10 units - count 'em - curl north with 113 empty coal hoppers along the icy shores of Turnagain Arm beneath the snowy peaks of the Chugach Mountains. This is by far the largest unit train ever run by the ARR. It is, in fact, 1 ½ normal trains combined. Two days prior to this shot, due to high winds, unloading operations were suspended in Seward with one train only half empty. The road crew turned out with 4 units and half the train. Meanwhile, the following day the other consist (ARR at the time two 75 car unit coal trains cycling around the clock each operating with 7 units over the hill between Anchorage and Seward) showed up. It was dumped successfully and doubled up with the other half still in Seward and came north to Anchorage as a monster train stretching 7,000 feet in length that you see here stretched out beside the icy waters of Turnagain Arm near MP 88.5. I was the Superintendent of the railroad at the time and in conjunction with my chief dispatcher (an ex-Espee man that wasn't scared of big trains) and with approval of our Director of Operating Practices (an ex-BN Powder River man) we did the unprecedented. My boss...the VP and COO was not amused however (despite the flawless run) and a train of this size was not ever repeated. Fast forward to today and export coal trains are but a memory and the hoppers have almost all been sold off. This was truly a one time occurence! Indian, Alaska |
