John's ARR trip 2021

Another early morning wake up call, this time for 6:45 a.m. We had a few extra minutes to play ball with our new friend Mark. He is such a character!

Every time I visit Alaska I try to stop by the Alaska Central Railroad (ACRR) to visit with Jack Klingbeil and Victoria Greaens to see what's new with this ultra cool 7 1/2 inch gauge experience. This non-profit organization, run by 15 volunteers, occupies a 30-acre space off W. Riley Avenue with a 30-year lease. It boasts 3.5 miles of track, bridges, lakes, streams and a 90-foot tunnel. It operates from the end of May to the end of summer. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $7 for children ages 1-4 years.

One new project was the extensive remodeling work performed on caboose #1074. In 2009 this caboose was purchased from the Alaska Railroad by John Whitney who in turn donated it to the ACRR in 2018. The caboose is being refurbished and will serve as a museum on one end and lodging on the other. The lodging will have a cooking facility, water, toilet and two bunks. Membership is required to use the "apartment." The completion date is indefinite.

This railroad itself has grown by leaps and bounds. Since my last visit in 2018, they've added 1.5 miles of track, so now the ride takes 45 minutes to complete. It is possible to run three trains simultaneously. A huge loop, including, trestle called "The Denali Loop" was completed. A video security system with DVR capability was added. Next year Jack pledges to have a botanical garden with picnic tables.

Jack took us on a private run of the Alaska Central Railroad using two beautiful SD70MACs to pull the consist. It doesn't matter how old you are, the ride is incredibly fun! Along the way are many bridges, trestles, buildings, characters and creatures, some of which exhibit a certain tongue in cheek humor.

Before leaving the facility, the four of us discussed the possibility of having one of the railcars painted to advertise John's Alaska Railroad Web Page. Jack and Victoria picked one of the railcars, and a deal was struck. Now we were on the hook with coming up with a logo design for the car. Stay tuned for further developments!

Terry and I had a great time and want to give a shout out of thanks to Victoria and Jack for an incredible tour. We made a donation to the Alaska Central and encourage others to do so as well.

Baldwin Locomotive Works was the world's largest producer of steam locomotives and during World War II produced a slew of locomotives for the United States Army as well as other countries. In December 1944, #557 found its way to the Alaska Railroad where it would serve for almost twenty years. In 1963 millionaire hobo extraordinaire Monte Holm saved it from going to scrap and would eventually run the engine through town pulling local residents. When Monte died in 2006, personal friends Vic and Jim Jansen purchased the engine and donated it to the Alaska Railroad with the proviso it be restored and operating within eight years.

With the clock ticking, Patrick Durand and a band of dedicated volunteers have undertaken the gargantuan task of breathing life into #557. Walking into the restoration facility feels a lot like history coming back to life. You can almost hear the soothing symphony of hissing steam, ringing bell, lonely whistle and chugging smokestack. It is here that the locomotive's components are cleaned or repaired or replaced, as necessary, with financial assistance coming from benefactors, grants, donations in-kind, railfans, school children and local clubs.

Of course, what would The Engine 557 Restoration Company be without a group of dedicated board members whose goal is to, "restore, operate, conserve, and display former Alaska Railroad steam locomotive number 557". This board is always kind enough to hold their annual meeting whenever I am in town. All board members were in attendance, and the meeting lasted a tad bit over three hours. Main issues discussed were project status, fund raising, business planning, elections, phase 2 organization and leadership. I won't drag the reader through the meeting details, but we accomplished a lot and emerged with renewed momentum.


Engine 557 Restoration Company	557 in the engine house	Board members at the working lunch

Board members Patrick Durand, Paul Bates, John Combs, Sean Mesloh, Jane Walker, Dale Wade, Dick Morris and Scott Hicks.	View inside the smoke box	Terry spotted flowers after leaving the meeting

For the past two years I'd been following Bill Hess and his folksy photographs on FaceBook. Posts such as "THE DAILY JUNIPURR" (his cat), the Frequent School Bus, Iñupiaq communities and, of course, the Alaska Railroad feature a photo, either taken with his Canon R5 gravity-restricted camera or Sancho the drone, and an "on location" narrative. During this trip I was able to secure a slice of time with Bill at his home. During our visit I met his wife Marjorie and his photogenic cat who enjoyed sitting on my chest. So very cute! I really wanted to watch Bill fly Sancho (his Mavic 2 Pro drone), but winds were too heavy to permit. I did bring my copy of his book, "The Boy Who Loves Trains: Book I: Alaska" and got him to autograph it. Bull's-eye!

All good things must come to an end, and, sadly, it was time to begin preparations for the trip home. Returning "home," we packed our bags and cleaned up the apartment. Packing for the return trip was always difficult. Friends gave me so many Alaska Railroad items, and I must make room for them all without exceeding the 50 pound weight limit. So, you remove the heaviest items and put them in your carry-on bags which, by the way, is going on the same plane. Things that make you go, "Hmmmm".

Renee made pastrami sandwiches for the four of us, and Curt and I swapped stories as we ate. Without a doubt, Curt and Renee are a very special couple, and we greatly value their friendship and hospitality.

We stopped by Jim Somerville's home and picked him up in his car for a ride to the airport. We thanked him for his friendship and the incredible generosity of the loan of his Honda Pilot.

The TSA line was crazy long, and my jaw dropped wide open when I first saw it. One of the few advantages of being handicapped is wheelchair escort through the airport, complete with going through the ultra short TSA pre-check line. As we arrived at the gate, there was a "welcome home" gathering for Lydia Jacoby the first swimmer from Alaska to qualify for an Olympic Games. She had won the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke and the silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics. For the 2021 FINA Swimming World Cup, Jacoby was the overall highest scoring female American competitor.

Call me a wimp, but the return flight home was pretty darn brutal. We departed Anchorage at 1:00 a.m. I can never sleep on the plane anymore, so I watched three movies: Bohemian Rapsody, Rocket Man and Argo. We landed in Chicago at 9:36 a.m. and were back in the air two hours later. We landed in Dayton at 1:07 p.m. Our daughter Laura, twin grandsons and our two dogs picked us up at the airport and took us home. By the time I walked through my front door, I had been awake for 33 straight hours. I felt like someone took me down to the river and beat me on a rock.

At left is a photo taken out the window of our plane of the Englewood water tower as we approached Dayton International Airport. Just north and east of the water tower is Ward Field, a collection of four soccer fields. If you look closely you can see three of my geocaches I've hidden. Let me know if you needs some help spotting them. ;-)