Neil Shelton bought this 1964 Ford Hy Rail and is trying to get information on it. James Blasingame recalls, "This Fairmont Hy-Rail was used by Alaska Railroad management post 1964 Earthquake to make frequent trip up and down the railroad for inspection purposes. "As you may recall, the ARR was down for a period of two weeks after the earthquake. The damage in the Portage area had severed the link between Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula for that period and the extensive damage in the Seward facilities was unknown for several days because communications between the two areas were destroyed. This vehicle was in service through that period and the early 70’s (I think).... It was then replaced by a black Chrysler station wagon similar in design to this vehicle.... "The Chrysler was the first one that was introduced to me when I arrived at the ARR July 1968. I remember very vividly my first trip later that summer when as a “software engineer” that had been hired to automate the Trainmen Timekeeping system and I was taken by Jack Church who was the General Roadmaster and that heavy station wagon derailed in the Healy Canyon gorge area and it was dark and all of us piled out of the car and physically lifted the rear portion of that heavy vehicle back onto the rail. Since I had not been through that section of the track before and the fact it was pitch black I was unaware of the rail conditions or the steep terrain until the next day when we drove back through the area during the daylight and it was pointed out to me where we had derailed the night before and I witnessed just how close we were to the edge of the cliff we were where there’s about a five hundred foot drop to the river below.... It was a wake up call to me to see that terrain during day time. "That Chrysler remained on the property for another 14 years until after Transfer of Ownership to the State of Alaska." Retired Master Mechanic Jerry Peters recalls it being used for Maintenance of Way activities.
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