White Pass - 1979

A while ago I posted some shots of the White Pass steam locos dumped in the Skagway River. These were from May 1979, so I thought I'd post some more scenes from that trip.

My wife, oldest daughter and I were visiting friends in Whitehorse, so made a round trip on the White Pass, spending three nights in Skagway. Our daughter was just one year old at the time, and taught us that kids are eminently portable - her first trip to Colorado was when she was just three months!

There were three engines and three coaches parked in front of the Whitehorse station, which looked like a heck of a lot of power for such a short train. We soon found out why when we picked up this string of ore cars just a couple miles outside of town. We had become a true mixed train.



There were usually only one or two coaches, but a crew member told us that over the winter, the rear coach (#256 - Lake LeBarge) had been converted into a "group car" in the Whitehorse shops. I gather this meant removing the row seats, and replacing them with moveable armchairs. It was deadheading to Skagway on the rear of the train, and there was no problem with our riding back there. Being the only passengers, the car's comfy seats and extended platform made it like having our own private car.



We had read in the paper that there had been a wreck a couple weeks previous, and we slowed as we passed it. Some of the cars were still scattered and loco 106 was waiting to be picked up.



The north and southbound mixed always met at Bennett, for the traditional beans lunch. Mike 73 and the Rotary were being worked on by a crew of men, who said they were extracting 73 for possible return to operation. I wrote to Bob Richardson and he put it in the Iron Horse News, but I was a little nervous I had the correct info - and of course it was as she's a feature of their steam program today.



To be continued.....