Copper River and Northwestern Railway

The Copper River and Northwestern Railway ( CR & NW) is a former railroad in Alaska ( United States). It existed as an independent company of 1905 until 1939.

History

Prehistory

After 1885 had been discovered around the place McCarthy in the Wrangell Mountains rich deposits of copper and 1900, finally, the Bonanza Mine began operations, the Alaska syndicate planned under the leadership of J. Pierpont Morgan's Guggenheim and a railway to the coast to build. In addition, they wanted to extend the route further north to the Yukon River. As target three possible ports came into question, Valdez, Cordova and Katalla. First, the syndicate founded in 1905 under the name of Valdez - Yukon Railroad, a railway company and started in August 1906 railway construction of Valdez. In Cordova, the Copper River Railroad was incorporated on 16 May 1905, which also started from there with the construction of a railroad. 1907 decided by the syndicate, but to build their distance from Cordova, because they had from there easier access to the coal fields in Katalla, the port of Cordova, in contrast to the was significantly better protected in Katalla but before storms. The Valdez - Yukon Railroad was sold to a businessman in Valdez and the syndicate acquired the Copper River Railroad, which was called from that time as the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. At the same time construction began in Katalla for a mine train, the Katalla Coal Company Railroad, which was later connected to the route of the CR & NW, why it never came.

Construction of the railway

Once in November 1907 storm had some plants that had already been built in Katalla destroyed, the syndicate decided to suspend the construction in Katalla over the winter. In 1908 the construction of the mine train was not resumed and the existing line shut down.

But also the whole winter was built through on the main line of Cordova from. In the summer of 1908, 75 km of standard gauge track were completed. A short distance north of the end had to be crossed the Copper River. The problem was that a kilometer away from the crossing point of the Miles Glacier ended. The bridge had to be built so strong enough, any icebergs that broke off from the glacier withstand. It was decided to build a massive steel bridge. First, the tracks were out to the river and to the north continue to build the bridge in March 1909, the ice of the river to the other side to have building material available at both bridgeheads and the actual track. In the summer of 1909, building materials were transported by boat across the river. The railway company had this five steamships. The bridge's construction cost 1.5 million U.S. dollars, which is why the bridge is also called "Million Dollar Bridge". It was completed on 19 June 1910.

Since the entire 315 km long distance should be ready built to the spring of 1911, the remainder of the track had to be built quickly. Other notable bridges were built there. The 160 meter long bridge Kuskulana led to 72 meters above the gorge of the River Kuskulana and was also made of steel. The Gilahina Bridge was 268 meters long, the longest wooden bridge in the distance. End of September 1910 reached the first trains Chitina. From here the branch line should depart to the copper mines. Now were built initially the branch line to retract through the copper transport money for the further construction the Yukon River. Shortly after the Copper River Chitina again had to be crossed, which was considerably less problematic there, however, because the river at this point was not so wide and there was no danger of calving glaciers.

On March 29, 1911 was finally the last nail that had been specially made ​​from copper taken. The first scheduled train from the mines reached Cordova on April 8. Due to the lengthy haul building the railway was nicknamed Can not Run and Never Will (German: can not drive and never will ), derived from the abbreviation of the company name.

The other plan was a branch line to Katalla and an extension of the line in the valley of the Copper River and on to Fairbanks. Both routes were never built. In Katalla you satisfied 1909 with the establishment of a new mine train, the Alaska Anthracite Coal and Railway, which, however, was opened in 1917 and closed down in 1921 for economic reasons.

Further development

After the world economic crisis, which even had to fight Guggenheim, the stock went to Copper slowly running out. The mine was finally closed in 1935 and uneconomical. The track could hold three more years, until finally on November 11, 1938, the last train. In January 1939, the Copper River and Northwestern Railroad was dissolved and the railway facilities shut down.

From Chitina by McCarthy, about 97 kilometers the tracks remained in operation until 1947. It offers a light tramway similar cars were used by local operators. The last track on the track were removed only in 1964. On this piece of the web between the Tiekel Kennicott River and they built the McCarthy Road. About 21 kilometers of the route from Cordova were used during the Second World War to carry with one remaining in Cordova locomotive building materials to the airfield. 1945, this route was dismantled and instead started the construction of a road, the Copper River Highway, on the route of the railroad, which was completed in 1958 to one million U.S. dollars Bridge. A severe earthquake in 1964 damaged the bridge, however, so that the continued construction of the road was omitted. It was not until the mid-2000s, the bridge was repaired and is since 2005 again passable, the road has not previously been further built.

Since 1973, since 2002 is on the railway line under monument protection, also the hotel by train in Cordova.

Rolling stock

On June 30, 1910, the railroad company had 15 locomotives, six cars of the first class, four cars of the second class, and 140 freight cars.

Passenger

The Roadmap from June 1913 provided for only one passenger pair on the track, the wrong on working days. The train started at four clock early in Kennicott, during the turn drove off at eight clock in Cordova. The trains crossed at Bremner around noon, where both trains had a longer stay. The train took 12 hours for the entire route.

According to the schedule of June, 1933, the train ran daily by eight each clock early on both ends haul off and also took 12 hours. The Train meeting was held in Tiekel, so instead of about the middle of the track.

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