Nothing happens without water. White Pass Fireman Jeremy Simmons oversees the watering of Rotary Plow #1 during a brief servicing stop at Glacier Siding. Back when steam was the primary motive power on the White Pass & Yukon, a system of water tanks dotted the line from Skagway to White Horse. When dieselization occurred in the late 1950s and early 60s, the railroad management didn't envision any future need for that infrastructure, so nearly all of those tanks disappeared. Today, the lack of watering facilities on the line doesn't impact the line's limited steam program for the cruise ship tourists, as the trips are short and there are water sources in Skagway and Fraser. Operating the rotary snow plow for a spring line-clearing is an entirely different matter, however. Plow operations can be very time consuming and the saturated Rotary #1 sucks down the water at a prodigious rate. With no way to get to Fraser until the line is cleared, there is no ready source of water except Skagway....20 miles down a steep hill. To remedy this, the railroad brings up work trains with tank cars carrying both water and fuel oil for the locomotives. These trains are positioned at strategic places like Glacier Siding, and they follow the plow train wherever it goes. Water is life for humans and that goes for steam engines as well. Run out on the WP&YR and it's a long walk home.
