Portrait of the Alaska Railroad [Paperback]

Kaylene Johnson (Author), Roy Corral (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

In July 1923, President Warren G. Harding visited Alaska to drive in the "Golden Spike" commemorating the grand opening of the new, federally funded railroad linking Seward with Fairbanks. The Government Railroad had taken eight years and the influence of three U.S. presidents to complete. Shortly afterward, it was renamed the Alaska Railroad. In the eighty-plus years since then, America's northernmost railroad has remained a critical transportation link, a working train as well as a touring train that wends through some of the most fabulous country in the nation. Resplendent in blue and gold, the engines and cars of the Alaska Railroad remain disconnected from other rail lines, set apart on a track that travels north through the wilderness to a dead end near Fairbanks, and south to a dead end at the seaport of Seward. But, oh, what beauty lies between. In this lavishly illustrated and authoritative book, the Alaska Railroad rides in the spotlight. Through words and color-rich photos, Johnson and Corral offer an entertaining history of the railroad, the routes, the engines and railcars, the landscape and wildlife, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Corral is the photographer for My Denali and A Child's Glacier Bay.

Product Details

• Paperback: 93 pages
• Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882405527
• ISBN-13: 978-0882405520
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,950,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kaylene Johnson is a writer and long-time Alaskan who makes her home on a small farm outside Wasilla. She enjoys hiking, skiing, and horseback riding in the backcountry. She is married with two sons and two grandsons. Her award-winning articles have appeared in "Alaskan Wilderness Discovery Guide," "Alaska" magazine, the "Los Angeles Times," "Spirit" magazine, and other publications. She received a B.A. from Vermont College and holds an M.F.A. in writing from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome Aboard, February 26, 2004

By 

Leslie Townsend (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portrait of the Alaska Railroad (Paperback)

Portrait of the Alaska Railroad takes readers on an adventurous journey through the diverse terraine and communities that span the 470+ miles of tracks from Seward to Fairbanks, Alaska. Kaylene Johnson's prose is both captivating and informative, enabling the reader to imagine her or himself rocking to the gentle rhythm of the train while gazing out the railcar windows to see moose, fox, caribou, and bear. Johnson writes: "The fragrance of fireweed and rain-washed raspberries wafts up along the tracks in the Kenai Mountains. Later in the year, cranberry bushes turn crimson and the scent of autumn signals the season's change. In winter, the air smells like crisp, fresh bedsheets hung outside to dry."

Readers insterested in information about the history of the Alaska railroad, wilderness access along the rail line, wildlife, native peoples, commerce, communities, and working trains will find this book an invaluable resource. Websites are noted that will supply additional information of interest to the reader.

Full-page photographs complement Johnson's prose making it possible to feel as if one has captured the experience of riding the rails and seeing the Alaskan wilderness and towns along its route firsthand. Roy Corral's photography is truly stunning, from pictures of the city lights of Anchorage framed against the Chugach Mountains to Caribou grazing in a meadow in Denali National park. Photographs chronicle the life of a working train, communities along the track, and interesting people whose lives are supported by rail service. Corral's photographs coupled with Johnson's prose makes Portrait of the Alaska Railroad a great coffee table book. Inserts supply interesting information that can be read in a couple of minutes.

Kaylene Johnson, a resident of Eagle River, Alaska, has a keen sense of the importance of the railroad to the Alaskan economy. She notes, for example, that "it would take sixteen hundred trucks to haul all the gravel that the railroad moves from Palmer southwest to Anchorage in a single day. Each day, from May through mid-October, as many as four trains made up of eighty cars each haul eight hundred tons of gravel forty-two miles. . ." Imagine the highway congestion if gravel were transported by truck instead of rail. Johnson captures the immense value of the railroad in this, and other examples. For some people who live along the tracks, the railroad serves as the only means of transportation and obtaining needed supplies. Fifty-eight miles of track span a wilderness accessible only by rail. "The flag-stop train is the only one of its kind still running in North America," Johnson notes. Passengers merely wave a white flag over their heads to signal the engineer that they desire to board.

Portrait of the Alaska Railroad appeals to a broad audience of train enthusiasts and Alaska lovers. Whether you have visited Alaska previously, plan to visit, or will visit only from the comfort of your living room couch, the Alaska Railroad beckons, "Welcome Aboard."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Portrait of the Alaska Railroad, March 16, 2004

By 

Michelle Kruse (Eagle River, AK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portrait of the Alaska Railroad (Paperback)

I've lived in Alaska for 27 years and have entertained many visitors. So, I decided to pick up a copy of Portrait of the Alaska Railroad for a relative who has enjoyed riding the train. Then I decided to get a copy for myself. The book describes in excellent detail the history and current workings of our railroad, and the photos are terrific! Author Kaylene Johnson's outstanding research makes this a book packed with information. Yet it reads like a fascinating story, not some dry history book. I've read a lot about the Alaska Railroad, but in this book, I found tidbits of information I'd never heard.
A must for railroad buffs and anybody planning to make a trip north.