![Diesel shop](Chase-diesel-shop.jpg)
Alaska Railroad's new diesel forge plant and heavy maintenance
shop in Anchorage, alaska railroad terminal yards. You will recognize the
building as the 320 by 230-foot former Kaiser (Remington) Shell Plant, located
outside of Denver during the war.
A 60-foot bay is scheduled for occupancy by January 31, 1949.
The remainder of the building will be finished by the middle of next summer.
The new forge plant is Alaska's biggest building -- exclusive
of airplane hangars. The four roomy bays will contain three traveling cranes
and equipment to make the shop one of the Territory's most modern.
The building was dismantled in denver, shipped to the west
Coast, then placed aboard barges for whittier, Alaska. The contract for dismantling
and re-assembling the building was won by Sparling Steel Company of Seattle.
workmen under Charley Shalka, veteran Pacific Coast steelman, put the building
up in 28 working days.
Conversion includes :frigid-weather" proofing. Temperatures
here have already dropped to 20 below zero this month.
The building is framed against the Chugach Mountains which
rim Anchorage on the east.
Photo courtesy of Dick Chase