Tanana Valley Railroad
Tanana Valley Railroad |
Train of the Tanana Valley Railroad at the station in Chatanika, Alaska, 1916. |
Locale |
Fairbanks to Chatanika |
Dates of operation |
1904/1905–1917
AEC purchased TVRR assets and operated the Chatanika Branch line until decommissioning it in 1930 |
Predecessor |
Tanana Mines Railway |
Successor |
Alaskan Engineering Commission Railroad, a.k.a. Alaska Railroad |
Track gauge |
3 ft (914 mm) |
Length |
45 miles (72 km) [1] |
Headquarters |
Fairbanks |
Location of Tanana Valley Railroad
The Tanana Valley Railroad (TVRR) was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad that operated in the Tanana Valley of Alaska from 1905 to about 1917. A portion of the railroad later became part of the Alaska Railroad.
History
The TVRR originated as the Tanana Mines Railway in 1905 and was renamed the Tanana Valley Railroad in 1907. The company declared bankruptcy and was liquidated c. 1917. The U.S. government purchased the railroad in June 1917,[1] and the section between Fairbanks and Happy was converted to dual gauge by the Alaskan Engineering Commission Railroad, in order to complete a standard-gauge railroad line from Seward to Fairbanks. This line became the Alaska Railroad in 1923. The Alaska RR continued to operate the former TVRR narrow-gauge line as the Chatanika Branch, until decommissioning it in 1930.
Preservation
In 1922, the railroad's Engine No. 1, the first steam locomotive in Fairbanks and the Yukon, was retired. Its restoration was begun in 1997 and completed in 2000. As of 2011 it is still being steamed up several times a year. A small museum for the engine was built in 2005 in Pioneer Park.
References
External links
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Tanana_Valley_Railroad Tanana Valley Railroad] at Wikimedia Commons
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Tanana Valley Steam Locomotive No. 1 in Pioneer Park, Fairbanks, 2011
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Replica of Tanana Valley Steam Locomotive, running trains in in Pioneer Park, Fairbanks, 2011
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A train of the Tanana Valley Railroad crossing a trestle bridge over Fox Gulch in 1916.
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Common carriers |
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Private carriers |
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Former carriers |
Alaska Anthracite Coal and Railway Company • Alaska Home Railroad • Alaska Anthracite Railroad • Alaska Pacific Railway and Terminal Company • Catalla and Carbon Mountain Railway • Copper River and Northwestern Railway • Council City and Solomon River Railroad • Golovin Bay Railroad • Klondike Mines Railway • Pacific and Arctic Railway and Navigation Company • Tanana Valley Railroad • Valdez, Copper River and Tanana Railroad • Valdez–Yukon Railroad • Wild Goose Railroad • Yakutat and Southern Railway
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See also: List of United States railroads by political division
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Timeline |
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Topics and events |
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