Dale,
Is there anything train related relatively close to the ship docks? I think I'll have 3 or 4 hours of free time in Vancouver, and it might be fun to do a bit of railfanning there.
I'll dig out my May '06 Trains tonight!
-ChrisWest Chicago, ILChristopher May Fine Art Photography"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams
CopCarSS wrote: Thanks, everyone for the replies! I will be departing from Vancouver, so I'll be sure to wave at Dale as I go by!
Thanks, everyone for the replies! I will be departing from Vancouver, so I'll be sure to wave at Dale as I go by!
Wave pretty hard, you'll be about 25 miles from me!
The former BC Rail yard in North Vancouver will be a lot closer to you before you go under Lions Gate Bridge, and those bright yellow piles over there is sulfur.
Try to get a seat on the WP&Y on the west side of the train. We've had three weeks of sunshine, hopefully it lasts long enough for you to enjoy!
Got your May 2006 issue of Trains handy?
Thanks again!
Copcar
You will be riding a bit of history. WPYR Skagway (American Subdivision) has the motive power and car shops for the railway. If you're lucky you might be able to get a tour of the shops.
The line north is an engineering wonder. the ruling grade is nearly 3% in places. Make sure you look south from the cantiliver bridge IIRC. You will see views of the Lynn Canal that are spectacular! You will see tunnels, bridges and cribbing in the most improbable places. Max Speed is 25MPH and is restricted in a number of locations, especially bridges and tunnels. There are pictoral opportunities galore! No open cars that I am aware of now.
There used to be a number of historical signs and markers along the ROW naming points of interest from the 1898 Yukon Gold Rush. Hope they're still there.
You will travel through three climatic zones: Coast, Subarctic Tundra and Interior Forest. Each is quite evident. To me this was fascinating. It still is, in that they all occur within a distance of 25 miles.
Bennett eating house is a piece of history in its own right. It used to be the lunch stop for #1 southbound and #1 northbound as well as being the Bennett Section's base of operation. They served (and still serve I understand) a good meal. In my day it was 2.50 Cad. Bet it's more now. If you have time at Bennett go up the hill across the yard tracks to the church and whatever remnants of the winter of 1898 remain. There used to be a lot of historical artifacts. I understand the Eating house has a historical display as well as enterrtainment from time to time.
The views up Bennett Lake are spectacular. I lived at Carcoss back in the 70's and still can see the views in my mind's eye.
Enjoy your trip.
Charlie
Chilliwack, BC
I was on the Holland America cruise that was stopped at Skagway, but we were there in a "heat wave" (which was still pretty cold!) and there was a slamm avalanche, so all the trains were cancelled while they cleared the snow off the tracks. I never got to ride on it...
We departed from Vancouver, BC, which has a bridge leading from the ferry dock to the port that has a great view of the CP Rail (I think, it's the one used by the Vancouver commuter rail, anyway) yard.
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
mudchicken wrote:Got passport? (Used to be that a driver's license, a SS card and a birth certificate got you over the border, but no longer).....
Chris should have no trouble entering Canada. Returning home is the hard part.
Good Morning Everyone,
So as you all may have heard, I'll be checking out a (tiny!) bit of Alaska at the end of the month on a cruise. I've reserved a spot on the White Pass & Yukon up to Bennet Lake and back. I was just curious if any of you have ever ridden on the line and cn fill me in on what to expect. Also, by nature, I'm curious about the photo opportunities while on the train. Are there any open cars like the C&TS runs?
Thanks in advance!
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