C.T. SEBESTA and COMPANY

First Formation and structure

The clouds, mountains, draped like strands of silver, steel wool, were low on the Lynn Canal, near the old town of Skagway, Alaska, home to thousands of researchers, who began their 45 mile journey through the summit of White Pass against the Klondike gold fields in the Yukon in Canada in 1897 and 1898. The crowd continues to seep into the region today ships also sailed from Seattle, but one of many cruise ships that dock daily landed a short distance.

Passengers crowded the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad Depot shed on the concrete platform and leaving many traits, including those of Fraser, British Columbia. I would be the path of the prospectors, the White Pass Summit, 2865 meters track above sea level on the U.S. and Canadian border, but would do so on the rail, which had been built, Overland Trail replace feet and use the demand created by traveling through the historic event.

The next trip was actually originated about 110 years. gold diggers in search of gold along the Yukon River, had not yielded their first crop until 1896, when George Carmack and two Indian Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie discover a few flakes gold in Bonanza Creek, Yukon, even if it was one year before the world had been alerted to the discovery, when the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as the now famous “published GOLD GOLD GOLD!” Question 17 In July 1897, shortly after the landing of 68 prospectors steam Portland to Seattle, Washington. The promise of wealth seemingly instant, easy, combined with the withdrawal of depression, has triggered a historic event which involved 100,000 players and ultimately form part of Alaska and Yukon itself.

With the exception of seasonal navigation service on the Yukon River, and construction of roads and railways is not permitted in Alaska until Congress had the Homestead Act passed in 1898, there had no internal infrastructure Stampeders’ access to gold deposits have been supported in the Klondike.

Yukon itself, the large areas, sparsely populated country on the 60th latitude north-western Canada, shares its border with Alaska and exactly worthy of the slogan so-called “larger than life is, is “a different topography, rugged territory but insurmountable moorland, forests, treeless plains of lights, rugged mountains, glaciers, mirror lakes and rivers reflection of Canadians of First Nations and abundant wildlife inhabits. Because of its high latitude, it experiences more than 20 hours of daylight in summer but less than five in winter, replaced, but called by the aurora borealis as the “Aurora”. Apart from the large “cities”, most communities are by plane or dogsled.

The Yukon is the story, essentially, that the gold rush, and traces its path to five key locations in the United States and Canada.

The first of them, Seattle, Washington, served as the gateway to the Yukon. Billed as a “supplier of the gold fields, he sells supplies and equipment in stock, a showcase of ten meters in depth on boardwalks and earned $ 25,000,000 in sales in early-1898 and was the starting point for the all-water route across the Gulf of Alaska St. Michael and the Yukon River to Dawson City. Despite the high prices that could not afford a few, all the passes were already sold.

Dyea and Chilkoot Trail, the second site has provided a slow, treacherous, other routes through the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail, Alaska, the calving related to Canada’s source for the Yukon River.

Skagway, Alaska, the third site, quickly Dyea the door “to the version of the Klondike” because of his way more navigable White Pass, more than ten miles of the Chilkoot Trail, had a rise of 600 feet to the base sequence. The hotel is located at the north end of Alaska’s Inside Passage, Skagway, now a major port of call on Alaska cruise routes, became the first incorporated city in Alaska in 1900 with a 3117-strong population, the first non-indigenous, who was Captain William Moore, the White Pass road in Canada has discovered. Metemorphosed an evacuation, sports field tent dotted a promenade lined with shops in the city of wood, dance halls, gambling dens, living rooms, and around 80 within four months from August to December 1897 as a result of the Stampeders’ s accumulate in the steamer’s port has grown rapidly in a city of 20,000 inhabitants, its temporary inhabitants of the White Pass Trail and Overland Klondike gold fields themselves determined.

At Lake Bennett, the fourth site, provided 30,000 Stampeders snowmelt, the 7124 building wooden boats and presentation whipsawn Green Fleet May 29, 1898, in the fight against the White Horse Rapids, before attending the Yukon River to Dawson City.

