Alaska Railroad
The Alaska Railroad ( ARR ) is an American railway company. The route network is today, apart from some sidings, exclusively of a main line that runs from Seward in the south of Alaska Fairbanks in the center of the state. It is isolated from the rest of the North American rail network and has a length of 750 kilometers. The Alaska Railroad is adjacent to Amtrak the only U.S. state railway.
- 4.1 References
- 4.2 Literature
- 4.3 External links
History
Construction of the main line
1902, the private Alaska Central Railway (ACR ) was founded with the goal of connecting the gold fields near Fairbanks and the Matanuska coal fields at the harbor in Seward. On April 16, 1904 in Seward began the construction of the north 's leading standard-gauge track. After the completion of 82 kilometers distance to the Spencer Loop, a loop that was built to overcome a slope, the ACR was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1909.
A newly formed on October 28, 1909 Society, the Alaska Northern Railway Company ( ANR), the ACR has bought in the same year and continued the Streckenbau to 1910 by 34 kilometers to the core Creek continues. She took over from the Alaska Central Railway three of the four locomotives and rolling stock the rest. 3 locomotive was sold in 1907 to the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. In 1914 the ANR also had to go bankrupt. The passenger was initially set.
At this time the U.S. government was planning to build a seamless connection from the Pacific coast to Fairbanks in Germany. The government bought the 1915 Alaska Northern further ado, converted it into the Alaska Engineering Commission Railroad ( AECRR ) and put the railway construction at a rapid pace. As the seat of the new railway administration Ship Creek was later Anchorage, determined. Since the distance between Seward and core has been revised, now passenger trains could again run through this section. Even in 1915 we took the route to Johnson again. 1916 were built nearly 100 kilometers of track, the tracks led up to the Knik Arm north of Anchorage. Beginning of 1917 extended the AECRR from the passenger to Grandview and in June of the year again to the core Creek. On October 24, 1917 Chickaloon and thus the coal fields in Matanuska was reached. The route to Chickaloon branches in Matanuska from the main line and is today only to Palmer.
On December 31, 1917 AECRR purchased the Tanana Valley Railroad ( TVR ), which operated a schmalspuriges railway network to Fairbanks, and built a new narrow-gauge branch line of Happy according to Nenana. This was opened on 7 November 1919. At the latest at this time, but probably in 1918, the traffic ended on the narrow gauge branch line to Chena. On 15 June 1922 she spurts the newly built road to Nenana to the normal track. The section between Happy and Fairbanks was expanded dreischienig.
On 4 March 1919, the main line went from Matanuska to Talkeetna in operation. End of 1920, the route to Nenana was largely completed. Only the Hurricane Gulch Bridge (opened on 18 August 1921), the bridge over the Riley Creek ( opened in February 1922) and were absent on the Tanana River. On 27 February 1923, the 276 -meter-long steel Mears Bridge was completed on the Tanana River at Nenana. In addition, we built a branch line from Healy after Suntrana to be able to serve a nearby coal mine. This route is now closed.
On 15 July 1923, the entire main line Seward - Fairbanks was officially opened in the presence of U.S. President Warren G. Harding, after the first trains rolled in the first week of June on the route. At the same time the railway company was given the official name of the Alaska Railroad. The remainder of the original range of TVR after Chatanika was initially continue to operate narrow gauge, but shut down on 1 August 1930 and 1931 broken down.
Development from 1943
In June 1943 we opened the 19 km long tunnel rich branch line from Portage to Whittier after two years, a further connection to the coast, which was needed if the port in Seward target of air strikes should be by the Japanese. The 4.3 km long tunnel Whittier, becoming the longest tunnel in the ARR. In Whittier was built the same time a large ferry port from where ships start toward Seattle.
On 15 June 1944, the first two diesels driving on the ARR. Nevertheless, until 1966 drawn by steam engines drove trains on the rail lines. In 1951 a stretch lining between the breakpoints tunnel and Spencer south of Anchorage. The Spencer loop was replaced by a straight route. Nevertheless, led the competition from the road in 1953 to adjust the movement of persons to Seward, which was only resumed in 2000. In November 1956, the Alaska Railroad was completely converted to diesel locomotives.
The earthquake of 1964 hit the track hard, some distance south of Anchorage parts were broken and had to be completely rebuilt. After one week, the first trains ran again from Anchorage to Fairbanks. After three weeks, the first train reached Whittier and only after several months of trains could go back to Seward. In May 1968, most of the branch line was closed in the Matanuska coal fields. In the spring of 1972, the railway company built a 16.4 km long extension route from Fairbanks to the city's international airport.
On January 5, 1985, the State of Alaska bought from the path of the federal government. On September 28, 2011, the foundation stone for the bridge was laid over the Tanara to extend the railway line up to Delta Junction. Thus, the Government intends to revive the agricultural and construction industries in the region.
Passenger
The Roadmap of February 1913, provided for a pair of trains Seward core Creek, which operated only on weekdays. The train started at 8 clock from early in Seward. At 12:30 clock he went back to Seward. The trip took three and a half hours.
According to the timetable of December 1933, there were at that time a weekly train service from Seward to Fairbanks and back. The train stayed in both directions in curry which travelers could sleep in a railway-owned hotel there. The weekly round of the train began Friday at 8:30 clock in Fairbanks. 17:15 clock was reached curry. Saturdays at 7:30 clock drove the early train from curry to Seward, where he arrived at 18:00 clock. The return trip began on Sunday morning at 7:30 clock with arrival in Curry at 18:00 clock. Mondays at 7:30 clock put the train continued its journey to Fairbanks, which was finally reached at 16:15 clock. In Anchorage, the train had an hour stay in Healy such a half of an hour in both directions. Both stays were used for lunch. The branch line to Chickaloon appears to have been partially shut down, the schedule lists the route only until Eska.
The timetable from September 1964 saw a daytime train, was returning Saturday from Anchorage to Fairbanks and Sundays, as well as a night train which left Tuesday evenings and Thursdays in Anchorage arrived there early again, before. Furthermore, Mondays to Fridays drove a mixed pair of trains Anchorage Whittier. The branching in Matanuska freight line led to this time only to Jonesville, the Suntrana Branch was still in operation.
2007 runs during the summer half of the year a total of four trains:
- The Coastal Classic runs daily in summer between Anchorage and Seward. In Seward, the train has seven hour layover, so the opportunity for day trips there.
- The Denali Star operates daily as Tagesexpresszug between Anchorage and Fairbanks. The journey time is approximately 580 km for about 12 hours ( almost 50 km / h).
- The Glacier Discovery runs daily between Anchorage and Grandview over Whittier.
- The Hurricane Turn only runs Thursdays through Sundays between Talkeetna and Hurricane. He keeps doing at all stations and is one of the last trains with demand holding in the USA. It serves mainly the residents along the route as a feeder to markets and as a delivery service for food and consumer goods.
The winter schedule sees only two trains before:
- The Hurricane Turn operates on each first Thursday of the month between Anchorage and Hurricane stopping at all stations when needed.
- The Aurora Winter runs Saturdays from Anchorage to Fairbanks and Sundays from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Here are possible request stop at all stations.
In addition, additional excursion trains run on certain days in the summer.
Ecological aspects
In winter, the operation is often disturbed by moose who like to use the cleared snow from the path as the path. In winter, currently about 150 moose are rolled over by trains that can not brake in time, earlier there were considerably more.