Across The Icy Tanana
Northbound Alaska Railroad train 235N, the once a week Winter Aurora passenger train, has a baggage car, diner, and two coaches trailing a pair of SD70MACs as they cross over the mighty Tanana River on the Mears Memorial Bridge. The 700 ft long span designed by Modjeski and Angier and built by the American Bridge Company and is one of the longest simple thru truss spans in the world. It was the final link in the Alaska Railroad upon completion in 1923 and President Warren Harding traveled here, the first president to ever visit Alaska, to drive the golden spike at the north end of this bridge on July 15, 1923. The bridge is named for Colonel Frederick Mears of the Alaska Engineering Commission who served as chief engineer of the Alaska Railroad's construction. To learn more about Col. Mears check out this link: www.alaskahistory.org/biographies/mears-frederick/
The Tanana is one of Alaska's great rivers flowing 584 miles from the eastern edge of the state before emptying into the Yukon River. Take note of the black and white tripod with the flag sitting on the ice in the river. Since 1917 that has been Alaska's own unique version of the lottery when railroad workers revived an older practice of betting on the exact time the Tanana River ice will break up here. Today individuals throughout Alaska (and by mail from elsewhere) purchase tickets betweenn February 1 through April 5 of each year. You write in the exact date and time you think the tripod will move. It has a line extending to a tower on sure with a clock in it and once the tripod moves about 100 ft it will snap the line and stop the clock. Last years jackpot was over $220,000 and if you care to learn more or make a wager before it's too late check out this site for more info:
Nenana, Alaska
Tuesday March 14, 2017
Across The Icy Tanana
Northbound Alaska Railroad train 235N, the once a week Winter Aurora passenger train, has a baggage car, diner, and two coaches trailing a pair of SD70MACs as they cross over the mighty Tanana River on the Mears Memorial Bridge. The 700 ft long span designed by Modjeski and Angier and built by the American Bridge Company and is one of the longest simple thru truss spans in the world. It was the final link in the Alaska Railroad upon completion in 1923 and President Warren Harding traveled here, the first president to ever visit Alaska, to drive the golden spike at the north end of this bridge on July 15, 1923. The bridge is named for Colonel Frederick Mears of the Alaska Engineering Commission who served as chief engineer of the Alaska Railroad's construction. To learn more about Col. Mears check out this link: www.alaskahistory.org/biographies/mears-frederick/
The Tanana is one of Alaska's great rivers flowing 584 miles from the eastern edge of the state before emptying into the Yukon River. Take note of the black and white tripod with the flag sitting on the ice in the river. Since 1917 that has been Alaska's own unique version of the lottery when railroad workers revived an older practice of betting on the exact time the Tanana River ice will break up here. Today individuals throughout Alaska (and by mail from elsewhere) purchase tickets betweenn February 1 through April 5 of each year. You write in the exact date and time you think the tripod will move. It has a line extending to a tower on sure with a clock in it and once the tripod moves about 100 ft it will snap the line and stop the clock. Last years jackpot was over $220,000 and if you care to learn more or make a wager before it's too late check out this site for more info:
Nenana, Alaska
Tuesday March 14, 2017