John's ARR trip 2018

One of the best kept secrets in the world is the Hurricane Turn. This train is the last true flag-stop in the United States and operates between Talkeetna and Hurricane Gulch every Thursday through Sunday from May through September. It serves as a vital link for the locals in the Alaskan bush as well as providing transportation for the outdoorsman, tourist and railfan. Although the scenery and wildlife along the rails are top notch I must admit I love the funky uniqueness of its passengers and freight. Over the years I've seen groceries, coolers, guns, dogs, backpacks, canoes, kitchen cabinets, a deep freezer and scientific instruments.

We experienced a significant delay on our drive from Anchorage to Talkeetna due to some nasty road construction. I did get a very exciting call from my friend Randy Thompson saying he was taking the day off work to join us!

Soon after arriving at the depot we caught up with Randy. It was great to see him again! During my first three Alaska trips he was the man of many connections and was able to wrangle us lots of cool activities and train rides. I owe him a huge debt of thanks for being the wind beneath my www.alaskarails.org website as well as inserting me into the Alaska Railroad machine.

This year's lineup consisted of GP40 #3009, baggage car #100, dome car #521, coach #209 and F40 #31. Engineer Martha Conlan had us underway right on time. Seating on the Hurricane Turn is the stuff dreams are made of. Yes, you can sit in your super spacious coach seat or check out the views from the dome car or hang out in the open air vestibules. My favorite seat is not a seat at all. I absolutely love to hang out in the baggage car. The side door is left open and chest to floor webbing ensures you stay safe and snug inside. There is nothing quite like the expansive open air view, the wind in your face, locomotive rumble in your ears and a faint whiff of diesel fuel in your nostrils. [Note to future Hurricane Turn patrons: The FRA is now enforcing one of its many rules and has stopped the Alaska Railroad from allowing passengers to ride in the vestibules as well as the baggage car. Alas, all good things must come to an end.]

Conductor Ryan Rodriguez has become the engaging Ambassador of the Hurricane Turn. He provided excellent commentary during the day covered not only railroad history and area geography but also gave valuable insight into the lives of the local residents who live along the line and use it regularly. He also did a a really great job of making it fun for kids in several ways, including a prize for the best behaved child on board that day. Towards the end of the ride he held a trivia contest and awarded prizes for correct answers.

The weather decided to behave itself and Terry, Randy and I had a ball riding in dome car #521.The view out the window was mesmerizing. I was heartbroken to hear Randy's home in Washington state was burglarized and all his belongings were absconded. Not only did they take all his home goods, but also made off with his HO scale inventory from his Roundhouse Hobbies business. Emphasizing they really cleaned him out he said they even took his used razors! The value taken was enormous and insurance only covered a fraction of it.

Although the Hurricane Turn provided snacks and drinks per the honor system I brought aboard the rest of my Tommy's burger plus Curt Rudd sent moose beef stick and cheese. Yum! Terry and I rode a plethora of trains out west last summer whose rules stated you couldn't bring your own food, but instead had to buy their overpriced items. Staff on the Hurricane Turn could care less if you brought your own food and drink and I found this policy to be delightfully refreshing.

Eventually, I moved to the baggage car where I met Fergus, a delightfully friendly Husky who lived with his owner at a cabin 11 miles north of Talkeetna. A group of four fisherman from Utah were also awaiting drop off to try their hand at reeling in some tasty salmon. their plan was to fish for several hours and then catch the train on its return. [Note to future anglers: According to Alaska Railroad employees MP 266 is the best fishing spot on the Hurricane Turn.]

Our stop near Indian River was particularly humorous for me. A woman forgot the four wheeler key and camped overnight waiting for her husband to retrieve it. Ouch!

Further north the train stopped once again for offgriders bringing supplies to their cabin. Ryan helped them unload coolers, tubs, backpacks and folding tables. All this was loaded onto 4 wheelers which soon disappeared out into the Alaskan bush.

