8/25/07 - 4th Day in Skagway

Today we took the White Pass & Yukon Route Steam Engine Excursion to Fraser Meadows. Pat wanted to take the steam rather than the diesel train. We had originally booked the trip for yesterday, but since it was pretty cloudy and overcast we were able to change our reservation to today with no problem. No other railroad is quite like the White Pass & Yukon Route. Against all odds, the narrow gauge iron trail was carved through some of the North's most rugged terrain in 1898. This engineering wonder climbs nearly 3,000 feet in 26 miles of steep grades and cliff-hanging turns. On July 21, 1898, two months after construction began, the railroad's first engine went into service over the first four miles of completed track. The railroad was considered an impossible task but it was literally blasted through coastal mountains in only 26 months over a centry ago. Building the track was a challenge in every way. Construction required cliff hanging turns of 16 degrees, building two tunnels and numerous bridges and trestles. Work on the tunnel at Mile 16 took place in the dead of winter with heavy snow and temperatures as low as 60 below slowed the work. Thirty five thousand men worked on the construction of the railroad....some for a day and others for a longer period. Wildlife sightings today: None If you want to see where we are currently (8/31/07) go to: http://map.datastormusers.com/user2.cfm?user=2430