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Riding the Shoulders of Alaska's Sawtooth Range
On The Railway Built of Gold
by Jerry W. Bird, Travel Editor

My endless fascination with railways and railroad memorabilia goes back to childhood days, when the White Pass & Yukon Railway of Gold Rush fame was linked via Skagway, Alaska, to a vast transportation system of BC-Alaska Coastal steamships and Yukon riverboats. Each trip I made from Dawson City to Vancouver involved four days upstream on the Yukon River by paddle wheeler; a day trip by rail from Whitehorse to Skagway; then another four days steaming south on CPR's Princess Norah or Louise. We sailed the Inside Passage, along the Alaska Panhandle and British Columbia Coast,stopping at the ports of Juneau, Ketchikan, Prince Rupert and Alert Bay.

It's basically the same scenic route used by today's super liners and love boats. As a long time railway fan and originator of "Railways of the World," it's heart-warming to see the WP&YR not only still operating at Skagway, but considering extending the line in future.r

A colorful history
The 177-km White Pass Railroad was completed in 1900 between the Alaska coastal community of Skagway and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

The WP&YR served first as a passenger train and supply line for the fold fields of the Yukon and acted as a freight carrier for nearby lead and zinc ore mines. When the mine closed in 1982, so did the railroad. The railroad reopened in 1988 for passenger service but has only traveled the first 64 km of the line to Lake Bennett, BC. On May 28, 1998, the WP&YR celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the driving of the first spike on the railway, with a dedication and ceremony in downtown Skagway. Skagway, Alaska Tourism: http://www.skagway.org/transportation.html

I recently heard from Len Brown, one of our readers who attended a "Last Spike" ceremony on July 29, 2000. Here is an excerpt: " Al York and I do contract work for the Yukon Government, and I was up there working and took in the celebration. It was fantastic - up to an estimated 5000 people were there during the day - steam rides some 5 miles alongside Lake Bennett and back .. and a Steam Meet of 73 and 40. I am a steam nut (co-owner of 30053 - an M7 tank engine that runs on the Swanage Railway in Dorset, England), so have availed myself of many steam rides on the WP&YR - I even appeared in a video White Pass & Yukon Route - the Railway Built of Gold. And YES, they announced intent to run trains from Carcross in 2001. Unsure as yet what they might be - perhaps the Red Line - possibly steam from Carcross to Lake Bennett or Fraser ."

As a Yukokner by birth, I am excited about any extension of this historic rail line and will report the news as soon as I hear it. Originally called Caribou crossing because of its popularity as a native hunting ground, Carcross was a stopping place for gold stampeders on their way to the Klondike gold fields. Trains haven't traveled to Carcross since 1982.

Photo: Cariboo Crossing river in Yukon. Photo courtesy Mrs. L. Zurkowsi, Delta, BC

We will provide an update on this historic railway soon.