White Pass & Yukon trip May 1st, 2018

Ron H posted:

My wife and I stepped off the Norwegian Pearl in Skagway Alaska May 1st and onto the railroad. There were 3 trains waiting at the cruise terminal. We took the train to the summit and returned, about 4 hours.

I'm probably the last OGR member to ride this wonderful train, but it was simply a splendid trip. It was cold on the platforms and it snowed part of the way and at the summit. Their operation is first class and the power of the twin Alcos pulling our train, around 12 or 15  cars, was remarkable. 

So, if it is on your bucket list, I highly recommend it. 

You didn't take any photos??????

Hot Water posted:

Ron H posted:

My wife and I stepped off the Norwegian Pearl in Skagway Alaska May 1st and onto the railroad. There were 3 trains waiting at the cruise terminal. We took the train to the summit and returned, about 4 hours.

I'm probably the last OGR member to ride this wonderful train, but it was simply a splendid trip. It was cold on the platforms and it snowed part of the way and at the summit. Their operation is first class and the power of the twin Alcos pulling our train, around 12 or 15  cars, was remarkable. 

So, if it is on your bucket list, I highly recommend it. 

You didn't take any photos??????

Wife has em, but she's on the phone right now.

I'm probably the last OGR member to ride this wonderful train

The last one?  My wife & I hope to do this trip sometime. 

Last time I was in Skagway, there where no cruise ships,  and steam still earned its keep on that line. 1974 I think ? 

Clem

Clem,

They still have one active steam loco. The 2-8-0 outside frame they bought from The Georgetown loop.  I was up there with the Navy in 1970 on a destroyer. Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway are big time tourists traps these days.

There are some really great videos on you tube that do the ride very well.

Farmer_Bill posted:

I'm probably the last OGR member to ride this wonderful train

 

The last one?  My wife & I hope to do this trip sometime. 

My wife and I have reservations to ride it on July 3rd.  Can't wait.

Bill

Hot water,

Here  we are we are near the summit. Over the trestle and into a tunnel.

Ron I'm so glad I was up there before tourists happened. I think they had 2 steamers running when I was there, they hauled freight into Canada.    It was cheaper to operate steam back then, they got free fuel from the mining operations. Used waste motor oil. Skagway was still gravel main street ?

Clem

My last visit to Skagway was also 1974, my brother worked in the welding shop there from 1973-1975. I helped out with some work while there, it was still the only way to Whitehorse back then, the Sourdough Inn had not burned down and the streets were not very long, but the crabs sure would grab a bacon rind if you dropped it down along the loading wharf there. I enjoyed the town back then, not sure I would visit now if a tourist connection. I wonder if the Malaspina ferry still runs from there?

The steam train ran one day a week, and we made sure we were behind that a year or so ago, which worked out with the ship schedule. Unfortunately, l only got into BC, and not to Whitehorse, and l didn't get to the "diggins" or to a couple of large mine complexes.  Last state checked off.

I rode in 2002. Memorable trip. 

We rode the train three summers ago, and were fortunate to have fairly decent weather at the time. Travel for  tourists in Alaska is problematic, due to the rapidly changing weather. When we arrived at Skagway, we were told it was the first time in two weeks they'd seen the sun.  One of the guides on the train told us were lucky to be there today, that all that was seen by the people who rode the train the day before was the first line of trees on either side of the track.

Something like over 2/3 of Alaska visitors who come to Denali National Park never see the Denali mountain, due to cloud cover. We met a couple on our ship, on the cruise from Whittier back to Vancouver, who had ridden up on the ship, making stops at glaciers, and various ports along the way. They were glad they decided not to fly home, which they almost did, but instead booked passage back, because they said it was foggy and overcast all the way up, and they saw practically nothing. Had they flown back, it would have been a wasted trip.

Normally you have to plan these trips months ahead, and spend thousands of dollars, but may end up seeing very little. That's just how it is in Alaska, the risk you take travelling there.

breezinup posted:

We rode the train three summers ago, and were fortunate to have fairly decent weather at the time. Travel for  tourists in Alaska is problematic, due to the rapidly changing weather. When we arrived at Skagway, we were told it was the first time in two weeks they'd seen the sun.  One of the guides on the train told us were lucky to be there today, that all that was seen by the people who rode the train the day before was the first line of trees on either side of the track.

Something like over 2/3 of Alaska visitors who come to Denali National Park never see the Denali mountain, due to cloud cover. We met a couple on our ship, on the cruise from Whittier back to Vancouver, who had ridden up on the ship, making stops at glaciers, and various ports along the way. They were glad they decided not to fly home, which they almost did, but instead booked passage back, because they said it was foggy and overcast all the way up, and they saw practically nothing. Had they flown back, it would have been a wasted trip.

Normally you have to plan these trips months ahead, and spend thousands of dollars, but may end up seeing very little. That's just how it is in Alaska, the risk you take travelling there.

Thanks for posting.  Do you remember when you rode it, what month and time of month (early in month, late in month or in-between)?  

Bill

Ron H posted:

Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway are big time tourists traps these days.

I wouldn't describe these places as tourist traps at all. There may be 3-4 cruise ships that stop at these locations most days during the season, but I never felt like we were in a tourist trap. Normally you're given a fairly extensive list of activities to chose from at each location, and people scatter once they're ashore. We went on several side trips (including by light plane, float plane and boat) that took us sometimes thirty or more miles away from the port. On a several of these trips, we were alone, or with a very small number of other people, with a guide.

