The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) (AAR reporting marks WPY) is a narrow gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska with Whitehorse, the capital of Canada's Yukon Territory. An isolated system, it has no connection to any other railroad. The railroad is operated by the Pacific and Arctic Railway and Navigation Company (in Alaska), the British Columbia Yukon Railway Company (in British Columbia) and the British Yukon Railway Company, originally known as the British Yukon Mining, Trading and Transportation Company (in Yukon Territory), which use the trade name White Pass and Yukon Route. White Pass and Yukon Route logo, copyrighted, assumed fair use. ... Reporting marks on two CP Rail covered hoppers passing Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, June 20, 2004. ... Official language(s) English[1] Spoken language(s) English 85. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km... Motto: none Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Whitehorse Largest city Whitehorse Commissioner Jack Cable Premier Dennis Fentie (Yukon Party) Area 482,443 km² (9th)  - Land 474,391 km²  - Water 8,052 km² (1. ... Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Broadway Avenue, Skagway, May 2007. ... Reporting marks on two CP Rail covered hoppers passing Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, June 20, 2004. ... Comparison of standard gauge (blue) and one common narrow gauge (red) width. ... Broadway Avenue, Skagway, May 2007. ... Motto: Our People, Our Strength Coordinates: Country Canada Territory Yukon County Established 1898 Government  - City Mayor Bev Buckway  - Governing body Whitehorse City Council  - MPs Larry Bagnell  - MLAs Todd Hardy Elaine Taylor Arthur Mitchell Glenn Hart Area  - City 416. ... Motto: none Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Whitehorse Largest city Whitehorse Commissioner Jack Cable Premier Dennis Fentie (Yukon Party) Area 482,443 km² (9th)  - Land 474,391 km²  - Water 8,052 km² (1. ... Official language(s) English[1] Spoken language(s) English 85. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km... Motto: none Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Whitehorse Largest city Whitehorse Commissioner Jack Cable Premier Dennis Fentie (Yukon Party) Area 482,443 km² (9th)  - Land 474,391 km²  - Water 8,052 km² (1. ...

Construction

White Pass and Yukon Route map

The line was born of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. The most popular route taken by prospectors to the gold fields in Dawson City was a treacherous route from the nearest port in Skagway or Dyea, Alaska across the mountains to the Canadian border at the summit of the Chilkoot Pass or the White Pass. There, the prospectors would not be allowed across by the Canadian authorities unless they had a full ton of supplies with them. There was a need for a better transportation scheme than the pack horses used over the White Pass or people's backs over the Chilkoot Pass. This need generated numerous railroad schemes. In 1897, the Canadian government received 32 proposals for Yukon railroads, most of which were never realized. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A typical gold mining operation, on Bonanza Creek. ... Prospecting is the act of searching for minerals or ore deposits. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Standard atomic weight 196. ... The Town of the City of Dawson or Dawson City is a town in the Yukon Territory, Canada. ... Taiya River estuary and site of Dyea at the beginning of the Chilkoot Trail (October 2005) Dyea is a mostly-abandoned town in the U.S. state of Alaska. ... Chilkoot Pass (el. ... The White Pass is a mountain pass through the Coast Mountains in Alaska and British Columbia that leads from Skagway, Alaska, United States to the town of Bennett, British Columbia, Canada on Lake Bennett. ... A pack animal is a beast of burden used by humans as means of transporting materials by attaching them so their weigh bears on the animals back; the term may be applied to either an individual animal or a species so employed. ...

In 1897, three separate companies were organized to build a rail link from Skagway to Fort Selkirk, Yukon, 325 miles (523 km) away. Largely financed by British investors, a railroad was soon under construction. A 3 foot (914 mm) gauge was chosen; the narrower roadbed required by a narrow gauge railroad made for big cost savings when that roadbed had to be carved and blasted out of the mountain rock. Even so, 450 tons of explosives were used to reach White Pass summit. The narrow gauge also allowed for a tighter radius to be used on curves, making the task easier by allowing the railroad to follow the landscape more, rather than having to be blasted through it. Fort Selkirk was a trading post on the Pelly River where it flows into the Yukon River in Canadas Yukon Territory. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... The White Pass is a mountain pass through the Coast Mountains in Alaska and British Columbia that leads from Skagway, Alaska, United States to the town of Bennett, British Columbia, Canada on Lake Bennett. ...

Construction started in May 1898, but they ran into some roadblocks in dealing with the local city government and the town's crime boss, Soapy Smith. The President, Samuel Graves, was elected as chairman of the vigilante organization that was trying to expel Soapy and his gang of confidence men and rogues. On the evening of July 8, 1898, Soapy Smith was killed in a gunfight with the guards at one of the vigilante's meetings. Samuel Graves witnessed the shooting. The railroad helped block off the escape routes of the gang, aiding in their capture, and the remaining roadblocks in Skagway subsided. On July 21, 1898, an excursion train hauled passengers for four miles (6.4 km) out of Skagway, the first train to operate in Alaska. On July 30, 1898, the charter rights and concessions of the three companies were acquired by the White Pass & Yukon Railway Company Limited, a new company organized in London. Construction reached the 2,885-foot (879.35 m) summit of White Pass, 20 miles (32.2 km) away from Skagway, by mid-February 1899. The railway reached Bennett, British Columbia on July 6, 1899. In the summer of 1899, construction started north from Carcross to Whitehorse, 110 miles (177 km) north of Skagway. The construction crews working from Bennett along a difficult lakeshore reached Carcross the next year, and the last spike was driven on July 29, 1900, with service starting on August 1, 1900. However, by then, much of the Gold Rush fever had died down. Jefferson Randolph Soapy Smith (1860-1898) Jefferson Randolph (Soapy) Smith II (1860-July 8, 1898) was an American con artist and gangster who had a major hand in the organized criminal affairs and operations of Denver, Colorado, Creede, Colorado, and Skagway, Alaska from 1879 to 1898. ... is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Bennett, British Columbia, Canada is a mostly-abandoned town next to Lake Bennett. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Carcross Carcross, originally Caribou Crossing, is an unincorporated community and a Reserve in the Yukon Territory of Canada on Lake Bennett and Nares Lake. ... July 29 is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ...

At the time, the gold spike was actually a regular iron spike. A gold spike was on hand, but the gold was too soft and instead of being driven, was just hammered out of shape.

"Drumhead" logos such as this often adorned the ends of observation cars on the WP&Y.

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The term drumhead refers to a type of removable lighted sign that was prevalent on American railroads of the first half of the 20th century. ...

Operations before World War II

As the gold rush wound down, serious professional mining was taking its place; not so much for gold as for other metals such as copper, silver and lead. The closest port was Skagway, and the only route there was via the White Pass & Yukon Route's river boats and railroad. General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic pinkish red Standard atomic weight 63. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Standard atomic weight 107. ... For Pb as an abbreviation, see PB. General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series Post-transition metals or poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish gray Standard atomic weight 207. ...

While ores and concentrates formed the bulk of the traffic, the railroad also carried passenger traffic, and other freight. There was, for a long time, no easier way into the Yukon Territory, and no other way into or out of Skagway except by sea.

Financing and route was in place to extend the rails from Whitehorse to Carmacks, but there was chaos in the river transportation service, resulting in a bottleneck. The White Pass instead used the money to purchase most of the riverboats, providing a steady and reliable transportation system between Whitehorse and Dawson City.

While the WP&YR never built between Whitehorse and Fort Selkirk, some minor expansion of the railway occurred after 1900. In 1901, the Taku Tram, a 2½-mile (4 km) portage railroad was built at Taku City, British Columbia, which was operated until 1951. It carried passengers and freight between the S.S. Tutshi operating on Tagish Lake and the M.V. Tarahne operating across Atlin Lake to Atlin, British Columbia. (While the Tutshi was destroyed by a suspicious fire around 1990, the Tarahne was restored and hosts special dinners including murder mysteries. Lifeboats built for the Tutshi's restoration were donated to the Tarahne.) The Taku Tram could not even turn around, and simply backed up on its westbound run. The locomotive used, the Duchess, is now in Carcross. For the Gentoo Linux package manager, see Portage (software). ... Atlin is a community in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on Atlin Lake. ...

In 1910, the WP&YR operated a branch line to Pueblo, a mining area near Whitehorse. This branch line was abandoned in 1918; a haul-road follows that course today but is mostly barricaded; a Whitehorse Star editorial in the 1980s noted that this route would be an ideal alignment if the Alaska Highway should ever require a bypass reroute around Whitehorse.

While all other railroads in the Yukon (such as the Klondike Mines Railroad at Dawson City) had been abandoned by 1914, the WP&YR continued to operate.

