Alaska Canada Railroad

[caldreamer]

I do not understand what the problem is.  The US army built the Trans Alaska Highway from Vancouver to Anchorage.  It is now a nice paved highway.  Just build the ROW next to the highway.  The area next to the highway is pretty well cleared.  NO WHERE AS MUCH WORK OR COST.  Why make 10 times a much work for your self when you do not have too. Does no take Albert Einsteins to figure that one out. 

    Caldreamer

[Murphy Siding]

caldreamer

I do not understand what the problem is.  The US army built the Trans Alaska Highway from Vancouver to Anchorage.  It is now a nice paved highway.  Just build the ROW next to the highway.  The area next to the highway is pretty well cleared.  NO WHERE AS MUCH WORK OR COST.  Why make 10 times a much work for your self when you do not have too. Does no take Albert Einsteins to figure that one out. 

    Caldreamer

 

Judging from what I've read about the contruction of the AlCan Highway and what my parents told me about driving up it to Alaska back before it was paved, I'd have to question if the grades and the subsoil wouldn't be a deal-killer.

[samfp1943]

Murphy Siding

MidlandMike

Murphy Siding

 Again, I wonder. Why not a refinery where the bitumen/ oil sands are and a pipeline to the port of Valdez?

Are you talking about a simple upgrader which would convert the bitumen to syncrude to send thru a pipeline?  There are some in northern Alberta, but it does not seem to be a popular option.  Or are you talking about a major refinery to produce multiple products which would create their own multiple transportation requirements?

I obviously don't know anything refineries or pipelines. I'm just thinking that a pipeline through rugged country would be easier than a rail line. To be fair, I doubt that either a rail line or a pipeline; or a refinery for that matter, would be popular.

 

It was around about 2010 that the ARR started to push for an extension to the area of Delta Jct.  Costs were going to be somewhere around $150M ($40M or so from the State of Ak)[ the US Gov was to come in at about $100M]. The major construction obstacle was the Tanana R bridge (was competed in about 2014) but then the State ran inot financial issues due to the falling price of crude oil(?). So the completion has been backed off(?).

 The larger of the in-state petroleum refineries was the one near North Pole,Ak.   Its' feed was off the TAP (Trans Ak Pipeline to port at Valdez).  It was built around the late 1970's by Williams petroleum(?). It was sold to Flint Hills Refining[Koch Bros] about 2004. At some [point after that, it was discovered to have some groundwater 'issues' from leaking products(?).]    So Flint Hills mothballed the facility and not being able to find another buyer has started demolition(?)

See Link @https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2014/apr/21/did-koch-brothers-run-alaskan-oil-refinery-ground/

There is another refinery in that area that is locally owned, and lower capacity, but apparently, growing that capacity(?) Petrostar is a locally owned operator that apparently is also a retailer of ptroleum products(?). 

Point being, that there is at present, already, a limited anount of in-state refining capacity along the potential routing of the ARR, and its possible linkage to the Canadian extension. 

Maybe, this will be something that will be of interest to follow on this Forum?

[MidlandMike]

Those small refineries near Fairbanks were for local consumption, so I don't know what a Canadian tie-in would be.

[SD70Dude]

Paul_D_North_Jr

See: "To Alaska or bust on a mixed train - British Columbia Railway's Dease Lake line" by McMillan, Joe, and  Patterson, Steve - Trains, August 1986,  pg. 25; and,

"3 Budds, 7 days, 2446 miles - Excursion covering entire British Columbia Railway" by Ingles, J. David - Trains, February 1988, pg. ?

- Paul North.

Ask and you shall receive, I'm only 8 years late!

https://mrr.trains.com/-/media/Files/PDF/2017/TRN81986_2535Lowerres.pdf

http://mrr.trains.com/-/media/Files/PDF/2017/1988_1819.pdf

And while not particularly exciting, this is the only video footage I have ever seen of a train on the Takla Subdivision (Dease Lake line):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w19tugri8Yc

The third locomotive is painted for the short-lived "Whistler Northwind" excursion train.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Thanks for posting those links for everyone's education, information, and enjoyment! 

Don't know that the 'pro-development of the wilderness' tone of the last page of the 1986 article would be popular today. 

- PDN.