Alaska Railroad

As more of a footnote than anything else, I thought it should be noted that the vessels connecting Alaska Railroad to the rest of North America are actually quite large. While not technically incorrect, calling them car ferries understates them a bit.

Here are a few statistics for you:

Alaska Marine Lines operates four of the barges, the Anchorage Provider, Fairbanks Provider, Nenana Provider, and Whittier Provider. They are each approximately 450 feet long and 100 feet wide, and have eight tracks. There are vertical stanchions that support shipping containers above the track area. When fully loaded, they can handle about 10,000 tons of railroad cargo and another 7,000 tons of container cargo. Depending on the length of the cars loaded, a full load is usually 40 to 50 freight cars. All of these barges operate between Whittier, AK, and Seattle, WA. The voyage is typically six to eight days in the summer and seven to ten in the winter. Occasionally winter voyages can be as long as 15 days if the weather does not cooperate. These barges operate on a weekly schedule all year.

Foss Marine operates a barge called Aquatrain, which was originally built and operated by the Canadian National Railway. It is only slightly smaller than the AML barges, but the most noticeable difference is the lack of container space. The Aquatrain carries only rail cars, and fully loaded it can move about 40 to 45 freight cars. It too has eight tracks, though because of some turnouts on the barge itself, only six tracks go to the stern of the barge. This barge operates between Whittier, AK, and Prince Rupert, BC. The voyage is typically four to seven days, and the barge operates continuously, year round.

It should be noted that all of the barges and the tugboats that tow them are large, ocean going vessels, and not the small car floats you might see in New York or other places. They regularly operate in swells over 15 feet high. There have been times when much larger cruise ships decide to stay in Whittier to wait out some bad weather, but the barges have started their voyage, despite the weather.

In the time these barges have been operating, the AML barges have not lost any rail cars at sea. The Aquatrain lost one propane tank car in the Gulf of Alaska, but that is a story for another day!

White Pass & Yukon

Although now a tourist line, then did run as a common carrier and I'm pretty sure there's no connections...

Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad.

At the western end of the former SP's Tillamook branch in Oregon, then short line Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad.  The line has been severed by storm damage mostly in the Salmonberry River Canyon. Oregon Coast Scenic is still active on the coastal end. All equipment is captive short of disassembling it and putting it on a highway truck.

WP&Y

The WP&Y is narrow gauge (3 foot). The list specified SG Only. There is or was lots of isolated NG Lines.

Hawaii Consolodated Railway

Not part of North America but ...

This was standard gauge in Hawaii County (the "Big Island"). Of course there were also dozens of plantations railways of various narrow gauges as well but most notably the Oahu Land & Railway, a common carrier of 3' gauge. It did connect with many of the plantations.  

Neil Erickson, Umauma, Hawaii

Copper River and Northwestern

I thought of one more.  This one is went defunct in 1938, but the Copper River and Northwestern operated between the docks at Cordova, Alaska, and the copper mine at Kennicott, Alaska.  Burlington Northern's rotary plow #972559 was originally built for this line and is apparently still in service on the BNSF.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rspicture.aspx?id=346173

Seattle and North Coast

The S&NC folded in 1984,  but ran from Port Townsend, Washington west about 40 miles or so to Port Angeles.  Its only connection to the rest of the nation's rail network came through a rail barge trip - another 45 miles or so - south to the Seattle waterfront and nearby yards serving BN and UP.  The Milwaukee also operated this route for many years before the North Coast took it over in 1980.

Panama Canal Railway

Perhaps on the edge of "North America".  Still in operation, and a great historical subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_Railway

http://www.panarail.com/en/new-pma-railroad/index.html

Also, an interesting subject if you are into container shipping. 

- Bob T.

PGE

From 1921 to 1953 the Pacific Great Eastern ran from Squamish British Columbia to Quesnel British Columbia as a comman carrier with it's only  connection a rail car ferry operating from Squamish to Vancouver.

Re: Panama Canal Railway

On that same note, if we also consider the Caribbean islands to be part of North America, there's also isolated standard gauge railroads in Cuba and Jamaica.  The Cuban ones interchanged with US railroads via ferry prior to the embargo too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_India_Fruit_and_Steamship_Company

Black Mesa & Lake Powell RR

Runs between powerplant and Black Mesa coal mine in extreme northern Arizona, all elecrified, all equipment had to be trucked north from the ATSF in Flagstaff.

Quebec Iron and Titanium Railway

The QIT connects the port in Havre St. Pierre, Quebec to the QIT mine approximately 26 miles north of the port.  The mine is isolated, only rail accessible so they run passenger trains for mine personnel.  Quite an interesting operation, it is one of the largest titanium mines in the world.  Ore is shipped to the QIT plant near Montreal. 

re: re: Panama Canal Railway

Does this qualify as a SG Railway? It is 5' gauge after all!!

I know I'm being picky!!  

Panama Canal Railway

Although it was originally five foot gauge, the Panama Canal Railway was converted to standard gauge in 2001 when the Kansas City Southern took it over and modernized it.

re: re: re: Panama Canal Railway

Your right I forgot it was converted by KCS!!

I'll now go and hide my face in the corner!

I hope the Prof doesn't read this!!

S&NC

I modeled this line for years right out of college - quite a few years ago. 

Wasn't this originally the Port Townsend Southern (or similar)? My family was from Sequim and Discovery Bay so spent quite a bit of time walking these rails and fishing off the pile bridges. I remember the ferry as well. I thought the Milwaukee Road took over this route. Is it no longer running? 

Neil Erickson

S&NC

Neil:

The Milwaukee turned it over to Seattle and North Coast in about 1980, and the line was bankrupt about four years later.  The equipment was scattered and the track was torn up, with the right of way now used as a hiking trail.  Those green and yellow box cars still show up every once in a while, though!

Neil

Only the portion operated as far as Discovery Bay was the Port Townsend Southern.

As mentioned, the last train S&NC through Sequim was June/July 1984. Parts of the old roadbed can be discerned here and these, and the old bridge over the Dungeness River -- ah, the fun I and my brothers and friends had camping there in the mid-1970s -- is now a park.

The old Milwaukee Road depot/freighthouse in Port Angeles is still extant, appropriately enough as a hobby shop.

One of my fondest memories is of the Milwaukee passing through Sequim late at night or before dawn in the summer, one of its SD-9s blowing for the grade crossings.

Panama railway locomotive

Panama railway locomotive photos. I just might have a few photos you guys are interested in. I took these on my

recent visit to Roanoke, VA. 

Hope you guys enjoy the photos. At the time I do not know why I even photographed it. It is not a unit I expect to model and none of my fellow club members are likely to either. I do have more photos of it but could not get far enough away for a real good broadside of it.

Mt Washington Cog railway

NG road. lol

Rich

Mt Washington

Its track is built to 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) gauge, which is technically a narrow gauge, as it is a 1/2-inch less than 4 ft 8 1/2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge.

Milwaukee SD-9 in Port Angeles

I was taking photos in the S&NC Bayside Yard in Port Angeles, probably in late 1980, and a very friendly engineer asked me if i wanted to take the throttle.  He let me move that orange and black SD-9 50 yards or so and spot it under the sand tower.  Nice guy!  And a fun memory.  Google Earth would seem to indicate that all traces of the sand tower, yard, engine shed, fuel storage tank, turning wye and everything else except the yard office are long gone now.