White Pass & Yukon sold

[nkalanaga]

https://www.railwayage.com/freight/short-lines-regionals/carnival-corp-buys-alaska-railroad/

This could be good or bad, depending on how Carnival decides to run the line, but if they leave the railroaders in charge, it at least guarantees the road's survival.  Cruise passengers are already a big part of the WP&Y's ridership.

[Cajonpassfan]

Well, we'll be there Wednesday, hope they don't screw it up by then😝
I hate to be cynical, but my gut tells me that it's just a matter of time before this becomes another "carnival ride".
Like "gaming" interests "saved" Blackhawk and Central City, Colorado 
I hope I'm wrong.
Otto K.

[wcfn100]

Carnival has 6 new WP&Y locomotives coming this year.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/white-pass-new-locomotives-1.5499628?fbclid=IwAR3RuPySh_9Ir6n1bgMmV_Tk0GjHmK3P2NKJYXV-KVBvC-oMAVKTTXOoNwo


Jason

[nkalanaga]

I've seen a lot worse.  The second order of DL535Es, with the raised cabs, were downright ugly.  These don't look bad.

[MK]

I like it!

[C855B]

Good thing they (Carnival) already committed money to the order. They are in BIG trouble with the COVID-19 situation. I was reviewing corporate bonds (a/k/a "commercial paper") yesterday as a possible alternative to the hand-wringing going on with the stock market, and Carnival is offering short-term bonds at a whopping 36% annual interest rate. They are desperate for operating cash, and their bond offering has the nearly the lowest rating for an "investment grade" bond - "BBB" - indicating a palpable risk of default.

[Scottl]

That is a great looking locomotive.  Glad to see the WPYRR will continue.  Fond memories working in the field there and watching trains going by 20 years ago.

[ncbqguy]

Our first “bucket list” vacation was Alaska 20 years ago.
If you do the two week land/cruise I suggest you start in Fairbanks and work your way south.  The ports keep getting better the further south you go. If you do the reverse the next stops will disappoint.
We went with another couple and I insisted we do the WP&Y. On the train the ride out from the docks was nothing...a flat track along the river. I was wondering if I made a bad choice for them.  We got to Dead Horse Gulch (?”) and I looked up at the mountain and said “No way that scar way up in the mountain is the railroad”. It was.   Same thing when we were up there...another line on way the hell up in the clouds...recall that this line was built in two years by store clerks and others who thought they were going to strike gold.  Spectacular railroad!  Only regret is steam wast running.
Do the trip as soon as you can afford it.  Don’t wait until you are in a walker and can’t whitewater raft or do other neat outdoor activities!!
Charlie Vlk

[ksmiley]

My (our, yes the wife is on board), is to live in Skagway. Plenty busy during summer and the winters are mild they say.

[John]

Our first “bucket list” vacation was Alaska 20 years ago.
If you do the two week land/cruise I suggest you start in Fairbanks and work your way south.  The ports keep getting better the further south you go. If you do the reverse the next stops will disappoint.
We went with another couple and I insisted we do the WP&Y. On the train the ride out from the docks was nothing...a flat track along the river. I was wondering if I made a bad choice for them.  We got to Dead Horse Gulch (?”) and I looked up at the mountain and said “No way that scar way up in the mountain is the railroad”. It was.   Same thing when we were up there...another line on way the hell up in the clouds...recall that this line was built in two years by store clerks and others who thought they were going to strike gold.  Spectacular railroad!  Only regret is steam wast running.
Do the trip as soon as you can afford it.  Don’t wait until you are in a walker and can’t whitewater raft or do other neat outdoor activities!!
Charlie Vlk

I loved the trip . .did it about 4 years ago .. well worth the ride ..

[Ntrainz1]

Did the trip last year, just fantastic.

Bob.

[narrowminded]

I was through there in 1984, when the train was down.   I was on a motorcycle towing a 2 man pop up camper trailer and rode up the Alcan to Fairbanks, picked my wife up at the airport, rode south to Anchorage (got some gold flakes panning in the river at the campground near the entrance to Denali) and then south out the Kenai Peninsula, back towards Anchorage, loaded on a flatcar and through the train tunnel to Whittier where we caught the ferry across Columbia Glacier.  Same day, unloaded at Valdez, rode up to Tok Junction and then up to Chicken, crossing into the Yukon and arriving at Dawson.  From there, down to Whitehorse and finally down to Skagway for a few days, waiting for the ferry down the coast.  While there, drove the short distance to the Dyea town site, the base of the Chilcoot Pass, and grave site from the 1898 avalanche.  The ferry down the coast included stops at various towns including Juneau, Wrangell, Ketchikan, and Sitka, the site of the Russian Orthodox Church from the original Russian occupation.  Landed in Prince Rupert and then rode home from there visiting Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff.  The wife flew home from Calgary.

Obviously there's a LOT of detail and good stories from that 5 week, 9,964 mile trip, including being interviewed which resulted in a short human interest newspaper article with accompanying photo published in a Dawson Creek paper on the way up.  Dawson Creek is mile "0" on the Alcan.   The clipping from the newspaper was awaiting when I arrived home.

[wes_sutton]

I've seen a lot worse.  The second order of DL535Es, with the raised cabs, were downright ugly.  These don't look bad.

I'd keep on eye on this. The first four of the these were originally built for an Australian standard gauge client in 2012, but the contract fell through and they have been sitting around ever since. The WP&Y story says the order is tacked on to a current Australian order for narrow gauge locos - these are similar to the 2012 design, but have much harsher cab and body lines. AFAIK all have 're-manufactured' 645 blocks.