Seattle: Wednesday, 12:51pm PDT, ARR engines loaded on barge for Alaska.

By noon on Wednesday, May 26th, 2004, four engines were loaded on a Alaska Marine Lines Barge, bound for Alaska.

Engines were (in order of arrival in Seattle) ARR4321, ARR4322 on Wednesday May 19th, and ARR4318, ARR4323 on Sunday or Monday 22/23rd.

First to go on were the 4321 and 4322. The UP engine 681 then went back to the yard and drop sorted cars to 3 or 4 tracks. Raining the whole time.

By noon the last of the four engines, 4318 and 4323 were on the barge. The rain started to taper off by then.

I've got 18 pictures for you.

While I was down there at the pier I met a couple of gentlemen and I know one of them knows you. The first guy is Mark Lembersky. The other guy was Deane Motis who knew me on site.
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Dozens of Alaska Railroad passengers ended up on a bus to Seward Tuesday after a rockslide covered the tracks between Spencer Glacier and Grandview.

Officials say the Alaska Railroad's Coastal Classic was heading to Seward around 9 a.m. when it was forced to stop. The train was backed up to Portage while 43 passengers were bused to Seward and cleanup crews cleared the track.

[See story]

This morning on the way home from work I rode to Harbor Island to catch the east side of 4321 & 4322 in the morning sunlight light. Took pictures.

Then on the way home I rode in to Balmer Yard and much to my surprise, I found two more ARR engines that look as they arrived recently. They were still attached to an inbound freight of loaded centerbeams, tanks, and boxes. I'm guessing the Everett Interbay. All others have come in on that run, via Canada.

ARR4323 and ARR4318 are now at Balmer Yard. There is nothing in front of 4318. Engines are elephant style with 4318 facing south most. Hidden partially by the caboose track and other visual impediments, the engines were photographable.

At the old Massachusetts pier at the north end of Harbor Island is a barge. Double Decked and in AML line paint, the barge appeared almost full with tanks, boxcars, and others in view. There may still be room on the barge for the engines. I will keep a daily eye on their activity.
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That on-again, off-again agreement between the Alaska Railroad and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is apparently on again.

Late Monday afternoon, the EPA in Seattle and the ARRC in Anchorage signed a plan to study pollution on railroad property.

[See story]

The Alaska Railroad Corp. said it has reached an agreement with the federal government on assessing suspected pollution on 600 acres of railroad land.

The state-owned corporation will conduct the investigation at Ship Creek under the guidance of the Environmental Protection Agency, railroad president and CEO Pat Gamble said Sunday. Ship Creek where the railroad has its operations is just north of downtown Anchorage. It also is a popular spot with city anglers looking to catch salmon or trout.

[See story]

Alaska's summer tourism season is underway with dozens of cruise ships sailing up and down the coast and on Saturday, after more than a decade, Princess Cruise lines made a grand entrance back to the port of Whittier. The Coral Princess just two years old sailed gracefully into the small port.

The ship brought more than 2,000 passengers but more importantly it returned a long term plan of economic growth.

"Were really excited to see it here. We've talked about it, fretted about it and now today's our big day" said Charlie Ball president of Princess Tours.

[See story]

Passengers on Princess' Gulf of Alaska cruisetours in 2005 will be able to get to the wilderness faster than ever with the debut of the line's "Direct to the Wilderness" rail program that will have trains ready and waiting right at the Whittier dock.

This exclusive rail service represents an industry first and will take passengers to the company's own Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge or Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge via private direct-rail links. As a result, Princess' cruisetours not only offer the fastest way to the Denali area, but now every tour offers at least two nights in the park area.

[See story]

Passengers from Whittier arrived by train into Anchorage this morning at about 11:00. By 3:30 a new group of passengers boarded the train on its way back to Whittier. The Alaska Railroad says about 131 passengers boarded Saturday afternoon.

Railroad officials say this is what's considered the shoulder season and say trains are usually full by the first of June.

[See story]

ARR engines arrive on EVTINB 5/14 9:20am. With conjestion in the plant, this was about the sixth train to go by the house since about 7:00am. The ARR engines were the last two engines in the string. They looked great in the bright morning light. I'll get pictures in the morning sun tomorrow after work. I think they will be around a few days. My guess.

