Arrival at Glacier Siding. The White Pass Snow Fleet climbs through 1870 ft MSL as it rounds the bend into Glacier Siding, some 14 miles north of Skagway. Here, the train will make a pit stop of sorts. Having gained two thirds of the elevation necessary to reach White Pass, the three steam engines will take water from a tank car conveniently positioned behind the photographer by an early morning work train. As the firemen water their engines, the remainder of the 12-person plow train crew will carefully inspect their running gear and do some greasing and oiling. The grade so far has been relatively mild, but will steepen rapidly to 3.9% just a few hundred yards north of this location. Although the snow level here is just a foot or two at the deepest, just 6 miles ahead at White Pass, the drifts will be between 15 and 20 feet deep!
