Show t roalin around with the NE A s series of articles by ont 1 in a 1 albert W epperson who re returned from a trip aly bently national editorial As A with the to alaska this travelogue guO of alaska would complete without a brief t lot be inscription of the al alaska aska railroad ralli oad mt mckinley frown as the lute aute oute over which we lode iode on OIL air r visit to on ta he streamliner aurora the alaska railroad is a oile due line operated opera tej by uncle sam cud extending from the port city k seward on the fjords of R ur action bay to fairbanks the area hen referred to as the golden beart wt of the territory 1 the railroad Is now winding up i va vast t rehabilitation program that ta as BE planned and guided by col 1 I 1 P johnson Job nion its general manager ahen tile the four year program Is uncle sam will have put into the stra I 1 oc line itce at anchorage we met col john industrious rall rail 10 an a a hulking ader who started his career with ue a santa fe on oct 10 1917 lie he arved e in various supervisory capacities pa cities over most of that system inell entering military service jr to pearl harbor johnson pile ip p an enviable war record in sev ral iral theatres theartres the atres he supervised the line wae through iran that funneled Nen len dlease materials to the rus fians and later served in india china the south and w was as j an a charge of all transportation in the in 1913 1945 col johnson was given i special mission by the interior department to inspect the alaska railroad with a view of ascertaining 1 ng what improvements were needful this he be did and recommended complete rehabilitation program ader r iter the war he rot pot the job of C ying it out from the first bell the battle af 0 o putting the pr program in order w lq tough slugging besides paper cork orl and red tape the program Jil meant leant virtually rebuilding a complete bete railroad and encountering el cements le ments known only to alaska for example the mainline bunc dureg irea a halt half dozen mountain rang 11 f 8 which mean hnud lock land snow enow melting snows each yar tear bring floods and the ground lis it muskeg and tu tundra ildra ridden with I 1 i frost heaves that can make a track look as rippled as corrugated tin eliere titre Is a place called honolulu on ithe ae railroad where the snow gets il feet deep and at whittler whittier a fiet served by a branch line at 54 fatt mt of 0 snow enow fell in the winter ot of i from anchorage which Is headquarters tor for rail railroad road operations to fairbanks 35 miles to the north temperatures hover from zero to 70 below six sir months of the year just north ot of mt lit mckinley park station the line la Is built on a vast thawing mountain that Is constantly moving toward the nenana benana riv or r here the line must be rebuilt each year from rom mckinley station to HWY hely a division point 11 miles sway way railroaders have never been wn able to stop moving moun in at one small email station moody 1 it is estimated that tuble yards ot of rock are in motion st t all umes times on oil our return trip jack willing ling ill of 0 georgia and I 1 were eriv ged to ride in the cab ot of our cleel engine over the portion ot of abo route from rom healy to mt aft mc cilly park station atlon gt at points ang aag this moving mountain area V traveled as aa slowly oa as five miles P kr r hour arid and never exceeding 15 in I 1 HM I 1 per hour at one point our train trail was halted while a train atin inlall removed a huge boulder from the rall brought down by a stavy my rain this day it took us oler in hour to make the 11 mile WP trip from roin healy to mt lit mckinley ark station elation the ie loop la is one or of the most unique railroad engineering feats eats we 4 bad ever seen ot of wood con the he famous loop is a trestle tie that at one point makes a lete circle pausing passing over the tracks 1160 built on a trestle below our engine speed at this point was no more than five miles per hour due to the loop our crack train was powered by two small steam engines from seward to anchorage the diesels being too heavy for the ancient trestles we wert were told club car on oil the aurora la Is the yukon realm of doe doc allen alien of concessions conces diona for the alaska railroad the yukon la Is olit outfitted fitted along lines of ralli oad club cars cals here in the states with aitho alie exception of a line of metal containers resembling waste baskets down the entire center aisle of the coach dull bong sounds soon eoon told us what they were for tor for empty beer cans calls tossed by the passengers doe doc allen alien a genial and most accommodating fellow told old us ug a ar bout the fishing special of the alaska railroad buting summer months it leaves anchorage each saturday morning and drops fishermen oft off at their favorite streams along the railroad and sunday on the return trip from fairbanks it picks them up doe doc also aoud lis is about the famous ice breakup break up at nenana benana this lottery Is second only to the irish sweepstakes in money dispensed to those who guess the time of the ice breakup break up on the tanana river at nenana benana each spring doe doc was richer this last spring as lie was aas one of four to guess the exact time of this years breakup break up the lottery is limited to residents of alaska though it is asserted that many St aters place bets with alaska residents our trip from seward on june 12 was one of beauty and at 3 0 3 pm we arrived at anchorage to be continued |