ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A wildfire that has quickly grown to about 300 acres is threatening the entrance to Denali National Park on the Parks Highway.

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Denali National Park closed and halted bus service into the park as the result of a wildfire just across the Nenana River from the McKinley Chalet Resort. The fire grew to 300 acres in just two hours.

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Three Union Pacific SD70M locomotives, numbers 4479, 4193, 4269, are reportedly on the barge heading to Alaska. They will serve as lease units for the summer to alleviate a shortage of power.

Road Number	Builder number	Deliver date	Retired date
4479	996188-195	6 Oct 2001	28 Apr 2009
4193	996172-29	28 Jul 2000
4269	996172-105	22 Nov 2000

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PORTAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which connects Portage to Whittier, is designed for temperatures down to 40 below, 150 mph winds, avalanches, and fires.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Many Alaskans have never heard of Curry, a once thriving railroad town that was destroyed by fire in 1957. But back in its day, Curry was both a rest stop and a destination for passengers on the Alaska Railroad.

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TALKEETNA, Alaska (KTUU) - The Alaska Railroad’s flagstop train, also known as the Hurricane Turn Train, is one of the last of its kind in the country.

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Background: ARRC’s intermodal business (TOFC/COFC) started over 40 years ago and has grown to represent a significant portion of ARRC’s freight traffic. The business has evolved into two separate lines, TOFC (trailer-on-flat car) and COFC (container-on-flat-car) on two different lanes (Anchorage-Fairbanks, and Whittier-Anchorage). These lines of business directly compete with over-the-road options and the competitive pressures demand an efficient operation. As traffic demands and expectations have changed over time, and ARRC is contemplating capital investment to replace aging equipment, and guidance is needed to evaluate the business line to identify capital needs and opportunities to expand the service.

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Rumors abound after this frame grab posting in Virtual Railfan. Yup, that is two Kansas City Southern SD70MACs with ARR painted in white below the road number. One railfan stated the ARR had purchased four SD70MACs with HEP. Another railfan stated the ARR intended to purchase six SD70MACs and use two of them for parts. One thing is for sure, two new ARR SD70MACs passed through Georgia on May 15.

 

Take the Fair Train to the Alaska State Fair and save on fuel, parking and headaches. Avoid traffic jams and enjoy a scenic and relaxing ride aboard one of our comfortable coaches.

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CSHB 122(FIN): "An Act authorizing the Alaska Railroad Corporation to issue revenue bonds to finance the replacement of the Alaska Railroad Corporation's passenger dock and related terminal facility in Seward, Alaska; and providing for an effective date."

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Sen. Bert Stedman questions whether the Port MacKenzie rail expansion project is ready for funding, in Senate Finance Committee on Sunday.
The Senate Finance Committee on Sunday stripped funding for the completion of the Port MacKenzie rail extension project.

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Alaska Railroad passenger cars are currently transitioning from hardwired connections between each carriage to a wireless Inter-Consist Link (ICL) solution. This modification will add a Wi-Fi network that will cover each passenger car and connect each car to the backbone network. The Wi-Fi network will initially be used for car to car communications and should allow for future guest access, point of sale data collection, and other improvements.

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A federal grant of $460,000 will be used to expand a solar power system at Whistle Hill in Soldotna, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced late last month.

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Standard gauge steam could return to the “Last Frontier” as early as next year as the decade-long operational restoration of Alaska Railroad 2-8-0 557 enters the homestretch. 

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A new development arose in the conversation surrounding the proposed upgrade to the sewer line in the Whistle Hill area during the Soldotna City Council meeting on Wednesday, March 27th.

[Webmaster note: In case you want to know more about Whistle Hill, click here.]

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JUNEAU, Alaska — A state legislator has introduced a bill calling for privatization of the Alaska Railroad — although even the bill’s sponsor says the purpose is as much about inspiring discussion as it is about potentially triggering a sale.

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This specification is intended to cover a 110-ton nominal capacity, 64' long New General Service flat car. The car consists of a fish belly center sill, cold rolled channel side sills, and a flat wood floor extending from end sill to end sill.

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For thirty years Alaska had a small coal export industry, but with demolition slated for the state’s only coal loading facility, those days are likely gone forever.

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