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in June at
John's Alaska Railroad web page
Picture of the Week: Big MAC attack - 6/2/25Admin: Vacation time! Last weekend was four days in West Virginia. This weekend was a three day geocaching trip in southeastern Ohio. Tomorrow we leave for Indiana Dunes for four days. I am just making excuses for why the website isn't receiving many updates. - 6/1/25No.
557 Info: The May Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 5/30/25Freight/Passenger: New flat car #12401 arriving in Whitter. - 5/27/25Rosters: Videos of the UP leased locomotives on the barge in Whittier and then beginning to offload. - 5/27/25Picture of the Week: Dylan Robert catches the Usibelli coal turn near Fairbanks. Sorry the POTW was late. After getting back from a four day trip, I made an unexpected extended stay in the emergency room. - 5/26/25News: Whittier welcomes 3 cruise ships at once for 1st time - 5/22/25Rosters: Robert Krol caught the leased UP locomotives as they came off the barge. It is going to be a busy summer! - 5/22/25Rosters: Frank Keller follows the company work train through Anchorage south. - 5/21/25Rosters: William A. Gibson, Jr. snagged this shot of Rotary #2 in the Anchorage shops. - 5/20/25Rosters: We need some more photos of GP 40 #3015. Check out Robert Krol's photos of the Portage shuttle running to Spencer. - 5/20/25Rosters: A wonderfully expansion Frank Keller photo at Bird Point. Note the ex-KCS SD70MAC in the lineup. - 5/20/25News: Sen. Wielechowski kills resolution supporting completion of Port MacKenzie Rail Extension - 5/20/25News: Railroad leasing three UP locomotives - 5/20/25Picture of the Week: It's A Wrap! - 5/19/25In
remembrance: I was greatly saddened to learn of the passing of Brian LeRoy. He was a generous guy who took some incredible photos! My favorite was his rock scramble to Bison Gulch. - 5/18/25Rosters: Dylan Robert captures a train exiting Eielson AFB on the ARRC'S Eielson Branch. - 5/17/25Rosters: Bill Hess is back in the saddle again, capturing the Denali Star, in Sancho Flies Again! - 5/17/25Modeling: Rick worked on power segmentation of the new Anchorage yard stub tracks as well as cleaning the rails on the layout. John spent some time touching up the scenery as well. Things continue to grow and evolve on my HO Alaska Railroad layout. - 5/16/25News: Thanks to Casey Durand for bird dogging an article of the Aurora Bed and Breakfast in its new home, "Sleep Aboard the Aurora Express Train Hotel in Fairbanks." - 5/14/25Picture of the Week: Denali above Talkeetna - 5/12/25Rosters: Patrick Durand and I scanned photos at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art on August 15, 2005. I posted them on the website in 800x600 resolution. Today I began reposting them in 2048x1600 resolution. Over 90 images will be reposted by tomorrow. Which ones? Well, you are just going to have to find them for yourself. It's kinda like hunting for a geocache. Here's one. Here's another. - 5/11/25
Video: I have always wanted to videotape the key locations along the Alaska Railroad. I never did do it, and now my legs are too weak to fulfill that dream. Fortunately, for me, Englishman Geoff Brown cranked out these great videos during his 2024 trip. Be careful downloading them, as they have very large file sizes and the total collection is a whopping 5.5GB. With that said, they are 1920x1080 resolution! - 5/11/25Rosters: Brice Douglas catches an incredible view of The Coastal Classic at Potter. - 5/11/25Rosters: Patrick Albert caught the AS&G gravel train near Palmer this morning, Frank Keller catches the AS&G after it has has crossed over to the Coastal Siding and Dave Blazejewski adds his Hot Rocks AS&G shot. - 5/9/25Video: Here is an interesting video of a Hamilton Metalplane taking off from railroad tracks. - 5/9/25Modeling: Thanks to Rick the new Anchorage yard stub tracks have electrical runs for both power and communications on my HO Alaska Railroad layout. The first section of flex track was put into place and the run will be completed next week. - 5/9/25Rosters: Maybe some day I will grow up and be a great photographer. Until then, I will sit and enjoy photos by such phenomenal photographers as Steven McKay. Here is a great example of a human interest shot of Brice Douglas. - 5/7/25Historical: Many thanks to Maria Williams for sharing photos of Matanuska Valley and Palmer Depot construction. - 5/7/25Freight/Passenger: I met Englishman Geoff Brown on the 2024 Summer Solstice chartered train ride from Anchorage to Seward. He is quite the photographer so I wanted to share some of the photos he took while visiting Alaska. Here are photos of locomotive crane #112, SD70MAC #4328, BR-31 snow fighting machine, Track Mobile and hoppers at Healy and conductor Vern Gillis. - 5/7/25Rosters: From the David Smith collection, GP7 1838 and GP7 1839 in Fairbanks while GP40 3014 and 3010 are at Denali Park. - 5/6/25Rosters: Stunning photography alert. Check out Frank Keller's eye popping photo taken at 20 Mile Valley. Want more? Take a gander at Droneless or Explore Alaska by Train or North Slope Pipe.- 5/5/25Picture of the Week: Vancer CHX35G4 snow blower at the Anchorage open house - 5/5/25Rosters: William A Gibson, Jr. photos of cabooses #1019 and #1069. - 5/4/25Modeling: InterMountain is taking reservations for Alaska Railroad PS 60' flat cars. - 5/4/25Modeling: Rick installs and connects the Tortoise switch machines for the two new Anchorage yard stubs while John gets out more railroad cars on my HO Alaska Railroad layout. - 5/2/25News: Palmer approves rail removal, ending hope for the train's full return - 5/1/25Rosters: Don Marenzi provides us with yet another passenger car #1. - 4/30/25Rosters: William A Gibson, Jr. photos of spreader SN-1 and power car #10. - 4/30/25News: Alaska’s golden railroad spike back home after 100 years - 4/27/25No.
557 Info: The April Engine 557 Restoration Company Progress Report - 4/27/25