BNSF2721 H1
BNSF2076 H1
BNSF2361 H1
BNSF2898 renum
ARR4319
ARR4320
freight
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Heard from a fellow on PSRAIL that said the units were still in New Westminster. That would make sense. I made my rounds this morning and there were no ARR units to be found. I did make it over to Harbor Island and saw approaching the pier that had been up the west Duwamish River being loaded. Only the top had stuff on it. The bottom was completely empty. Only three idler cabooses found at the north end of Harbor Island. I thought there were usually four. Three MoPac's and one UP. Only two Mopacs and one UP present today and yesterday. Cars have been gathering for the past two days for loading on the barge. Truck's and equipment, pipe, Cat tractors, and an ARR blue hopper 14100, or something like that. I see that one around alot.

Was able to ask one of the crew members of the Harbor Island switch job if he knew anything about ARR engines being loaded. He said, well they're not here now, so probably next week's loading. They load on Wednesday. That's why I saw the green barge heading for the Harbor
Island rail dock.
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The state House has passed a bill that would allow the Alaska Railroad Corp. to sell up to $500 million in revenue bonds to finance an extension of the railroad to Fort Greely. The bill, which passed the Senate last week, can now go to Gov. Frank Murkowski for ratification.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the railroad to continue to make a great investment into the state of Alaska, and eventually its continuing improved transportation needs," said Rep. Jim Holm, R-Fairbanks, on the House floor.

[See story]

Both houses of the Legislature have passed bills that could clear the way for an extension of the Alaska Railroad to Fort Greely and beyond.

The House on Saturday approved a measure allowing the railroad to begin plotting an extension to the Canada border. The bill passed in the Senate last month and now heads to the governor.

The bill allows the railroad to delineate a 500-foot-wide corridor running the roughly 270 miles to the border from Eielson Air Force Base, the current rail terminus.

[See story]

Both houses of the state Legislature have passed bills that could clear the way for an extension of the Alaska Railroad to Fort Greely and beyond.

By a 14-5 vote, the state Senate passed a bill Friday authorizing the Alaska Railroad Corp. to sell up to $500 million in revenue bonds to finance an extension to Greely, which would be used by the military to shuttle vehicles to Army training grounds south of the Tanana River and personnel to the Greely missile defense site.

[See story]

The Alaska Railroad is going to purchase two Colorado Railcars for 2005 and that the viewing platform will be on the upper level.
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MTP shows that consist in Coquitlam this AM, so I'm assuming Vancouver this afternoon..

Apparently they will be interchanged to BNSF for the trip to Seattle... BNSF mainline runs about 2 miles from my house but there are 5-6 freights a day... Not sure which one they'e on... should be in Seattle by tomorrow or Sunday!

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Workers put finishing touches on a shiny, new cruise ship passenger terminal and dock in Whittier this week. The $10 million facility is one of several big construction projects under way in Whittier as the former Cold War outpost prepares next week to greet its first cruise ships in more than a decade.

On a blustery but sunny afternoon, construction workers were busy installing office furniture, public telephones, lighting fixtures and electrical lines at the 20,000-square-foot, privately owned terminal. The cavernous building sports expansive windows that look out onto mountain-studded Passage Canal.

[See story]

The Alaska Railroad has for years mined gravel pits and built structures without local government review or regulation. The state-owned corporation wants to keep it that way.

However, a bill before the Legislature to that end met opposition from local governments and Anchorage residents and was amended to create a task force that will examine whether railroad property should be exempt from local land-use laws.

[See story]

The Alaska Railroad will operate one gravel train (round-trip) per day through Wasilla this summer to accommodate the opening of Quality Asphalt Paving's (QAP) new gravel pit located on the northwest outskirts of the city.

About 95% of the track work needed to bring the railroad to theWasilla pit site was accomplished last fall. Crews are currently completing the track work, and building the conveyor system needed to load the trains with gravel. QAP expects to begin using the Cange Pit sometime between mid-May and the first of June.

[See story]

The Department of Defense might consider financing an extension of the Alaska Railroad to Fort Greely, an Alaska Railroad Corp. executive said this week.

The proposed railroad link would be used to shuttle vehicles to Army training grounds south of the Tanana River and personnel to the missile defense site at Fort Greely, said Pat Gamble, president and chief executive officer of the railroad.

[See story]

The Alaska Railroad may be making tracks farther north.

This week the head of the railroad pitched a plan to the Department of Defense to extend the line from Fairbanks to Fort Greely, near Delta Junction. The project would expand the railway by 80 miles and allow the military to transport people and equipment to the Fort Greely missile defense site.

[See story]

The Department of Defense is taking a serious look at financing an extension of the Alaska Railroad to Fort Greely, according to Alaska Railroad Corp. President and CEO Pat Gamble.

