THE LINK: JULY 2023 25 Pipeline Construction & Maintenance | EPC Contracting Powerplant Construction | General Contracting Anchorage | Deadhorse | 907.278.4400 | www.pricegregory.com Thousands of Miles of Experience Committed to Client Satisfaction Dedicated to Safety Excellence camp in 1915, was to become its largest city. There were prior railroads, of course, regional lines built to support gold mines. The private Alaska Central Railway, later the Alaska Northern Railway, was built a few miles north from Seward. It later went bankrupt. The rail line was later acquired by the government to be part of the Seward-to-Fairbanks line. A regional 45-mile rail line from Fairbanks to nearby gold fields was also acquired, although this was mainly to obtain the rail terminal in Fairbanks. The government wanted the railroad to make money, but the territory’s economy was thin, at least in Interior and Southcentral Alaska, as gold mining declined. Seward, Anchorage and Fairbanks had combined populations of 5,400, not enough to generate a lot of business. In 1938, however, the railroad turned its first profit, and with the start of World War II its strategic importance was amply illustrated as military and civilian freight increased sharply, and so the President’s decision to build the railroad was justified. In the post-war years Congress appropriated $100 million for track rehabilitation to repair the effects of heavy wartime use. The railroad also started its streamlined passenger service between Anchorage and Fairbanks, a train dubbed Aurora, with blue and gold colors. This ushered in a new service catering to summer visitors as well as Alaskans and laid the foundation for the railroad’s important role in supporting the small but growing visitor industry. By 1953, however, there was growing competition from trucks and autos on highways that were being built or upgraded. Passenger service to and from Seward was discontinued, not to return until the present-day summer service supporting cruise ships calling at Seward. Whittier, built by the U.S. Army during World War II, was becoming important for the railroad, which reached the Prince William Sound community through tunnels built during the war. The first train-barge service from Whittier was established in 1964, enabling rail cars from anywhere in the Lower 48 to be brought to Alaska by sea and to reach any point along the Alaska Railroad. Earthquake damage on March 27, 1964, disrupted rail traffic but service was quickly restored. Freight service between Anchorage and Fairbanks resumed April 6 and to Whittier on April 20. Passengers were again traveling by April 11. The railroad again demonstrated its value in the 1970s, providing heavyhaul service to support construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. Rails had meanwhile been extended east of Fairbanks to Eielson Air Force Base, providing support to that installation, now home to the nation’s most advanced fighter-interceptors. Plans were made for further extensions east to Fort Greely, where the nation’s missile interceptors are based. That link has not yet been built but a bridge across the Tanana River was constructed as the first increment of the rail east. Today the bridge supports U.S. Army operations on training ranges south of the river. Today, the Alaska Railroad is under state ownership and continues to support the growth of Alaska’s economy. — Tim Bradner
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