Welcome aboard the Trains–Special Interest Tours 2024 Alaska by Rail adventure. Please join us as we travel on the Alaska Railroad for 9 days from Sept. 8 to 17, heading south from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Alaska.
We begin with an Alaskan vocabulary lesson. Today’s term: termination snow. Dial back to the Day 4 entry when we talked about the fresh, higher-altitude snow that capped the mountain peaks around the Denali National Park entrance. In local speak, this is termination snow, signaling the termination of fall and the onset of winter. One needs to pay attention to termination snow and begin preparations for winter.
When it came to travel, my dad always said you can go somewhere and look for the comforts of home. If, however, you wanted to experience and learn about a destination, you had to explore what the locals do. We just had our Alaskan vocabulary lesson for today. Let’s continue the local theme.
But first … a confession from your Trains traveler: Each morning of our trip there has been reading and research on the day’s activities — what interesting railroad scenes to look for, popular tales to share, and photo opportunities to capture. Each evening, when the day’s events are retold for you something better than the plan has come to the forefront. Example: two days ago, we were going to see Mount Denali but instead were totally amazed by the park’s intact ecosystem and a moose cow and calf that came to dinner. We still have not seen Denali, and probably won’t, due to cloud cover. There have been so many other great experiences that Denali being a no-show is not that disappointing. Let me explain it this way …
Should a craving overcome you while in Alaska, a McDonald’s run can be made, if you are in one of the bigger urban areas. Fairbanks rosters most of the popular U.S. fast-food outlets. Why come to Alaska for a Big Mac when the salmon is plentiful and good?
Climb aboard the Alaska Railroad Hurricane Turn, today’s train trip. Yesterday, we traveled some of the same rail on the Denali Star arriving in Talkeetna. The Hurricane Turn makes a 113-mile round trip from Talkeetna north to Hurricane Gulch. It is a true flagstop train. Stand trackside, flag the train, and it will stop. Settle your fare on board based on how far you are traveling. For the majority of its route, the Turn is the only transportation in and out of the area.
Meet the Turn’s crew: Bill and Ben, engineers; Bryce, conductor; and Mary, trainman and passenger-care specialist. All wore Carhartt clothing or flannel shirts with bib overalls. Bryce also sported an Alaska Railroad conductor’s hat. The train’s pull-push consist included a GP40-2, a coach, a dome-coach, baggage car, and a power cab-head-end power unit fashioned from an Amtrak F40PH.
Passengers included our Special Interest Tours group, other curious tourists, and people using the train as intended to get to their cabins or other outposts. One local man, who was heading to his remote home for the winter — generally mid-September through mid-May — brought his dog along. (The Turn allows dogs in the rear section of the dome car.) Besides his personal supplies, this man had a pallet of dog food loaded for his canine companion. The kibble was fork-lifted into the baggage car right along with the rest of the luggage, food stuff, camping supplies, and personal gear. It was later unloaded by hand, trackside in the middle of nowhere.
Once underway, Mary kicked into gear. Her safety discussion not only explained the serious nature of the subject aboard the train, but brought laughs by remarking that should the coach or dome cabins depressurize at our cruising altitude of about four feet above the rail, no oxygen masks would fall from the ceiling. She went on to answer every question along the way, point out scenic highlights beyond the narrative on the Denali Star, and work the load/unload for every flag stop. Mary wrangled dogs, took photos of passengers, and even doled out railroad swag to everyone before the train returned to Talkeetna.
The Turn, in the railroad’s timetable, is an inferior train. It has a departure time, but stops anywhere and as often as needed. The train makes way for all other passenger trains.
About 2 hours into our run, we took a siding allowing the southbound Denali Star to pass. The siding happened to be in front of the cabin and studio of Shannon Cartwright. Cartwright has maintained her home/studio next to the Alaska Railroad since 1977. The railroad is the only way in and out.
Cartwright mainly devotes her artistic talents to illustrating children’s books. Her works have helped tell the tale of Alaskan natives, local animals, and even adventures on the railroad. As we waited for the southbound Star, Cartwright welcomed us off the train and into her studio. For her the remote tundra brings peace and tranquility that are reflected in her art.
You were promised Alaska Railroad superlatives for today. The northern point on the Turn’s route is Hurricane Gulch trestle. The structure spans 914 feet, standing 296 feet above the creek below. Winds through the gulch have been recorded between 80 and 90 mph. The Statue of Liberty on its pedestal will only reach 9 feet above the bridge. Yes, the Turn stopped on the trestle so we could all take a few photos.
Call today a behind-the-scenes look at Alaska. The Hurricane Turn is the local railroad taking care of local people and serving their way of life. To fully appreciate the Turn, you must take a ride.
Day 6 — Destination Anchorage, but only after dinner aboard the Denali Star.