During the Great Depression, traffic was sparse on the WP&YR, and for a time trains operated as infrequently as once a week. The Great Depression started after October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. ...

World War II

With the outbreak of World War II, things took a distinct turn for the busier. Alaska became of strategic importance for the United States; there was much worry that the Japanese might invade it, as the nearest part of the United States to Japan. The US Army took control, bringing some newly built and many used steam locomotives (such as the USATC S118 Class) brought from closed US narrow gauge lines to the railroad. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Queensland Railways AC16 Class no. ...

There are two persistent myths that show up in almost every book or article which mentions the role of the White Pass & Yukon Route in the building of the Alcan Highway during the Second World War. The myths concern the eleven new 2-8-2 MacArthur type locomotives that the US Army brought to the WP&YR in 1943. Myth #1 is that they were converted from meter gauge to 3 foot gauge by the WP&YR shops in Skagway Alaska. Myth #2 is that they were built for Iran and diverted to the WP&YR. Neither myth is true.

These locomotives, designated USA 190 to USA 200, were constructed by Baldwin Locomotive Works as 36" gauge and shipped fully assembled. No modification was needed. The MacArthur was designed by the American Locomotive Company for 42" gauge and the smaller gauges were cleverly accommodated with various sized spacers in strategic locations and different length axles. In total, nearly 800 MacArthurs were produced by ALCO, Baldwin, and a few other manufacturers.

The reason USA 190-200 were never destined for "Iran" as it's often mistakenly stated in books relating WP&YR history, is that Iran's government railway was standard gauge. Also, because of scarce water and extensive tunnels, Iran was the first case where the Army primarily used diesel locomotives. USATC narrow gauge locomotives were never destined for Iran.

The first locomotives of the MacArthur design that Baldwin Locomotive Works built were USA 190-200 for the WP&YR, which makes them unique. This initial 1942 sales order to Baldwin for 60 MacArthur meter gauge [39 3/8"] locomotives was for India's extensive meter gauge railway system. The first eleven were diverted to the WP&YR as 36", the next 15 went to India as meter gauge, another 20 went to Queensland Ry as 42", and the remaining 14 were meter gauge for India where the order was destined before the Alaskan and Australian diversions. Therefore if the WP&YR MacArthurs were diverted from anywhere it would have been India, not Iran.

from: (http://www.whitepassfan.net/whitepass/home/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=41&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0) sources: R. Tourret, 1995 – "Allied Military Railroads of the Second World War" Carl R. Gray, 1955 - "Railroading in Eighteen Countries"

The White Pass saw record volumes of traffic as it served as a vital supply route for construction materials for the new Alaska Highway and other projects. As many as 17 trains were operated daily. In one record period of 24 hours, 37 trains rolled into Whitehorse. Map of Alaska Highway (in red) The Alaska Highway, also the Alaskan Highway, Alaska-Canadian Highway, and the Alcan Highway, runs from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Fairbanks, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. ...

1946-1982

The White Pass steam locomotive is shown here between Bennett, British Columbia and Skagway

The present day White Pass diesel locomotive is shown here at Skagway, Alaska

In 1951, the White Pass and Yukon Corporation Ltd., a new holding company, was incorporated to acquire the three railway companies comprising the WP&YR from the White Pass and Yukon Company, Ltd., which was in liquidation. The railway was financially restructured. While most other narrow gauge systems in North America were closing around this time, the WP&YR remained open. White Pass steam locomotive, shown between Bennett, British Columbia and Skagway, Alaska. ... White Pass steam locomotive, shown between Bennett, British Columbia and Skagway, Alaska. ... Union Pacific Big Boy #4012 at work on a cold November 29, 1941 A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. ... Bennett, British Columbia, Canada is a mostly-abandoned town next to Lake Bennett. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 234 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Yufei Yuan on August 12th, 2005. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 234 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Yufei Yuan on August 12th, 2005. ... A modern Diesel locomotive. ... Broadway Avenue, Skagway, May 2007. ...

The railroad dieselised in the mid to late 1950s, one of the few North American narrow gauge railroads to do so. The railroad bought shovelnose diesels from General Electric, and later road-switchers from American Locomotive Company (Alco) and Montreal Locomotive Works, as well as a few small switchers. This article is about the American company. ... Alco and ALCO redirect here. ... Montreal Locomotive Works builders plate, 1913 Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883-1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. ...