I can't remember that we ever had to stand in line for anything. We had a fabulous time. I'd love to go back. 

WftTrains posted:

Thanks for posting.  Do you remember when you rode it, what month and time of month (early in month, late in month or in-between)?  

Bill

We did some research as we were planning the trip. There are certain times during the summer that seem to be best bets. We went for 11 days, centering on the second week in July. But whatever you chose, it will still be a bet. I've talked to people who went a month earlier and had great weather. I've also talked to people who went at about the same time we did, and they had lousy weather. You never know for sure.

Although we had generally good weather, all we saw of Denali was the top 1000 feet of so from our lodge during a brief break in the clouds one day. We went on a plane ride into the park another day, and the mountain was hidden except for the lower part below our plane, and it was completely cloudy above us. The pilot said on a (rare) clear day, from the plane at altitude, you can look up another two miles and just see more snow-covered mountain going up and up. I'm sure that's quite a sight.

In Glacier Bay, it was mostly cloudy when we started into the bay, but when we reached the interior where the glaciers are, it had turned mostly sunny. We even saw the top of Mt. Fairweather (the name is a joke, incidently), I think the third highest mountain in North America, and we were told it is very rare to be able to see that.

It was rainy for another activity we did in the morning at one stop, but thankfully it cleared up as we were boarding an Alaska Railroad train in early afternoon headed south to Anchorage and Whittier, and that turned out to be a beautiful trip. The weather can be very changable.

Ron H. is correct,  as far as I'm concerned. It is a tourist trap. If you where there living and working 44 yrs ago you would know what I mean.  Really liked it back then.  

I don't mean anything negative about tourist traps, but it is very different from 1970, 48 years ago, when I was there.The towns have changed quite a bit, but so have I.

breezinup posted:

WftTrains posted:

Thanks for posting.  Do you remember when you rode it, what month and time of month (early in month, late in month or in-between)?  

Bill

We did some research as we were planning the trip. There are certain times during the summer that seem to be best bets. We went for 11 days, centering on the second week in July. But whatever you chose, it will still be a bet. I've talked to people who went a month earlier and had great weather. I've also talked to people who went at about the same time we did, and they had lousy weather. You never know for sure.

Although we had generally good weather, all we saw of Denali was the top 1000 feet of so from our lodge during a brief break in the clouds one day. We went on a plane ride into the park another day, and the mountain was hidden except for the lower part below our plane, and it was completely cloudy above us. The pilot said on a (rare) clear day, from the plane at altitude, you can look up another two miles and just see more snow-covered mountain going up and up. I'm sure that's quite a sight.

In Glacier Bay, it was mostly cloudy when we started into the bay, but when we reached the interior where the glaciers are, it had turned mostly sunny. We even saw the top of Mt. Fairweather (the name is a joke, incidently), I think the third highest mountain in North America, and we were told it is very rare to be able to see that.

It was rainy for another activity we did in the morning at one stop, but thankfully it cleared up as we were boarding an Alaska Railroad train in early afternoon headed south to Anchorage and Whittier, and that turned out to be a beautiful trip. The weather can be very changable.

Thanks.  Our trip is scheduled June 27 through July 7.  Let's hope for decent weather.

Bill

Been there, done that in 2012. These photos bring back great memories. As you said it was cold...but would do it again. BEST TRAIN RIDE EVER.

My wife and I took a Akaska cruise last August for our 50th anniversary. We were fortunate to see Mt. Denali two days in a row and to see it from 3 sides.  We also road the train, but do to the mechanical failure of 0ne of our engines we never made to the summit. We made it to just before the first tunnel. Had to be pushed onto the siding, where the engines then switched ends, had to go back down the mountain with only one engine running and brakes squealing! All fares were refunded!  Would do it again!

Here are some my favorite pics from my trip up there:

It may surprise you to know that the White Pass & Yukon Alco hood units were ordered by a former Santa Fe Mechanical Department supervisor who went to the White Pass to be their Chief Mechanical Officer.  He returned to Santa Fe later.

I believe they have the same engine as the GE units of 1954 -- 6-cylinder inline 251 series.  Yes, their GE's, are and always were, built by GE, powered by Alco.

clem k posted:

Ron H. is correct,  as far as I'm concerned. It is a tourist trap. If you where there living and working 44 yrs ago you would know what I mean.  Really liked it back then.  

I know what you mean. I've lived a number of places that are very different today from what they were when I lived there, and have missed things being the way they used to be. I suppose you can visit from late fall through spring, and probably get some of the 44-year-old feel. I've read that the population goes way down, and things slow to a crawl. You're probably out of luck on the dirt roads, though. 

But I've been to many "tourist traps," and while there are a lot of visitors who come through Skagway, everything is very well organized, and to me it didn't feel anything like a tourist trap. There are the gift shops, sure, but not really that many, and it never felt like these things were in your face.  There's so much else to see and do, and natural beauty, things like the shops just disappeared and didn't interfere with the experience. I'd think there are certain improvements, too. 

In any case, I wouldn't discourage anyone from seeing Skagway, or anywhere else in Alaska. The sooner the better, because everything is warming up, snow is disappearing, and 99% of Alaska's glaciers are receding, many of them dramatically.

We rode behind these GE Class 90 Shovelnoses. The railroad has 11 of them. Like Tom said, they're GEs with 6 cyl. ALCo diesels. I thought these unusual engines were pretty cool. The other engine types used by the railroad may have the same power, I'm not sure.

The guy who built the railroad: