That Sweet Light It's twenty minutes shy of 11 PM as train 231S curls north along Turnagain Arm passing the mile board at 99, just 15 miles from the depot in downtown Anchorage. This is the DEX deadheading home to Anchorage with a solo SD70MAC leading one ARRC Goldstar bi-level and a string of Holland America Princess owned cruise line cars. The DEX (Denali Express) is an every Saturday and every other Wednesday pair of dedicated trains operated under contract for the giant cruise line. One train deadheads south early from Anchorage to Whittier to meet an arriving vessel and then operates non stop from there to Denali Park and deadheads on to Fairbanks. It's southbound counterpart (this train) deadheads from Fairbanks to the park, picks up guests and then highballs straight to the waiting vessel in Whittier that will sail south that evening. After the train is empty it deadheads north back to Anchorage behind the Coastal Classic in this late evening light. On this day the sun rose at 4:22 AM and won't set until 11:39 PM....and this my dear readers is why they call Alaska the Land of the Midnight Sun! South of Anchorage, Alaska |
