Coming Off The Whittier Branch
Here's another oldie to add to the ARR album here and the caption I wrote at the time when originally shared long ago on RP.net:
It's nearly 9 PM on Thursday evening as a pair of Alaska Railroad SD70MACs lead 67 car, 5500 ft. 120N freight north as they near the end of the 12 mile long Whittier Division and prepares to enter the Alaska Division mainline at MP 64.3. As the train rolls slowly up the north leg of the wye it is seen passing stands of dead trees that were essentially pickled in place following the terrible 1964 Good Friday Earthquake when the land here dropped 12 ft instantly. As a result the trees roots ended up below the water table which is salinated by the adjacent tidal waters of Turnagain Arm and over time the trees were killed but also preserved by the salt they absorbed from the sea water.
Portage, Alaska
Thursday July 24, 2008
Coming Off The Whittier Branch
Here's another oldie to add to the ARR album here and the caption I wrote at the time when originally shared long ago on RP.net:
It's nearly 9 PM on Thursday evening as a pair of Alaska Railroad SD70MACs lead 67 car, 5500 ft. 120N freight north as they near the end of the 12 mile long Whittier Division and prepares to enter the Alaska Division mainline at MP 64.3. As the train rolls slowly up the north leg of the wye it is seen passing stands of dead trees that were essentially pickled in place following the terrible 1964 Good Friday Earthquake when the land here dropped 12 ft instantly. As a result the trees roots ended up below the water table which is salinated by the adjacent tidal waters of Turnagain Arm and over time the trees were killed but also preserved by the salt they absorbed from the sea water.
Portage, Alaska
Thursday July 24, 2008