The railroad was an early pioneer of intermodal freight traffic, commonly called container; advertising of the time referred to it as the Container Route. With custom built container ships, railroad cars and truck trailers, the White Pass showed the benefits of intermodal transportation early - a single container, loaded in the Yukon territory, could be transported anywhere in the world without needing to be opened and reloaded, whether transported by road, rail, or sea. The WP&YR owned the world's first container ship (the Clifford J. Rogers, built in 1955), and in 1956 introduced containers. Shipping containers at a terminal in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey. ... An intermodal train carrying both shipping containers and highway semi-trailers in piggyback service, on flatcars, passes through the Cajon Pass in February, 1995. ... Clifford J Rogers may refer to: Clifford Joy Rogers (1897–1962), Governor of Wyoming , the worlds first container ship, operated by the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad Clifford J. Rogers, author writing on military history This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same...

The Faro lead-zinc mine opened in 1969. The railway was upgraded with seven new 1200 horsepower (890 kW) locomotives from the Alco, new freight cars, ore buckets, a "straddle carrier" at Whitehorse to transfer from the railway's new fleet of trucks, a new ore dock at Skagway, and assorted work on the rail line to improve alignment. In the fall of 1969, a new tunnel and bridge that bypassed Dead Horse Gulch were built to replace the tall steel cantilever bridge that could not carry the heavier trains. This enormous investment made the company dependent on continued ore traffic to earn the revenue, and left the railway vulnerable to loss of that ore-carrying business. Faro is a small town in central Yukon, Canada, formerly the home of the largest open pit lead-zinc mine in the world as well as a significant producer of silver and other natural resource ventures. ... General Name, Symbol, Number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Standard atomic weight 65. ... hp, see HP (disambiguation) The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... The watt (symbol: W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one joule per second. ... A Straddle Carrier is a road going truck or semi-trailer used to hoist, stack and transport ISO standard containers. ...

As well, passenger traffic on the WP&YR was increasing as cruise ships started to visit Alaska's Inside Passage. There was no road from Skagway to Whitehorse until 1978. Even after the road was built, the White Pass still survived on the ore traffic from the mines. Part of the Inside Passage. ...

During this time, the green-yellow engine colour scheme, with a thunderbird on the front, was replaced with blue, patterned with black and white. (The green-yellow scheme was restored in the early 1990s, along with the thunderbird. As of 2005, however, one engine still has the blue colour scheme. The steam engines, however, remain basic black.) Depiction of a Thunderbird on a Totem Pole The mythological Thunderbird is a mythical creature common to Indigenous spirituality in North America . ...

White Pass and Yukon Route No 93

In 1982, metal prices plunged, striking with devastating effect on the mines that were the White Pass and Yukon Route's main customers. Many, including the Faro lead-zinc mine, closed down, and with that traffic gone, the White Pass was doomed as a commercial railroad. Hopeful of a reopening, the railway ran at a significant loss for several months, carrying only passengers. However, the railway closed down on October 7, 1982. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 500 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1000 pixel, file size: 382 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) White Pass and Yukon Route No 93; taken June 9, 2006. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 500 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1000 pixel, file size: 382 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) White Pass and Yukon Route No 93; taken June 9, 2006. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (281st in leap years). ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ...

The Northwestel telephone directory issued for April 1, 1982 for Yukon and Northern British Columbia, carried on its cover (wraparound front and back) a photograph, provided by White Pass, of a White Pass train, led by Engine 98, traveling south through Bennett, an irony, as the trains were no longer running for more than half the time the directory was in use. This article needs to be wikified. ...

The 1982 Northwestel telephone directory, showing a White Pass train at Bennett

Some of the road's Alco diesels were sold to a railroad in Colombia, and the newer Alco diesels on order with Alco's Canadian licensee MLW (Montreal Locomotive Works) were sold to US Gypsum in Plaster City, California. Only one of these modern narrow gauge diesels, the last narrow gauge diesel locomotives built for a North American customer, was delivered to the White Pass. The five diesels sold to Colombia were not used as they were too heavy, and were re-acquired in 1999 - one was nearly lost at sea during a storm as it broke loose on the barge and slowly rolled over the edge. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 795 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image is of a book cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned either by the artist who created the cover or... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 795 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image is of a book cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned either by the artist who created the cover or... Montreal Locomotive Works builders plate, 1913 Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883-1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. ... USG Corporation (NYSE: USG), also known as United States Gypsum Corporation, is a Fortune 500 (rank 420 in 2006) company that manufactures construction materials. ... USG Corporation NYSE: USG, also known as United States Gypsum Corporation, is a Fortune 500 (rank 458 in 2004) company that manufactures construction materials. ...

