Alaska By Rail

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I haven't done it, but I looked into it a few years ago and if I recall, you can get off the Alaska Marine Highway in Skagway, AK, and a train from there goes to Anchorage. From Anchorage, of course, there's the main line up to Fairbanks.

On the Canadian side, there's also the option of taking the train to Prince Rupert and then a ferry, or... I may be wrong on this... from Jasper, Alberta you could technically go by bus to Dawson Creek, BC and then up to Fairbanks, AK on the Alaska Highway. (That's a long time on a bus!)
 
Once you get to Alaska, there are several rail services.

Here's a video about

along the Alaska Railroad route.
 
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Actually, the Alaska railroad doesn't connect at Skagway and there is no rail service from Skagway to Anchorage. There is the White Pass and Yukon route from Skagway up to Whitehorse, Yukon.

It appears the only town the Alaska Marine Hghway serves that has rail service is Whittier, AK. I can't even find Anchorage as part of the AMH.

BTW-I will say I've never gone to Alaska so everything I'm saying is based on Internet research.
 
MattW said:
Actually, the Alaska railroad doesn't connect at Skagway and there is no rail service from Skagway to Anchorage. There is the White Pass and Yukon route from Skagway up to Whitehorse, Yukon.It appears the only town the Alaska Marine Highway serves that has rail service is Whittier, AK. I can't even find Anchorage as part of the AMH.

BTW-I will say I've never gone to Alaska so everything I'm saying is based on Internet research.
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You are correct about the Skagway connection part.

The best way to do Alaska rail stuff is in conjunction with a cruise. Both Holland America and Princess have ship/land tours that include train rides from Anchorage to Fairbanks with a stopover at Denali. Both those cruise lines have their own rail cars and even their own hotels and buses.

A number of years ago my wife and I did a 3 week land and cruise and really saw a lot of Alaska and the Yukon Territory.

You can even get the ship from Vancouver or Seattle and you don't have to worry about getting to Alaska on your own.
 
I'd love to see the Alaska Railroad connected to the rest of the North American railroad system, even if only for freight trains. I don't see it ever happening though.
 
Hi,

Luckily, there is ONE Alaska RR main line, Anchorage-Fairbanks.

Also, two lines south of Anchorage to Witthier, and Anchorage to Seward. Those are superb lines, scenery-wise. Not too long.You can spend 2 days doing those, then spend a full day going North to Fairbanks. ( north of there on a relatively short branch : freight only.)

Then, you can make your way back down to Anchorage on the same train, another day.

The cruise ship connection is near perfect: Cruise on a ship arriving in Seward, take the train to Anchorage. do your railfanning. Then take a cruise departing from Witthier which requires the train to the pier.( or vive-versa of course)

Witthier: Princess Cruise; Seward: Celebrity , Holland America and Regent SevenSeas.

We did that in 2004;; FANTASTIC . Took the ''cruise'' package northbound, ultimately ending up in Fairbanks. Then, did the ARR on our own, great trip !!...then took the train to the pier at Witthier and sailed back home !!

If you want a ''lesser'' cruise experience ( just about as scenic and fun ), take the Alaska Marine Highway ( vessels...) from Bellingham to Seward.

Great plan

Good luck

:)
 
There have been several plans to conect the Alaska railroad to the rest of the US, going through Canada. These schemes go back at least to the 1940's. However, due to the terrain, the connection would be to the Faribanks end of the line, not the Anchorage end.
 
What is the closest railway point in Canada to the Alaska Railroad? (I'm talking about standard-gauge stuff connected to the rest of the North American system, not something like the White Pass & Yukon.)
 
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Ispolkom said:
DET63 said:
What is the closest railway point in Canada to the Alaska Railroad? (I'm talking about standard-gauge stuff connected to the rest of the North American system, not something like the White Pass & Yukon.)
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'

Prince Rupert, B.C.?
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Could be, but you'd never get a connecting rail from there to the Alaska RR. They don't even have roads that connect the areas as it is all mountains.
 
MrFSS said:
Ispolkom said:
DET63 said:
What is the closest railway point in Canada to the Alaska Railroad? (I'm talking about standard-gauge stuff connected to the rest of the North American system, not something like the White Pass & Yukon.)
Click to expand...
'

Prince Rupert, B.C.?
Click to expand...
Could be, but you'd never get a connecting rail from there to the Alaska RR. They don't even have roads that connect the areas as it is all mountains.
Click to expand...
Would a railway line paralleling either the Alaska Highway or the Cassiar be feasible? I would think that one following the Cassiar, thus coming out east of Prince Rupert, would be the most likely to ever be attempted.

IAC, I think a connection between the Alaska system and the rest of North America is highly unlikely.
 
There is only one boat per month that crosses the Gulf of Alaska to the main section of Alaska. Doable, but takes careful planning. I work in Ketchikan in the summer and have seen the ferry that makes this run, the Kennecott, which seems to be an unusual craft. It is also known as a dog economically to operate, because it will not hold that many cars. I asked an agent at ketchikan what the rectangular garage structure is above the stern. He told me that is used to load vehicles where it is not practical to have a conventional dock. They are loaded on the top deck and taken below by elevator and positioned by way of a turntable! When I came south on the ferry to Bellingham, the Kennecott was tied up there. It normally operates from Prince Rupert up the Panhandle, across the Gulf, and out the Aleutian Islands to Dutch Harbor. There was more frequent service a few years ago, but it was cut by Sarah Palin! Speaking of economical, taking one's vehicle on the Alaska Ferry is NOT! The fare for me, the driver, and a cabin for two nights wasn't bad, but the car 9 Toyota 4Runner ) cost over $600, for a total fare of $1,083! When I return to Ketchikan in May, I will drive to Prince Rupert and take the five hour trip for $170!
 

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