Slogging

Slogging

One more take from this spectacular chase.  Frank Keller had mentioned in an earlier comment about how he couldn't believe how much snow they were pushing.  This is what he was talking about.  For those who don't realize, the front pilot on a geep is about 5 feet high and as you can see the snow they were pushing ahead of them was up past the top of the anti-climber.  And this wasn't the typical light fluffy Alaskan stuff but wet heavy later winter snow....it was kind of amazing they kept moving at all with this much train behind them....good thing they are all empty containers!

Near the very end of March in 2017 southcentral Alaska got hit with its last good snow dump of the winter season. Nearly a foot fell in some places and the fresh afternoon snowfall coincided fortuitously with a southbound freight from Anchorage to Whittier. As a bonus one of the ARR's three geeps remaining in their original as delivered 1976 paint job was on the point. Naturally a chase ensued!

Here the big 120S with GP40-2 3006 in the lead has arrived in Portage and is about to swing on to the Whittier Branch and head to tidewater.

Portage, Alaska
Wednesday March 29, 2017

Photo courtesy of Dave Blazejewski