Revival, 1988-present

The enticing beautiful scenery near Fraser, BC.

Parlor cars seen at Fraser, BC.

White Pass steam locomotive rounds a curve, with dramatic scenery reflected in the windows.

The shutdown, however, was not for long. Tourism to Alaska began to increase, with many cruise ships stopping at Skagway. The dramatic scenery of the White Pass' route sounded like a great tourist draw; and the rails of the White Pass & Yukon Route were laid right down to the docks, even along them, for the former freight and cruise ship traffic. Cruise operators, remembering the attraction of the little mountain climbing trains to their passengers, pushed for a re-opening of the line as a heritage railway. The White Pass was and is perfectly positioned to sell a railroad ride through the mountains to cruise ship tourists; they don't even have to walk far. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 237 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Yufei Yuan on August 12th, 2005. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 237 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Yufei Yuan on August 12th, 2005. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 240 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Yufei Yuan on August 12th, 2005. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 240 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Yufei Yuan on August 12th, 2005. ... White Pass steam locomotive, on a curve showing scenery. ... White Pass steam locomotive, on a curve showing scenery. ... Tourists on Oahu, Hawaii Tourism is travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes or the provision of services to support this leisure travel. ... Pacific Sky sails under Sydney Harbour Bridge A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ... A scene on a heritage railway. ...

Following a deal between White Pass and the United Transportation Union representing Alaska employees of the road, the White Pass Route was reopened between Skagway and White Pass in 1988 purely for tourist passenger traffic. The White Pass Route also bid on the ore-haul from the newly reopened Faro mine, but its price was considerably higher than road haulage over the Klondike Highway. Iron ore (Banded iron formation) Manganese ore Lead ore Gold ore An ore is a volume of rock containing components or minerals in a mode of occurrence which renders it valuable for mining. ... The Klondike Highway is a highway that leads from Skagway, Alaska in the United States to Dawson City, Yukon in Canada. ...

The railway still uses vintage parlor cars, the oldest built in 1883 and predating WP&YR by 15 years, and eight new cars built in 2005 follow the same 19th century design. At least three cars have wheelchair lifts.

A work train actually reached Whitehorse in late August, 1988, its intent being to haul two locomotives, parked in Whitehorse for six years, to Skagway to be overhauled and used on the tourist trains. While in Whitehorse for approximately one week, it hauled the parked rolling stock - flatcars, tankers and a caboose - out of the downtown area's sidings, and the following year, they were hauled further south, many eventually sold. Most of the tracks in downtown Whitehorse have now been torn up, and the line's terminus is six city blocks south of the old train depot at First Avenue and Main Street. A single new track along the waterfront enables the operation, by a local historical society, of a tram for tourist purposes.

After customs and Canadian labour union jurisdictional issues were resolved, the WP&YR main line reopened to Fraser in 1989, and Bennett in 1992. A train reached Carcross in 1997 to participate in the Ton of Gold centennial celebration. A special passenger run, by invitation only, was made from Carcross to Whitehorse on October 10, 1997, and there are plans to eventually re-open the entire line to Whitehorse if a market exists. So far, the tracks are only certified to Carcross by the Canadian Transportation Agency; on July 29, 2006, White Pass ran a train to Carcross and announced passenger service to begin in May 2007, six trains per week, with motorcoach return trips. October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years). ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ...

WP&YR acquired some rolling stock from CN's Newfoundland operations, which shut down in November, 1988; the acquisition definitely included gravel cars, still painted in CN orange; it is uncertain if, as reported in 1989, some passenger cars such as dining cars were also acquired; since WP&YR does not use dining cars, they would have been converted to parlor cars in vintage design. The Canadian National Railway (CN; AAR reporting marks CN, CNA, CNIS), known as Canadian National Railways (CNR) between 1918 and 1960, and Canadian National/Canadien National (CN) from 1960 to present, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. ... Newfoundland Railway logo or herald (used 1926-1949) The Newfoundland Railway was a historic railway that operated on the island of Newfoundland and was the longest narrow gauge railway system in North America. ...

