I visited the WP&YR back in 2011 when they did the rotary run. I looked at it as perhaps my last chance to see a steam rotary in action, and perhaps the best available opportunity to photograph all of the remaining steam equipment up there at one time. It was 4 days, and the trip of a lifetime. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
White Pass Rotary Pics
I think there are several reasons why not many NG enthusiasts ever make it up there. First and foremost is the remoteness. It is much farther from the lower 48 than most people think. You really have to either fly or take a cruise. Doing it any other way takes too much time. If you do go, you can experience the train ride, which is spectacular, but your photos of the place are likely to be limited to what you can get in town and in the yards. You can also take shots from the train. If you're up there and you do have a car, there are still relatively limited opportunities to "chase" this line in the conventional sense. They rarely do photo charters, and the ones that do happen are extraordinarily expensive.
Remoteness and cost are the two biggest impediments to experiencing the White Pass line.
/Kevin Madore