jet fuel from the Williams Alaska Petroleum Refinery on Dec. 29. Piper said those shipments would not interfere with the cleanup.

Piper said that eight or nine empty cars will remain at the scene but that they were moved to a nearby location in order to expand the focus of snow and soil removal. Bulldozers and front-end loaders will begin the next phase of that cleanup effort. Piper said he believes that the jet fuel has reached the soil in the area, which is near the Susitna River.

The removal of contaminated snow is expected to be finished by midweek.

As for the derailment's cause, Piper said a heavy accumulation of snow, followed by warming temperatures, played a role in the crash.

A southbound train hauling fuel had switched to a siding to let a northbound train carrying empty rail cars pass. Piper said as the southbound train backed out of the siding, one of the wheels on the second locomotive became disengaged from the track.

As the southbound train moved forward on the main line and reached its traveling speed of 30 mph, the locomotive then derailed and dragged the rail cars off the track.

"The point of derailment was actually 140 feet north of the switch," Piper said.

It was the second derailment in less than two months.

Piper noted that a locomotive weighs 263,000 pounds and can move snow with its attached plow. He said in the future that empty northbound trains would switch from the main line to allow southbound trains hauling fuel to pass. Switches will also be checked more often.

"We're also going to start running our snow fleet once a week on Tuesday whether we think it's needed or not," Piper said. "It was previously run on as-needed basis." 

 "I know it seems strange that a 263,000-pound locomotive can be moved off the rail just by snow and ice," said Ernie Piper, the railroad's vice president of safety and environmental compliance. "We had snow and ice forming a solid surface at the same level as the track." 

[See Story]