Most trains are hauled by the line's diesel locomotives, attractively painted in green (lower) and yellow (upper), but one of the line's original steam locomotives is still in operation too, #73, a 2-8-2 Mikado-type locomotive. Another steam locomotive, #40 a 2-8-0 Consolidation type locomotive was on loan from the Georgetown Loop railroad in Colorado for upwards of 5 years, but was returned after only 2 years. Former WP&Y 69, a 2-8-0 has been acquired, rebuilt and is expected to be in use in 2006. PRR 520, on display at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum, Strasburg, Pennsylvania, in 1993. ... Mikado is: (jap. ... A Chinese-built 2-8-0 on display at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, WI, April 26, 2004. ...

White Pass and Yukon Route shops in Skagway, Alaska

Also operational, a few times a year, is an original steam-powered rotary snowplow, an essential device in the line's commercial service days. While it is not needed as the tourist season is only in the summer months, it is a spectacle in operation, though, and the White Pass runs the steam plow for railfan groups once or twice a winter, pushed by two diesel locomotives (in 2000 only, it was pushed by two steam locomotives, #73 and #40). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 461 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 922 pixel, file size: 354 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) White Pass and Yukon Route shops in Skagway, Alaska; taken June 9, 2006. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 461 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 922 pixel, file size: 354 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) White Pass and Yukon Route shops in Skagway, Alaska; taken June 9, 2006. ... A rotary snowplow from the Oregon Short Line on display at the Mid Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, WI. A rotary snowplow is a piece of railroad snowfighting equipment. ... Railfans practicing their hobby at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. ... Winter is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. ...

The centennial of the Golden Spike at Carcross was reenacted on July 29, 2000, complete with two steam engines meeting nose-to-nose (#73 and #40), and a gold-coated steel spike being driven by a descendant of WP&YR contractor Michael James Heney. Michael James (MJ) Heney was a railroad contractor of international renown, best known for his work on the first two railroads built in Alaska, the White Pass and Yukon Route and the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. ...

One organization chartered a steam-pulled train from Carcross to Fraser, with a stopover at Bennett, on Friday, June 24, 2005. When expected participants seemed unlikely to arrive in the planned numbers, surplus seats were sold to the public, 120 USD or 156 CAD, with bus return to Carcross from Fraser. This represents the first paid passenger trips out of Carcross since 1982, a feature that will be regular starting in 2007.

White Pass president Gary Danielsen advised a CBC Radio interviewer that service to Whitehorse would require an enormous capital investment to restore the tracks, but the company is willing if there is either a passenger or freight potential to make it cost effective.

A June 2006 report on connecting Alaska to the continental railroad network suggested Carmacks as a hub, with a branch line to Whitehorse and beyond to either Skagway or Haines.

In addition to the restoration of the actual rail line, several former White Pass steam locomotives are currently in operation at tourist attractions in the Southeastern United States. Locomotives 70, 71, and 192 are at the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Locomotive 190 is at Tweetsie Railroad in Boone, North Carolina. Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... Dollywood is a theme park owned by country music singer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. ... Pigeon Forge is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. ... Tweetsie Railroad is a family oriented railroad theme park located between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. ... Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. ...

Accidents

A serious derailment on September 3, 2006, resulted in the death of one section worker. A work train, Engine 114 pulling eight gravel cars, derailed approximately three miles (4.8 km) south of Bennett, injuring all four train crew, two Canadian and two American; one died at the scene; the others were airlifted to hospital and are stable; the engine remains on its side at the scene. Passenger operations on the blocked section had ended for the season just before the accident.

As of February 2007, Engine 114 is now being repaired at Coast Engine and Equipment Company (CEECO) in Tacoma, WA, United States.

References

• Lavallée, Omer (1972). Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada. Montreal: Railfare Enterprises Limited, pages 56–63,107–111. ISBN 0-919130-21-6. 

See also

• List of heritage railways
• List of historic BC Narrow Gauge railways

List of heritage railways is a comprehensive listing of heritage railways. ... Anyox Mines Blakeburn mines Britannia Beach mines Kaslo and Slocan Railway Hernando logging Seaton Tramway Nanaimo tramway White Pass and Yukon Railway Leonora and Mt. ...

External links

• Official company website
• Historic WP&Y route map
• A WP&YR friend and fan web site by Boerries Burkhardt