Another Summer in Alaska

My life is heavily divided between summer and winter. This probably has a lot to do with the nature of employment in train service on Alaska Railroad. For the first few years, it is highly seasonal. As such, I work the most in the summer, and then I am laid off for the winter. I say "laid off," but I think the railroad uses that term differently than most employers. When most employers conduct layoffs, it terminates employment. With the railroad, it is a temporary condition in which I retain employment and seniority, but I am not working. They will call me back to work in the spring.

Southbound at MP 58 on a work train.
All photos by James Ogden.

Alaska Railroad is a full service railroad, with trains operating year round, but because a lot of our passenger service caters to tourists visiting Alaska, we have more traffic in the summer. That is our busy season. In the winter, the freight continues on about the same pace as the summer, but the passenger service is reduced. In the summer, passenger traffic is the bulk of our business, in the winter it is more of a footnote. Typically I work from early May to October. Last winter, I even worked in December and January.

So, what do I do with myself all winter? Well, last winter I got the idea that I was just going to enjoy being unemployed. I figured I could get things done around the house, and spend some more time on hobbies. Turns out, when you rent your home, there is not a whole lot to do around the house besides the regular chores. My hobbies, while interesting, were not the only thing I could do. So, I went out and got myself a part time job, shuttling airline crews between their hotels and the airport. It probably does not sound all that exciting, but it was not bad. It was easy, and it certainly pays better than sitting around the house! I will probably do that again. This winter we own our home though, so I am certain the "honey-do" list will grow. No doubt, I'll stay busy, even without the railroad calling in the middle of the night!

This past summer flew by. I still feel as if I just moved up here to take the job with Alaska Railroad, but in reality, I have now completed three summers here. This summer, like the others, was interesting and enjoyable for the most part. I spent all of it on the Conductors' Extra Board. Last summer, the goal was to work the summer on the board, but I got bumped a lot. I was the lowest Conductor on the railroad last year. This year however, I had a few Conductors below me. I went to the board on May 12, and managed to stay there until September 20. At that point, they force assigned me to the Conductors' board in Fairbanks. I took a couple of vacation days instead of rushing up there, because they were talking about laying me off within a couple of days anyway. It is an awfully long drive to get laid off just a few days later. While I was on vacation days, I got bumped for the first time all summer, and then they laid me off on the 24th. That was the only time I got bumped all summer. Just having a few people below me in seniority makes a big difference. In 2014 I got bumped every two weeks, or less.

The northbound Coastal Classic runs along Turnagain Arm, at about
9:45pm, one summer evening.

Right now in my career, I prefer the extra board. To some people, that probably seems a little crazy, the schedule is unpredictable, and you cannot plan anything more than a few hours in advance. When the car needs maintenance, I always plan it for my wife's days off, because there is a very good chance I will not be around. Living life on a two hour call is not always the best way to go. But, despite the drawbacks, I enjoy the variety of the extra board. I rarely work with the same person twice in a row, and I rarely work the same job twice in a row. I get to go just about everywhere on the railroad, and sometimes I get to be on more unique jobs, that they only use the extra board to cover.

This year, I did the usual trips, such as the passenger train to Fairbanks, the yard jobs, and the Whittier freight jobs. Strangely, I did manage to entirely avoid tying up in Whittier, and I managed to avoid hostling most of the summer.

Hostling is a thankless job, especially the night hostling. Hostlers work out of the diesel shop, also known as the roundhouse, though it is actually not round at all. During the day, hostling is pretty slow. Most of the work is just moving locomotives around for the mechanical staff. At night, it can be pretty busy. The passenger trains all arrive in Anchorage between 5:30pm and 10:15pm. If fuel levels are below a certain level, the yard crew that switches passenger trains will drop the locomotives off at the fuel rack, outside the roundhouse, when they are done switching that train. They only drop it off. Once it gets there, it is in the hands of the hostlers. The hostlers fuel the locomotives, add sand if needed, and then do some general cleaning. They go through the cab and take the trash out and restock any supplies, such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer, napkins, and track warrants. They also make sure all the tools and equipment are in their appropriate places. They also usually wash the windows. If time permits, the entire locomotive gets washed. We are probably a minority, as far as railroads go, for having Conductors and Engineers wash their own locomotives by hand! We get a bucket with detergent and a brush on a long handle and scrub the whole thing by hand, top to bottom. After the locomotives have been hostled, they get an air brake test, and then they go back on their trains.

Southbound at MP 180 on the QAP gravel train.

Even if the locomotives do not need fuel, the hostlers go over to the car shop, where the passenger trains are serviced, and at least go through the cab and take out the trash and refill the supplies. Once the locomotives are on their assigned trains, it is time to do brake tests. Freight cars get a Class 1 air brake test when they are first put in a train, and after that, only when the train is changed by more than one pick up and one set out. Passenger trains get a Class 1 air brake test every calendar day, even if the train has not changed at all. Usually the hostlers perform those in the middle of the night. The goal is to have the air tests done by the time the morning yard crew comes on duty, so they can focus on getting the trains to the depot early enough to leave on time. After the air tests, the night hostlers are usually just about done for the day. There is some paperwork to take care of, as always, and then it is time to go home.

