Remarks: Combine a holiday weekend with spectacular weather conditions, and it's no surprise that the Seward Highway is flush with tourists and residents alike, taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy nature's stunning beauty and adventure. From fishing, to hiking, cycling, surfing the bore tide, rock climbing, wind surfing, animal spotting, or even "train spotting," the Turnagain Arm south of Anchorage provides something for everyone's taste. Northbound coal empties head for Anchorage and Healy on this stunning Sunday evening, riding on jointed rail and framed by the majestic Chugach Mountains in the distance.
Remarks: Four gleaming EMD motors have their string of 66 coal empties easily in check as the train glides northward over the Twenty Mile River and the hooligan fishermen (and "fisherwomen") below. The export coal train originated earlier in the day at Seward after dumping coal throughout the night, and is now in the process of returning to Healy for another load to bring south. This is spring time in Alaska!
Remarks: A CSX coal drag heads across the impressive Copper Creek Viaduct amidst the fall colors and a gorgeous blue sky in early November. In the foreground, the state of Virginia proudly advertises its rich Bluegrass heritage at the Copper Creek overlook along the historic Daniel Boone Trail.
Remarks: Made up of two (now-retired) Budd RDCs and a GP38-2 on the tail end for good measure, the northbound ARR Hurricane Turn is in the hole at Canyon siding on a beautiful summer afternoon. Due to a serious heat kink discovered north of here by the preceding Denali Star, we'd be stuck at Canyon for nearly 4 hours until the track was repaired and the southbound Fairbanks-Anchorage express (which was being held on the other side of the kink) got by. Everyone was in good spirits during the delay, and had several hours to climb off the train and explore this otherwise remote, inaccessible area. Only in Alaska!!
Remarks: A northbound freight extra from Whittier snakes its way northward toward Anchorage along the mud flats of the Turnagain Arm while the postcard-worthy beauty of the Alaskan wilderness frames the scene in the background.
