nrhs – I Ride The Harlem Line https://www.iridetheharlemline.com Art, history, railroad, & photography adventures from Harlem & beyond. Sat, 30 Nov 2013 01:31:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 More photos from Alaska; Get yourself on the Holiday Mailing List! https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/11/29/more-photos-from-alaska-get-yourself-on-the-holiday-mailing-list/ https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/11/29/more-photos-from-alaska-get-yourself-on-the-holiday-mailing-list/#comments Sat, 30 Nov 2013 01:31:09 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=9223 Thanks to some server issues this week I was unable to post anything until about now… but I’ll make it quick. Here’s another collection of photos from Alaska (yep, I still have more Alaska photos). Here you’ll find some photos from the Denali Park area, as well as some in and around Fairbanks. The NRHS tour got to ride some trains around Fairbanks that usually aren’t open to regular passengers, which was certainly fun.

 
  
  
   
  
 
  
   
 
   
  
  
 
 

As a secondary note, it is about that time… I Ride the Harlem Line’s holiday tradition is to send out rail-related holiday cards (drawn by me) to anyone that sends me their snail mail address. If you’d like to receive this year’s card, send me your address at emily@theharlemline.com. Even if you got the card last year, send me your address again to confirm that you haven’t moved.

]]> https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/11/29/more-photos-from-alaska-get-yourself-on-the-holiday-mailing-list/feed/ 2 Behind the scenes of the Alaska Railroad… https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/29/behind-the-scenes-of-the-alaska-railroad/ https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/29/behind-the-scenes-of-the-alaska-railroad/#comments Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:01:24 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=9168 Over the past few weeks we’ve gotten a chance to check out the best that the Alaska Railroad has to offer – from its most attractive scenery to some of its rarer routes, we’ve covered a lot of ground. Part of the awesomeness of the NRHS convention was that we got to see some “behind the scenes” stuff that most rail passengers never get to see. The Alaska Railroad was undoubtedly a generous host, opening not just their rail system to us, but their operations center and even their locomotive shops.

I won’t include a whole lot of commentary with this post, and I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. If you ever wanted to get a “behind the scenes” view of the Alaska Railroad, we’ll take a quick tour of their operations center, check out the view from a few of their locomotives, visit the car facilities and of course, the locomotive shops. And yes, I ran all around with my trusty fish-eye lens… because I could!

  
 
 
From this perch one can monitor the activities of the Alaska Railroad…

 
  

Shall we take some equipment out for a spin?

 
Inside DMU #751 – “Chugach Explorer”

 
   

The Alaska Railroad’s finest railcar, the Denali, is luxury on the rails. Built in 1929 and refurbished by the Alaska Railroad, the car features only the fanciest materials – bronze, crystal, mahogany, and marble. The railcar contains a sitting area, a “boardroom”, a kitchen, as well as a bedroom and bathroom (which is probably nicer than the one in your own home).

  

Railcars used by various cruise companies are also stored and maintained here.

 
  
  
Some of the various equipment stored outside…

 
   
  
   
  
 
 
The car facilities and locomotive shops… that’s what you really wanted to see, isn’t it?

]]> https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/29/behind-the-scenes-of-the-alaska-railroad/feed/ 5 Rare mileage on the Alaska Railroad – The Palmer & Airport Branches https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/25/rare-mileage-on-the-alaska-railroad-the-palmer-airport-branches/ https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/25/rare-mileage-on-the-alaska-railroad-the-palmer-airport-branches/#comments Fri, 25 Oct 2013 18:26:49 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=9160 Most of the places we’ve checked out thus far on the Alaska Railroad are part of regular routes that countless passengers have traveled over. Today, however, we’re going to take a look at two of the railroad’s branches – the Palmer branch and the Anchorage Airport branch. Both routes are occasionally used for passenger service, but are not in regular scheduled service. The Alaska Railroad operates a fair train every year for the Alaska State Fair, which travels over the Palmer branch and to South Palmer station. Besides the fair and other special events, it is mostly freight that sees this branch. Beyond the branch’s useable track lies the town of Palmer, for which the branch was named. Palmer’s depot still stands, and is used as a community center. Sitting outside is a restored coal locomotive.

 
  
  
 
 
  
 
  
   

Photos around Anchorage and on the Palmer Branch

The Anchorage Airport branch likely sees more passengers than the Palmer Branch, but it is still not a regularly scheduled route on the railroad. Cruise ship lines with chartered trains are usually the only patrons of the branch, leaving the depot there fairly quiet. If you have money to burn, the depot is available to rent, however.

  

Photos on the Airport Branch. With its high-level platforms, this is the most “Metro-North looking” part of the entire Alaska Railroad.

Thanks to my camera, you can ride both branches from your own home. Starting off at the Anchorage International Airport, we pass the Anchorage depot before heading onto the Palmer Branch, finishing just beyond the South Palmer / fairgrounds station.

For the folks subscribed to the site via email, you must visit the site to view video features.

Our second video for the day shows another hidden part of the Alaska Railroad, one that passengers never see. Reversing out of Anchorage’s depot, we head into Anchorage yard just after sunrise.