Dawson himself, the fifth spot, was the site of the first discovery of gold flakes and was like a little island between the Yukon and Klondike Rivers previously occupied only by the Han people Nations began but exploded in the largest city in Western Canada and Winnipeg north of Vancouver with up to 40,000 prospectors to ten miles along the river bank. Thirty yards of wood were used to burn waves through the permafrost in the mines themselves.

The White Pass Trail Skagway, quickly, because overuse destroyed, said the need for a rail alternative. Seeking to capitalize on the demand for safe transportation, quick and reliable operation of its port on the Yukon, Thomas Tancredo, a representative of investors in London, and Michael J. Henry, a railroad contractor had offered both as a line, and a chance meeting at night, presented the initial plans for the road.

The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad Company, founded in April 1898, was three companies as follows: Pacific and Arctic Railway and Navigation Company, responsible for the division Skagway-White Pass, British Columbia Yukon Railway Division has joined the U.S. border at White Pass on the border between the provinces of British Columbia and Yukon Territory and the British Yukon Railway, which runs under the border of Yukon Territory Whitehorse.

The railway is generally included four directors Samuel H. Graves, President; EC Hawken, chief engineer, John Hislop, assistant engineer, and Michael J. Henry himself contractor.

The construction of the $ 10 million, three meters wide, railway narrow gauge, which allows sharper curves than the standard gauge would have brought engineering and obstacles of previously unimaginable proportions, to Started 28 May 1898 and moved into question a dozen meters wide road bed, one near 3000 meters altitude on a stretch of 20 mile beach-cliff, elbows 16 degrees, tunnels, bridges, and icy cold snow and 450 tons of explosives.

Built in three sections, from Skagway to White Pass, White Pass to Carcross to Whitehorse and Carcross, the first of these proved to be the most difficult, even if his first seven miles of track completed in just two months actually. On July 21, 1898, after the first locomtove had been delivered, an excursion train dignitaries invited to run for the first time, three-car platform offers wooden benches. Two months later, in September, the line stretched 17 miles grade ready to Skagway, but gold was discovered in Atlin seduced by a majority of workers with the vital necessity of picks and shovels for the project. 18th Mile 7, could strengthen the depth in V-shaped ravine 215-meter with a steel cantilever bridge of 400 feet, until Dreigelenkbögen be connected.

The first train was run at White Pass, it started nine months after construction had, February 20, 1899.

Another milestone was still five months later, on June 6, when the title Mile Bennett had reached 40 years. 6, is the primary connection intermodal transport sailed smaller boats, lakes and rivers through Miles Canyon and Whitehorse Rapids. About 20 miles later, reached the title of Lewis Lake.

With the recent surge in Whitehorse, Yukon, June 8, 1900 is driven, the second of three sections have been completed permit travel by train to Carcross, British Columbia, for the first time. This was the only land route between the two cities to the South Klondike Highway was Built 78 years later.

With the installation of rails on the bridge at Carcross, July 29, 1900, and the activation of the last spike clock to 17:30 local time, the second of three parts was completed, the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad whose track extended 110 miles from the United States in Canada, 20 was 4 miles in Alaska, 32 Ran three miles across British Columbia, 1 and 58 miles across the Yukon Territory tense.

Skagway is fast becoming the gateway “to the Klondike” White Pass and was the “door Yukon.”

In the second service

The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad not only proved to be a masterpiece of technique, but a sound commercial policy with a multi-purpose and constantly evolving. Firstly, mining equipment transportation, materials, supplies and tools running on the north, it has been determined for huts copper ore Washington on return trips in 1908 goods silver lead later in 1923, replaces the Further Reading, to 1970. In fact, constituted a larger proportion of its revenue base freight until 1918, when the crisis has exerted its effect, then rose again, reaching 21,450 tons per year until 1940.

