Since my destination was
located within easy walking distance I checked out of my hotel and in the early
morning hours made my way on foot down to the iconic Alaska Railroad depot. I
sorta hated to leave, I was enjoying the Historic Anchorage Hotel’s quirky
architectural details and turn of the century décor, but I would be back there
again in two days.
The Alaska Railroad’sAurora Train travels in the winter months between Anchorage and Fairbanks
leavening every Saturday and then returning the following day, a journey of 356
miles one way that would that take approximately 12 hours. During its course
the train passed over a vast expanse of northern boreal forest, up and around
several mountain ranges and connected a number of small isolated Alaskan
communities. When I got my boarding pass at the ticket window I was given a
small map of the route ahead.
Power for our journey
was supplied by two SD70MAC diesel locomotives, number 4324 and 4320
respectively, both were manufactured by GM Electro-Motive Division and were
pulling a kitchen car, a dining car, a snack and lounge car, two passenger
seating cars and a luggage/freight car.
The Aurora travels the same stretch of tracks as the railroad’s better
known and slightly more luxurious Denali Star, but on this outing the views of
the passing scenery were none the less first class. Nature’s palette in Alaska
is always changing from the luxuriant greens of summer to the fiery colors of
fall and then inevitably by the snowy whites of winter. And in the darkening
winter skies landscapes can become hauntingly illuminated by the swirling
colors of the Aurora Borealis that gives this locomotive its name.
Curious as to the
history of the railroad and its economic impact on Alaska I gathered some
information while waiting at the station. A small booklet from the gift store
provided a brief outline of the company’s evolution over the years. In 1903 the
first 50 miles of tracks were laid north from the territorial settlement of
Seward, then in 1914 the US Congress provided funding for construction of the
line all the way to Fairbanks. Carving this route through the wilderness lasted
until 1923, but although the tracks had been laid the company’s continued
development was limited by Alaska’s small population. World War II brought
substantial profits from hauling military and civilian supplies and materials
and two tunnels were built through the Chugach Mountains to allow rail access
to the strategic port of Whittier. After the war passenger service was expanded
and the company shifted to diesel locomotives. The company survived the Good
Friday earthquake of 1964 despite extensive damage and in the 70s was instrumental
in hauling supplies for the oil pipeline project but financially the railroad
continued to struggle. So in 1983 the railroad partnered with the State of
Alaska and under this public/private charter overall service and infrastructure
was greatly improved. By the late 90s the corporation was back in the black and
business was expanding. Today, according to some well-placed sources I talked
to, the corporation is doing well and passenger service is now second only to
hauling gravel as the company’s primary revenue source.
Built in 1942 the
Anchorage train station typifies mid twentieth century architecture as
fireproof concreate and steel replaced wooden structures in the last frontier.
Though not particularly ornate, this building, due to its historic importance
to Alaskan transportation, is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
Our train crept slowly
across the Hurricane Gulch Bridge in the early morning light. Our conductor
informed us that this was both the longest and tallest bridge on the entire
railroad, a breathtaking 254 feet above Hurricane Creek. Passengers
craned their necks to peer into the chasm below.
The rail line north to
Fairbanks closely follows four major Alaskan rivers, the Matanuska and the
Susitna Rivers that flow south into Cook Inlet and the Pacific Ocean, and to
the north the Nenana and Tanana Rivers that complete their journey in the
Bering Sea. These wide braided rivers carry rocks, sand and silt ground down by
the glaciers of the Alaska Range and create the soils and hydrology necessary
for these extensive deciduous forests. Though not at their peak the late fall
colors along this stretch of the Susitna were still quite vibrant.
The train passed through
several types of ecological zones during the course of our journey. Changes in
elevation and eventually latitude were noted by changing plant and animal
groups. Slightly less obvious were plant cover variations that had been caused
by fire (pyro-diversity) and it was interesting to try and guess the last time
any given area we were passing through had burned. As we passed Summit Lake
where high elevation and winter storms determined the ecology we were informed
that Broad Pass between the Talkeetna Mountains and the Alaska Range was also
the top of the watershed. From here on all waters we would travel along would
be flowing north to join the Yukon River.
The Aurora Train has few
scheduled stops along the way but passengers can disembark at prearranged
“whistle stops” or can be boarded by “flagging” the train along various parts
of the route. This is the only railroad in the US that still offers this kind
of flag stop service to rural residence. And while there were a few rugged
individuals loaded with hunting and wilderness supplies that got on and off
along the way the vast majority of the passengers on this train were heading
north with a very different agenda.
With the train packed to
capacity most of my fellow passengers were visiting from Asia, where it is a
popular belief that a child conceived under the northern lights would have
special powers and good fortune. When we finally arrived at the Fairbanks
Station, with no other luggage other than my backpack, I sprinted for a cab. At
the hotel the front desk staff asks us if we would like an “aurora wakeup
call”, I opted out, but wished the young folks the best in their endeavors. I
however needed my sleep, tomorrow, early, I had a train to catch.
“Travel changes you. As
you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave
marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on
you.” ― Anthony Bourdain