Ridin' the Rails... AKRR Style

Like my buddy Richard Weisser, I am very much a train buff. My paternal grandfather was an engineer for Norfolk Southern, so perhaps I come by it naturally. Kathy, however, tends to think it's just a guy thing.

One of the activities we schedule for our summer visitors is a ride on the Alaska Railroad. The railroad maintains regular twice-daily summer passenger service between Fairbanks, Denali National park, Talkeetna and Anchorage.

While the scenery and service is spectacular no matter where you sit, be sure to opt for the new 89' domed GoldStar Service rail cars for an unforgettable experience. Staffed by friendly and knowledgable tour guides, I think it's one of the best ways to see the beauty of Alaska.

Founded in 1903 as the Alaska Central Railway, the Alaska Railroad was operated by the Federal government until it was purchased by the State of Alaska in 1985. In addition to almost 565,000 passengers, the railroad also moved roughly 6 million tons of freight last year. Not bad for a railroad with only 570+/- miles of track.

While the four hour train ride from Fairbanks to Denali is a wonderful introduction to Alaska, making the passage to Anchorage and on to Seward will leave you speechless. Be warned however, the trip from Fairbanks to Seward is roughly 18 hours and as much as I love it, we often opt for the rail/air package and fly home from Anchorage because it is a long trip.

Winter service is also available for those folks looking to ride the rails this winter. AKRR runs a southbound train to Anchorage on Saturdays and a northbound train to Fairbanks on Sundays. This is a flag-stop train that makes stops to pick up folks where necessary along the route or to let folks off where requested.