Re: WP&Y, who rides this, among train buffs?

A lot of comments that I read here is the distance. What is true?

I was never able to visit the line when it was a freight operating business before Oct. 1982.
But my love and interested started just in 1980. Far away from any internet or any railroad publication about the White Pass of today.

I started my first web page with White Pass material in 1994! Website at [www.whitepassfan.net]
Back in 1998 I founded the whitepassfanlist, a Yahoo group. [groups.yahoo.com]

If I look today on the Yahoo list, I see that around 480 individuals joined the list. But I can't tell you if all email addresses are still valid. My personal guessing is around 200 are reading the list frequently.

Since many years, the White Pass & Yukon Route sent out Calendars to their railfans. Started as a benefit to the list members and appreciation to their activity to spread out the good words about this wonderful Northern Railroad.

What I experienced over many years, was the lack of interest into railroad magazine about the White Pass. But this is also a result of rare travel of railroad buffs to Skagway and Whitehorse.
When I compare the situation today with the past, I must say that travel North today is much easier and cheaper than back then.

I fly normally every second year up to Whitehorse. I also drove the Alaska Highway twice.

There is a perfect flight schedule for all:

- Europeans, like Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Netherland use mostly the weekly direct flight from Frankfurt to Whitehorse. 8 1/2 nonstop flight.
- Europeans like the English, Scottish fly from London to Seattle, than Juneau and the Ferry to Skagway
- Americans from the lower 48, most fly into Juneau. Also a fast small plane service to Skagway
- Canadians using the Yukon's Airline Air North from Edmonton or Vancouver to fly to Whitehorse and Rent a car there.

From my point of knowledge, (there are much more possibilities) a round trip is less US $ 1000. And if you look in advantage you’ll find round trip for much less. Once I got a round trip from Air North for less than US-$ 400 from Vancouver to Whitehorse and back.

Yes, it is the cost to travel. But also the high motel and hotel cost. Nothing less than US-$ 100 per night.

Another lack of information is the reading material. I'm glad and happy that Morning Sun [www.morningsunbooks.com] is publishing a color book of the White Pass. Mostly cover the 1970 to 1982 area. This is correct. But I'm glad and happy to have A BOOK about the White Pass. This is the story of a very successfully railroad. Without the freight, the railroad may not survived.

And we have to consider that a railroad book need photos from railfans.

But the numbers of Kodachrome folks up North in the early years after WWII were low. If you like to see the actual White Pass, the most people’s got to the internet instead of by a book of actual photos. And Morning Sun is doing “only” color books.

I had contact to very well-known book writers, and I know that there are a few peoples writing a White Pass book over many years now. Please continue your work. We need more books!

But railfans, quite often are model railroaders, too.

Here is another big issue, why we don’t have a big numbers of WP&YR railfans?

Special narrow gauge in HO scale. Today’s market is Blackstone Models. Mostly D&RGW Ready to Run. They are great and also in a good price range. Yes, we have brass. But this is not a birthday present to yourself, kid or grandchild.
O scale. The numbers of On3 modeler is going down when the low budget On30 arrived. But cost drove the price for these plastic higher and higher. But no White Pass in O scale.
There is White Pass material in S Scale. But you must be a model builder to get them running.
Garden Railroad, LGB, yes, they were the only one who made something for White Pass. And I hear from people that the LGB White Pass material was the final point to know more about the railroad.

So there is a connection between Model Railroad and real railroad.


Spread out the good words about a wonderful international railroad.

A Canadian narrow gauge, based in the US – Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon.

And you’ll have them all.
Denver & Rio Grande Western, Silverton Northern, Pacific Cost, East Broad Top, Utah Northern, Colorado & Southern and much much more.
I think it is about our self. What we speak. What we bring out to the world.

Write more about the White Pass & Yukon Route. And more will have interest into this railroad. And Russo Loco wrote correctly. He experienced the D&RGW railroad in their last days. He has a personal link. Any others had an experience with the White Pass during their “only” diesel time. So don’t link to steam or so. It is railroading.

And Railroading is fun!

Yours,
Boerries

[www.whitepassfan.net]

And YES, I'll be back in Skagway and Whitehorse to ride the White Pass & Yukon Route





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2016 03:00AM by whitepasser.