Perhaps the biggest increase in demand occurred in August 1942 when the U.S. military began building the Alcan Highway, the daily amount of 200 to 2,000 and October 1 this year, the railway was 770th in total leased by the U.S. Army Battalion operating railways, which has provided with new employees if necessary, locomotives and rolling stock. In fact, the volume of all time, following a temporary transfer, a total of 34 surgeries a day to train with more than 2,000 tons of cargo per day or 47,506 tonnes per month.

The application has also been on the oil refinery at Whitehorse and pipeline implemented by linking to Norman Wells, Northwest Territories have been.

Modernize their equipment obsolete more and more acquired after the war, the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad locomotives and wagons, instead of their traditional steam engines with diesel-electric in 1954. The last steam operation took place ten years later, in 1964.

In 1955, she operated the world’s first integrated, intermodal container service from Vancouver to Whitehorse, where the first container specially designed, the Clifford J. Rogers, goods transferred in the port of Skagway rail flat cars for the final transfer to the semi-trucks use the road to Alaska.

The demand for transport of zinc-Justice began mining in the Yukon Anvil Range, the railway on a major modernization program in 1969, the purchase of heavy trucks, locomotives greater capacity, 50 ton flat cars, container and ore, reconstruction of bridges and tunnels, construction of a warehouse in Skagway and the dredging of a deep sea fishing wharf.

The passenger was also taken into account in their tax base, with 16,000 was so far back, made in 1901. During the 1970s, it carried passengers during the day and night, ore concentrates, placed in trains from 80 to 100 cars long.

The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad was the primary means to avoid transport to and in northern British Columbia and the Yukon for 84 years since its construction in 1898 until 1982, when the mine was closed Anvil , and its necessity. As demand remains had not been sufficient to maintain the profitable services, it has ceased operations at this moment a long history, the game was the gold rush of 1898 illuminated ends.

But an invisible flame continues to flash in the dark years. Gradually, the increasing demand stimulated by the arrival of the cruise ship in Skagway, the railroad replaced in 1988, seasonal passenger service re-dedication, his centenary year, an annual ridership of 39,000. Both the increasing number of operations of vessels and their size increases, passengers took a year from 100,000 in 1991 and 290,000 in 1998, all in a short season of five months. In 2006, he has helped more than 430,000 passengers per year.

Built as a self-proclaimed “Gateway to the Yukon” and “Gold Train”, the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad was an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1994 named one of the world’s only 36 drawings including the Panama Canal, to do so because of obstacles to overcome in the construction, and today it is the only railroad narrow gauge international still operating in North America.

The current fleet consists of two steam engines, a restored 1947 Baldwin appointed 2.8.2 Mokado engine number 73 and built a 1907 Baldwin 2-8-0, initially designated as the railway and engine number 69, 20 diesel-electric locomotives, consisting of General Electric in 1950 and 1960 ALCO types, and 80 restored cars and replicas, including earliest dating back to 1883.

For the third White Collar

The original White Pass Depot, was a wooden floor for the double-Broadway station, where tracks had been kidnapped earlier, was designed in 1899 and had the Railroad Administration Building annexed the following year . accepted after closing in 1969, when he was more than the National Park Service, he built a new single storey structure on Second Street and Spring Street and with rising passenger numbers, has a second floor in 1997 .

Following the street-embedded, parallel roads narrow gauge in 1245, after the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad maintenance facility and restore my train of 12 cars, followed by three diesel-electric locomotives from shallow waters , rock-Skagway River built under the dark green mountains of pine carpet Tongass National Forest, the slow recovery begins the third grade-nine percent of the runway.

The car park behind the six-track yard was for vehicles over night storage, maintenance was used, and cleaning.

Turn right onto 5th Mile 8, the train, with 402 feet in the fork of the Skagway River, near Denver Glacier Trail, which was marked by red White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad Car Rental the night provided by the U.S. Forest Service.

Re-curves, 6 mile on the left. 9, the train has left Rocky Point, overlooking a breathtaking view of Mount Harding and its canyon carved by glaciers. Skagway was the now-tiny armada miniature cruise ship had reduced proportions, dominated by treeless, snow-capped mountains towering above.