Needing to rest my legs I headed to a seat in coach #209. I love these coaches as they have plenty of seat space and foot rests. At 3:38 PM one of the passengers asked aloud, "Do you smell something burning?" I sniffed the air and had to agreed. Seconds later our train came to an abrupt halt. Oh no! Had my presence killed another train trip? I later learned the following from an inside source, "It turned out to be algae in the fuel tank. We had been having problems with that locomotive for a few weeks, and that day it finally reached its breaking point."

I'll admit I was intrigued to see how the railroad would handle this contingency and turned on my scanner to do some eavesdropping. As luck would have it a southbound passenger train was in the general area. The passenger train went into the hole at MP 272 SSSwith Chulitna and offered up one of their two SD70MACs. Running two SD70MACs is common on passenger trains so if one has mechanical difficulties passengers aren't stranded. The other advantage of running two SD70MACs is one is used for passenger car electrical power while the other is actually pulling the train. Since SD70MAC #4327 now belonged to the Hurricane Turn the remaining SD70MAC on the passenger train would provide both electricity (Head End Power) and pulling power.

At 4:21 PM we were underway. How many times do you think the Hurricane Turn has ever operated under the power of an SD70MAC? It was very rare indeed. We found out the Hurricane Turn got to keep the SD70MAC until Monday, when they took the whole train back to Anchorage for repairs.


Mesmerizing scenery along our route	Randy scoring a nice shot of the Combs CFO

Although scenery is a top draw for the Hurricane Turn people are featured as well. In the past I've had the pleasure of stopping at Sherman to meet Clyde and Mary Lovel who have been homesteading there since 1963. Mary has written two books about their Alaskan experiences, Suddenly...It's Spring and Journey to a Dream. Today we stopped at Chase to visit Shannon Cartwright, author and illustrator of 28 children’s books, at her trackside artist's shack. As I roamed her gallery I eavesdropped on her conversations with other passengers. They were impressed to learn for over 40 years she's been an "offgrider" in a small home without indoor plumbing, electrical power lines, TV, regular mail service or wifi. What they did not know was Shannon was diagnosed with a neurological disorder called essential tremor. In January 2014 she had surgery that placed a battery operated stimulator in her brain. Once again she was able to do artwork!

When Terry asked her to name her favorite book she replied, "Alaska's Animals, You And I". She purchased a copy for our oldest grandson and Shannon immediately autographed it for her. After roaming her art gallery I decided on one of her Alaska Railroad watercolor prints for my train room. She did indeed take my credit card, but said it wouldn't get charged until she could get connectivity later on in the day. I exited the gallery and spoke with her neighbor and friend Kathyrn and dog Marley while battling mosquitoes the size of ravens.


Shannon Cartwright's trackside studio	Shannon signing Terry's book	Kathryn and Marley

Soon we arrived at the train's namesake, Hurricane Gulch, which loomed 296 feet above Hurricane Creek and stretched across its 918-foot wide chasm. The engineer paused for awhile on the bridge so everyone had the chance for a good photo opportunity. Having reached the end of our run the engineer began our trip back to Talkeetna.


Mesmerizing scenery along our route	Randy's photo as we approach Hurricane Gulch

John & Terry sporting their Alaska Railroad attire in the baggage car with Hurricane Gulch in the background	Exhilarating Hurricane Gulch as seen from baggage car #100

"Highball it out of here. Proceed at maximum permissible speed". We needed to make tracks (pun intended) since the locomotive mishap made us run very late. Soon we were back in Talkeetna and saying goodbye to Randy. Here is a quick video of the Hurricane Turn heading for the siding for the night.

In Talkeetna we stopped in at Mountain High Pizza and placed an order to go as the placed was packed like sardines. Most of the lodging in Talkeetna is touristy and booked well in advance. We were able to secure a cabin for the night at Denali Creekside cabins. Our cottage was almost brand spanking new and offered all the comforts we needed, except wifi which seemed to be on the fritz.