Conductor Ryan More Alaskan Smiles It's Ski Train day and it is gorgeous. This is traditionally the Alaska Railroad's biggest train of the year as they put together 12 or 14 cars for a rolling party 150 miles north of Anchorage into the roadless wilderness to take revelers from the Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage to go cross country skiing in the ghost town of Curry. This is Ryan Rodriguez smiling from the cab, and if memory recalls he couldn't have had more than a year or two on the railroad at the time. Eight years after this photo I believe he still works there and now sits in the right hand seat of these big SD70MACs. I sure hope he's still smiling like this. Ryan is another one of those guys that I have nothing but good memories of. My only recollections are once like this....a good attitude and someone who just came to work to get the job done without complaints and without concerns. But then again that was nearly everyone up there. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Though, sadly I admit that I never took enough of these types of photographs, but those few that I do have deserve to be edited and shared in an album of their own. So, look for more soon in what will be a little series of Alaskan Railroaders. I had the absolute pleasure to work with the finest and most dedicated group of railroaders in all the land for six wonderful years from 2007 to 2013. It was the greatest honor of my life to lead these men and women as we worked as a team to grow service and become more efficient all while doing it safely in some of the harshest conditions to be found anywhere. And as the smiles in these photos will attest, we strove to have FUN while doing it. As in all jobs, there were bad days and frustrating times and personal conflicts that arise in any organization. But more than anywhere I have ever worked in more than two decades now, there was truly an esprit de corps on the Alaska Railroad and the pride these fine folks felt about their chose career was palpable day in and day out. I hope these images help show you a tiny glimpse into that wonderful world that was once my family and my home. So raise a glass to the finest railroaders I’ve ever known! Curry, Alaska
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