Gamble said the proposed railroad link--which would be used to shuttle vehicles to Army training grounds south of the Tanana River and personnel to the missile defense site at Fort Greely--was met with enthusiasm when he presented it to missile defense officials in Washington, D.C., earlier this week.

[See story]

When winter's snows pile up and hide the rails in Grandview, the Alaska Railroad's snow fleet charges into action.

The special work train leaves the Anchorage yard and heads toward Portage. There, the rails south to Seward snake through Tunnel Section and over Grandview Pass, about 60 miles southeast of Anchorage. This area gets heavy dumps of snow; in an average winter, 400 to 500 inches can build up in the pass.

[See story]

Next to a couple of piles of gravel off the Johansen Expressway, Alaska Railroad Corp. officials displayed drawings of a new train terminal Tuesday.

Wait about a year and the gravel piles will be replaced by the new $22.5 million structure, railroad chairman John Binkley said.

Donning hard hats and wielding gold shovels, Binkley, Gov. Frank Murkowski and others broke ground on a project the railroad corporation touts as a way to improve the safety and efficiency of train stops in Fairbanks.

[See story]

The state Senate has passed a bill that would allow the Alaska Railroad Corp. to begin plotting out a railroad extension to the Canadian border. If it passes in a revote, the bill will go to the House of Representatives.

"This kind of just establishes a road map to completing a rail connection to the rest of North America," said Senate Transportation Committee chairman John Cowdery, R-Anchorage, the sponsor of the bill. "As world trade goes, this rail connection can only increase Alaska's economic ties to the rest of the nation and North America as a whole."

[See story]

[Delivery on April] 26th sounds about right [and the second delivery] on the 3rd. The delivery route is London - CP - Vancouver - UP or BNSF - Seattle. Arrival is expected in about five days after London departure, so about May 1 and 8. They should sail on May 6 and 13 with arrival here a week later, May 13 and 20.
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With summer around the corner, things aren't quite so usual among Alaska's cruise ship industry. Friday morning, the tiny town of Whittier got a new arrival -- the first of what will be many arrivals at its waterfront in the months to come.

It came early in the morning, a sign of what could be a boon to Whittier -- a dock that will handle 36 Princess Cruise ships and eight Carnival ships this summer. It was towed by tug from Seattle and is due to be ready for use in a month.

[See story]

Alaska Railroad Corp. is reporting much stronger-than-expected revenues of $127 million last year, resulting in a sizable profit for the state-owned railroad.

The corporation on Monday said it made a $14.5 million profit last year on revenue that rose more than 20 percent. Last year, railroad executives said they were aiming for a $5.5 million profit on $103 million in revenue.

In 2002, railroad profits were $8.9 million and revenue totaled $106 million.

[See story]

Ridership on the Alaska rails fell to a 13-year low last year, according to data released by the Alaska Railroad on Tuesday.

In its annual report released Monday, the Alaska Railroad said it "enjoyed seven percent growth in overall ridership over the last year," referring to 2003.

[See story]

The Alaska Railroad Corp. on Monday said it made a $14.5 million profit last year on revenue that rose more than 20 percent to $127 million.

Railroad executives, who began last year aiming for a $5.5 million profit on $103 million in revenue, attributed the stronger-than-expected results in large part to the resumption of coal shipments from Healy, a road construction project near Bird Creek and greater-than-anticipated deliveries of a petroleum product called naphtha.

[See story]

...The bill contains money for numerous Alaska projects including Alaska ferry terminals at Unalaska, Kodiak and Coffman Cove. It also has money to eliminate highway-rail crossings and improve highway safety and transit times along the Alaska Railroad...

[See story]

Tim Thompson, the former Assignment Editor at KTUU News (channel 2, Anchorage's NBC
affiliate), is the new Public Affairs Officer.

Also, because the CN bought BC Rail the latter approached us about unloading ten more articulated flats...pending [the Board of Directors] approval, we'll have 30 new wells for COFC traffic later this year.
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All Budd and Pullman cars are for sale except 507, 508, 512 and 1394. Detailed specifications are provided in this Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or this web page.

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Canada will join with the United States in studying a northern railway extending from Alaska to British Columbia, according to its federal transport minister.

The Yukon territory's member of parliament, Larry Bagnell, this week released a letter he received from Transport Minister Tony Valeri about the possibility of a northern railway through Alaska and the Yukon to connecting tracks in British Columbia.

[See story]