Alaska Railroad
Reporting marks	ARR
Locale	Alaska
Dates of operation	1914–present
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Anchorage

The Alaska Railroad (AAR reporting marks ARR) is a Class II railroad that extends from Seward, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States, to Fairbanks, in the interior of that state. A reporting mark is an identification assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR to rail carriers and other companies operating in North America. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to The standard gauge (also named the Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, or Normal gauge) is a widely-used Rail gauge. A reporting mark is an identification assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR to rail carriers and other companies operating in North America. A Class II railroad in the United States is a mid-sized freight-hauling railroad in terms of its operating revenue Seward is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the US state of Alaska. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Fairbanks (ˈfɛrbæŋks is a Home Rule City in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It carries both freight and passengers between those two cities and to many destinations between them, including Denali National Park. Denali National Park and Preserve is located in Interior Alaska and contains Mount McKinley (Denali the tallest mountain in North America. The railroad has a mainline over 470 miles (750 km) long and is well over 500 miles including branch lines and sidings. It is currently owned by the State of Alaska. The railroad is connected to the lower 48 via three rail barges that sail between the Port of Whittier and Harbor Island in Seattle but does not currently have a fixed land connection with any other railroad lines on the North American network. In 2006, the company earned a profit of $10. 4 million on revenues of $148. 9 million, $132. 7 million of which was operating revenue. ^[1][2][3]

History

In 1903 a company called the Alaska Central Railroad began to build a rail line beginning at Seward, near the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, northward. Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Seward is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the US state of Alaska. Kenai1jpg|thumb|Kenai Peninsula Outer Coast]]The Kenai Peninsula is a large Peninsula jutting from the southern coast of Alaska in the United States. The company built 51 miles (82 km) of track by 1909 and went into receivership. Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting This route carried passengers, freight and mail to the upper Turnagain Arm. Cook Inlet stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. From there, goods were taken by boat at high tide, and by dog team or pack train to Eklutna and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Eklutna (ɛˈkluˈtnə is a native village within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U Matanuska-Susitna Valley (known locally as the the Mat-Su or The Valley) is an area in Southcentral Alaska south of the Alaska Range In 1909, another company, the Alaska Northern Railroad Company, bought the rail line and extended it another 21 miles (34 km) northward. From the new end, goods were floated down the Turnagain Arm in small boats. The Alaska Northern Railroad went into receivership in 1914. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

About this time, the United States Government was planning a railroad route from Seward to the interior town of Fairbanks. In 1914, the government bought the Alaska Northern Railroad and moved its headquarters to "Ship Creek," later called Anchorage. The government began to extend the rail line northward.

An Alaska Railroad engine crossing the Tanana River on the ice at Nenana just prior to completion of the railroad in 1923. The Tanana River (ˈtænənɑː is a tributary of the Yukon River in the U Nenana may refer to Nenana River Nenana Alaska Nenana Municipal Airport Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

In 1917, the Tanana Valley Railroad in Fairbanks was heading into bankruptcy. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Tanana Valley Railroad was a Narrow-gauge railroad that operated in the Tanana Valley of Alaska from 1905 to about 1917 It owned a small 45-mile (72 km) narrow-gauge line that serviced the towns of Fairbanks and the mining communities in the area as well as the boat docks on the Tanana River near Fairbanks. The Tanana River (ˈtænənɑː is a tributary of the Yukon River in the U The government bought the Tanana Valley Railroad, principally for its terminal facilities. The government extended the south portion of the track to Nenana and later converted the extension to standard gauge.

In 1923 they built the 700-foot (276 m) Mears Memorial Bridge across the Tanana River at Nenana. Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This was the final link in the Alaska Railroad and at the time, was the second longest single-span steel railroad bridge in the country. U. S. President Warren G. Harding drove the golden spike that completed the railroad on July 15, 1923 on the north side of the bridge. Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2 1865 August 2 1923 was the twenty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death from a heart attack aged Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The railroad was greatly impacted by the Good Friday Earthquake which struck southern Alaska in 1964. The yard and trackage around Seward buckled and the trackage along Turnagain Arm was damaged by floodwaters and landslides. It took several months to restore full service along the line.

In 1985, the State of Alaska bought the railroad from the U. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) S. government for $22. 3 million dollars. The state immediately invested over $70 million dollars on improvements and repairs that made up for years of deferred maintenance.

