Roadless Railfanning

Roadless Railfanning

You don't see many photos from this stretch of the Alaska Railroad since the closest road is about nine miles away. The only way to get here is a paddle up the Placer River in summer or a run over the snow and ice via snow machine or dog team in winter....or a ride on the Alaska Railroad. While I've never paddled in, I have snow machined here and ridden the train a few times. Here is a gorgeous late summer day that I road the Glacier Discovery out to the Spencer Whistle Stop. While hiking around out toward Spencer Glacier I decided to get this view of a southbound cruise train headed to Seward with SD70MAC 4317 leading the train over the Placer River bridge at MP 54 here in the heart of Chugach National Forest. In the background rising steeply from the glacier fed waters is 4400 foot Tincan Peak in the Kenai Mountain Range.

To see this same bridge a few months earlier in slightly whiter conditions check out this shot.

Spencer, Alaska
Sunday September 6, 2009

Photo courtesy of Dave Blazejewski