Next week we’ll check out yet another part of the railroad never seen by passengers, as we go behind the scenes and take a shop tour.

]]> https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/25/rare-mileage-on-the-alaska-railroad-the-palmer-airport-branches/feed/ 1 More Adventures on the Alaska Railroad, South of Anchorage https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/17/more-adventures-on-the-alaska-railroad-south-of-anchorage/ https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/17/more-adventures-on-the-alaska-railroad-south-of-anchorage/#comments Thu, 17 Oct 2013 18:31:54 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=9148 In our last two Alaska Railroad videos, we got a chance to tour the two main areas the railroad services south of Anchorage – Whittier and Seward. Both routes share the same trackage just south of Anchorage, which parallels the Seward Highway and travels through the scenic Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, and Turnagain Arm areas. Before moving on to the area north of Anchorage, I figured that we should finish up with the coastal areas south of the city. We spent a little less than a week in the Anchorage area and experienced quite a variation of weather – from sun and blue skies, pouring rain, and even a little bit of snow – all of which are visible in my collection of photos. Anyway, I’ll let the photos (and more mounted on the locomotive video) speak for themselves!

 
  
   
 
  
  
  
   
 
  
   
  
 
  
   


For the folks subscribed to the site via email, you must visit the site to view video features.

]]> https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/17/more-adventures-on-the-alaska-railroad-south-of-anchorage/feed/ 1 Pioneer Park and the Tanana Valley Railroad Museum, Fairbanks, Alaska https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/02/pioneer-park-and-the-tanana-valley-railroad-museum-fairbanks-alaska/ https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/02/pioneer-park-and-the-tanana-valley-railroad-museum-fairbanks-alaska/#comments Wed, 02 Oct 2013 17:57:57 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=9119 Before I continue with a long series of photos and videos from the Alaska Railroad, I figured it would be fun to quickly introduce everyone to the Tanana Valley Railroad Museum, located in Fairbanks, Alaska. Located in Pioneer Park, the museum operates a historic 1899 steam locomotive a few times a year for visitors. Built in 2005, the museum consists of a shop for the locomotive, and a smaller section for displays, all of which is staffed by volunteers. The museum was one of the very first stops for the NRHS convention, and the historic locomotive was operating all afternoon, and a night photo session was held in the evening.

Postcard from Alaskaland, and token from the centennial exposition
Postcard from Alaskaland, and token from the centennial exposition.

Pioneer Park, where the museum is located, is a bit of an interesting spot in Fairbanks. The grounds were first established in 1967 for the Alaska 67 Centennial Exposition, which celebrated the centennial of the Alaska Purchase. Later the 44-acre historical park became known as Alaskaland. It was eventually renamed Pioneer Park, lest you think it some type of amusement park with roller coasters (Alaska has none, unless you count the hill named roller coaster on the Dalton Highway).

1981 brochure for Alaskaland
1981 brochure for Alaskaland, including an aerial view of the railroad tracks encircling the park.

So before we depart Fairbanks on a journey down the Alaska Railroad, let’s take a quick minute to check out Pioneer Park and the Tanana Valley Railroad Museum, and a short video from my GoPro camera which was mounted on their historical locomotive.

 
  
   
  
  
 
  
  
 


For the folks subscribed to the site via email, you must visit the site to view video features.

]]> https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/10/02/pioneer-park-and-the-tanana-valley-railroad-museum-fairbanks-alaska/feed/ 2 Back from Alaska, and the NRHS Convention https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/09/26/back-from-alaska-and-the-nrhs-convention/ https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/09/26/back-from-alaska-and-the-nrhs-convention/#comments Thu, 26 Sep 2013 17:49:30 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=9112 If you enjoyed our series on Alaska posted earlier this year, you will undoubtedly love our upcoming series on the Alaska Railroad. I’ve just returned from the absolutely awesome National Railway Historical Society convention, which was held in Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska, and have some great features lined up for the blog… many of which include video. My trusty GoPro camera was mounted on several locomotives throughout the trip, recording well over a hundred gigabytes of footage. So if you happened to miss the convention, or have always wanted to go to Alaska, you can pretend like you were there along with us!

 
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
 
Photos from the railroad route to Seward.

The Coastal Classic is likely one of the Alaska Railroad’s most scenic routes, traveling southward from Anchorage to the port of Seward, and passing glaciers and beautiful vistas. The line follows several horseshoe curves to gain altitude, and passes through several mountains by tunnel. Following the route of the Coastal Classic, our NHRS charter train took a leisurely ride through this gorgeous section of Alaska. Our video starts a little over fifty miles from Seward, and condenses two hours and twenty minutes of the ride into ten minutes. The video concludes over a bit of rare passenger mileage – bypassing Seward’s passenger station and heading into the Seward rail yard and docks.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing some more stories, photos and videos from the convention, but for now enjoy a quick jaunt on the picturesque Alaska Railroad…

A special thanks goes out to the Alaska Railroad’s Kenny Smith, who was instrumental in getting my camera mounted on the various locomotives and trains throughout the trip! Thank you so much, Kenny!

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