Proposed Expansion

Currently, there is a proposal to extend the railroad from Fairbanks to Delta Junction to handle the agricultural and construction activity in that region. Delta Junction is a city in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. Also, the United States government during the Clinton administration formed an international commission to investigate the building of a rail link through the Yukon to connect British Columbia and Alaska railroads; Canada was asked to be part of the commission, but the Chrétien (1993-2004) and Martin (2004-2006) governments did not choose to join the commission and commit funds for the study; the Harper government has not yet acted; the Yukon government is interested. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien, (generally known as Jean Chrétien) (born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian politician who was the twentieth Prime Paul Edgar Philippe Martin. PC, MP (also known as Paul Martin Jr WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Honorific prefixes --> Stephen Joseph Harper PC A June 2006 report by the commission has recommended Carmacks, Yukon as a hub with lines to Fairbanks (or Alaska Railroad's northern end-of-track), Terrace, British Columbia and either Haines or Skagway, Alaska (the latter by way of the vicinity of Whitehorse, Yukon, which are both served by the narrow-gauge White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad). Carmacks is a Village in the Yukon on the Yukon River along the Klondike Highway, and at the west end of the Robert Campbell Highway Terrace is a service community on the Skeena River in British Columbia, Canada. Haines is a Census-designated place (CDP in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. Skagway (ˈskægweɪ is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. Whitehorse (ˈʍaɪthɔrs ( 2006 population 20461 CA population 22898 (formerly White Horse until 1957 - 03-21) is the A narrow gauge railway (or narrow gauge railroad) is a Railway that has a Track gauge narrower than the of Standard gauge railways The White Pass and Yukon Route ( WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U There are plans to provide commuter rail service (Anchorage to Mat-Su Valley via Eagle River, north Anchorage to south Anchorage) but requires additional tracks be laid due to a heavy freight schedule.

Executives

Patrick Gamble, the current President of Alaska Railroad

Presidents of the Alaska Railroad have included:

• Frank Turpin, 1984-1993. ^[4]
• Robert Hatfield, Jr, 1994-1996.
• Bill Sheffield, 1997-2001. William Jennings Sheffield (born June 26, 1928 in Spokane Washington) is an American Democratic Politician who was ^[5]
• Patrick K. Gamble, 2001-present. General Patrick K Gamble was commander of Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii ^[6][7]

Routes and Tourism

The railroad is a major tourist attraction in the summer. The Alaska railroad coach cars feature single-level seating throughout the train, with dome cars which are available for any passenger to enjoy. The wide windows on the cars and domes provide a great view to enjoy the Alaskan scenery. The Alaska Railroad began featuring GoldStar Service in 2005 which provides plush, luxury seating and dining for passengers willing to pay a moderate price. Private cars owned by the major cruise companies are towed behind the Alaska Railroad's own cars, and trips are included with various cruise packages.

• The Denali Star runs from Anchorage to Fairbanks (12 hours one-way) and back with stops in Talkeetna and Denali National Park, from which various flight and bus tours are available. Although the trip is only about 356 miles, it takes 12 hours to travel from Anchorage to Fairbanks as the tracks wind through mountains and valleys; the train's top speed is 59 miles per hour but sometimes hovers closer to 30 miles per hour.
• The Coastal Classic winds its way south from Anchorage along Turnagain Arm before turning south to the Kenai Peninsula, eventually reaching Seward. This 114 mile journey takes around four and a half hours due to some slow trackage as the line winds its way over the mountains through switchbacks.
• The Glacier Discovery provides a short (2 hour) journey south from Anchorage to Whittier for a brief stop before reversing direction for a stop at Grandview before returning to Anchorage in the evening. Whittier is a city in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U
• The Hurricane Turn provides rail service to people living between Talkeetna and the Hurricane area. Talkeetna is a Census-designated place (CDP in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. This area has no roads, and the railroad provides the lifeline for residents who depend on the service to obtain food and supplies. One of the last flag-stop railway routes in the United States, passengers can board the Hurricane Turn anywhere along the route by waving a large white flag or cloth.
• The AuRoRa is available in winter months (September 15 - May 15) on a reduced weekend schedule (Northbound, Saturday mornings; Southbound, Sunday mornings) between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
• A new spur providing service to the Stevens International Airport, Anchorage, is used during the summer season for cruise ship service only. It was recently activated, temporarily, during the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) convention to provide airport-to-hotel mass transit for delegates.

References

External links

A train pulls into the Denali Station in July, 1998. "Denali" redirects here For other meanings see Denali (disambiguation. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar)

• Alaska Railroad official website
• A current route map for the ARR
• John's Alaska Railroad Web Page unofficial website