Clifton Station, a 638-foot height with a side length 792-feet long, used to cook like a home away from supervisors, sweepers were employed and had, but in the 1960s to monitor and improve the platform had removed withdrew. His name has been needed emanated from the edge of granite weighing on him.

Bridal Veil Falls, at mile 11 5 6000 feet in a series of curved stairs, a “man” of white, foaming water by jumping from the dark green pines way to Mt Mt Cleveland and their parents Clifford Glacier . The quilt from cloud to reveal pieces of blue sky.

The skinny silhouette barely visible Fraser 1230 train, only three yellow and green diesel-fired power could see the mountain before and HUG a higher altitude.

The tracks of a right 90 degree turn back arched. When Henry Station, packing the horses after a White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad contractor, freight tram was steeper than most tents stay included White Pass was stationed in the valley of transport for final delivery to the peak called .

Shortly before reaching the station of 1871-foot glacier in the 14th Mile 0, doubled the tracks, then tripled shortly. The station itself at home on the crew section of railway, which was the base rails and steam locomotives kept replenished with water, while their pistes.

The wide track bed of the box approached Canyon, made the slide into force of the spring snow, the river rock, gravel, and vegetation with them.

Glacier Crossing Bridge Station, the train, the 12-unit chain vintage snaked behind him now, dominated the deep and dark green mountains covered with pine and hemlock, west coast, as evidenced by the coach left window. He arrived at the gray, light snow mine mountain, its jagged peaks partially obscured by the clouds gently puffed marshmallow resting on them. A cable car spans the canyon when the gate silver mine on the other side.

The two parallel mountain down into the gorge below 1,000 feet, formed a green velvet “V”, the base was now cut off small slice of the blue river.

Go through the wooden block at Mile 16, rushed to the train 250 m long mountain tunnel, disappeared into the chasm of Glacier Gorge in him flickered as the horizontal rays of light on the granite walls of his voice in the dark phase in the middle so that dead perceptionless, respiration inhibition empty.

Inspiration Point in the 17th mile 0 and 2400 feet high, once paid a breathtaking view of Mount Harding and the Chilkat range, while the railway near the junction of the most widely used non-cantilever bridge which was built in 1901 was the highest in the world such as the design consists of the time.

again through the impenetrable darkness of sense-defying 675-foot tunnel at 18 miles swallowed. had 8, the three locomotives, 12 coaches, drilled through the mountains, avoiding a road suspension bridge across the ring before 1969, when they closed.

The valley of the multi-layers draped deep green, hung left.

Reduce speed to a crawl and threads its way through steep rock walls, which appeared on the scrap outside of Windows coach, the train crawled to the designated sub-arctic pine against the 2865 foot summit of White Pass for Canadian Minister of the Interior Thomas White in 1887 and located on the US-Canadian border, the proliferation of narrow-gauge tracks into three parts. The locomotive gently scolded his brakes and the chain of 15 units is no more an exercise in the cold, hard, thin air.

Silence, a sharp contrast with the constant hum at its origin Skagway, cried almost closed chapter in the history of the railroad, which had triggered the engineering, gold miners who once passed that way, but are no longer in force. He had been at the top of White Pass, where the mounted police, thousands of researchers, overwhelmed by the value of their year of supplies and equipment for survival in the cold north, between Canada and continue their expedition to the fields Klondike gold necessary authorized in the hope of earning wealth. Of the 40,000 who made the trip, only ten percent actually discovered the gold and had only a few hundred actually realized their dream of a rich “.”

For others, the journey itself, not the goal, the highest value of the adventure proved. Like life, the ultimate “purpose” in the distance, it sometimes seems that the path to a destination, and offers a better reward than the destination itself, but without the expectation of the objective or goal, is unlikely that the trip will be made at all. If anything, the gold rush was a lesson in life expectancy.

Detach and down following the 1296-meter cable, re-three locomotives to the (now) before the train and it pulls on the summit of White Pass and begins its gradual descent, tracing the path of descent into Skagway. During the return trip, I think this lesson …