The Whittier freights are usually interesting, even if the weather is lousy. Whittier is famous for the amount of rain and generally lousy weather it receives. Whittier and Anchorage are only about 60 miles apart, but the weather can be completely different. Sun and a cloudless sky in Anchorage does not necessarily mean it is nice in Whittier. Whittier itself is a small town, only 182 people live there, but it is an important place for the railroad and for Alaska. Whittier features a deep, ice free port, and so a lot of the things consumed by Alaskans arrive through Whittier. Some of that comes by rail, in an uncommon way. Alaska Railroad has no direct rail connection to the rest of the US or Canada. Instead, cars are interchanged to the BNSF, Union Pacific, and Canadian National by a fleet of barges. Car floats were popular in New York at one time, and the principle is similar, but the barges that come to Alaska are much bigger. The float operations in New York run on relatively calm water and over short distances. The longest voyages there were a few hours. The barge between Seattle and Whittier takes a week, on a normal voyage, and operates in much rougher seas. There are times when the swells exceed 15 feet, even in relatively protected waterways, and the barges must be able to handle that. When the barges get to Whittier, the rail cars roll off, much like the car float operations in New York. A train is assembled in Whittier, and then runs to Anchorage. Meanwhile, other cars are brought to Whittier, switched to comply with weight and balance requirements on the barge, and loaded for transit to the "Lower 48." Alaska Marine Lines operates three barges, each with eight tracks on the deck, and stantions to support shipping containers above the rail cars. Canadian National owns another barge, which operates between Prince Rupert, BC, and Whittier. It is similar, but lacks the equipment to handle shipping containers. All of these barges are capable of moving 45 or more cars. Every piece of equipment on Alaska Railroad arrives and departs the property on those barges.

Explorer Glacier, seen from a freight train headed to Whittier.

Loading and unloading the barges is a delicate operation, which requires a bit of planning. There is often switching to do before cars are loaded on the barge, because everything must be balanced properly. In addition, the Coast Guard has different requirements for shipping hazardous materials than the railroad, so a train that leaves Anchorage in compliance with all the railroad tonnage and hazmat requirements, usually does not meet all the Coast Guard requirements. Once all the cars are in the right places, loading the barge takes place at walking speed, and only when the tidal conditions are right. Too low or too high a tide means the slip, the movable bridge that connects dry land to the barge, will be at too steep an angle to safely move rail cars across it. The barges are capable of pumping seawater aboard for ballast, which can accommodate for some of the variation in the tide, but ultimately, Mother Nature gets the final say. If there are delays, it can mean "losing the tide," and having to wait for the next tide cycle. As a train crew member, there is a lot of motivation to avoid losing the tide, because it means getting stuck in Whittier longer, and no one likes staying there any longer than necessary!

Matanuska River, seen from the right of way of the old Sutton branch.

The passenger trains are always interesting. If nothing else, passengers have a way of providing some amusement, even if they do not intend to. The majority of the summer passengers are tourists, visiting Alaska from another place. Most are here for the first time. As such, a certain amount of tourist type questions are expected. Quite a few are on their first train ride, and so there are some common questions about the railroad that come up too. The most common question I get is who is driving the train. For some reason, many people assume the Conductor runs the train, and some people become a little alarmed when they see me walking through the passenger cars. It is funny because almost every kid on the train knows that the Engineer does the driving. No matter how hot it is outside, someone usually asks how much snow Alaska gets. I usually have to explain that it varies a lot, because Alaska is huge. Anchorage gets a few feet every year, but Fairbanks gets less. Whittier and Seward get a ton. People often ask how cold it gets in the winter too. Every once in a while, you get someone who really brightens your whole day, and it is usually a kid. To most of the kids on the train, the Conductor is what they want to be when they grow up. Some of them get all excited to see the Conductor, and it is hard to not enjoy that. I usually try to keep some souvenirs handy to give to the kids on the train. They are just little things, key chains or pins that say "Alaska Railroad" on them, but the kids love it. And, of course, there is always some wise guy on board who asks, "can I drive the train?" That question gets old, but it is usually an adult who asks and clearly thinks they are being pretty funny.

Charter trains are a completely different kind of passenger train. They are generally chartered by locals as a way to entertain guests. Sometimes they charter a car or two, and have them pulled by one of our regular trains, sometimes they charter their own train. I had the chance to work a charter this year that was organized by the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau. They charter a train to run to Portage and back in the evening, and then invite some of the local businesses in tourism aboard. They also invite travel professionals from outside Alaska to come up here and experience the railroad. It gives travel professionals a taste of what Alaska has to offer and a chance to network with some of the local vendors. They have lots of local food, dinner, beer, wine, and some local musicians or a DJ. They charter a dome car, a coach, a couple of our bistro cars, and a business car. The DJ or musicians usually set up in the business car, which can be arranged to accommodate dancing, while food is served buffet style in the bistros. The coach and dome are for people to sit down and enjoy the view.

Locomotives for the overnight freight to Anchorage are headed over to
the yard in Fairbanks. This is January, and it is -26 degrees.

We had a spectacular trip the day I worked that train. The trip to Portage is usually pretty scenic anyway, but it was a picturesque fall day in Alaska, complete with moose, Dall sheep, and beluga whales. Even the locals were pretty excited about it. The mountains were bright yellow, with a light dusting of snow on the tops, and the sky was cloudless. The evening sun lit everything up brilliantly. We had lots of time scheduled to get to Portage, so when the whales appeared in the inlet, we stopped the train to let everyone enjoy it and take pictures. As the sun set, and it began to get dark, people headed for the business car, where there was singing and dancing. They even had karaoke going for a little while. We turned the lights down in the business car and the coaches, and people enjoyed the entertainment well into the evening. With charters, you can never be sure if it is going to turn into one big drunkfest, which usually results in problems, or if it will go well, but this one turned out quite well.

Overall, I had a great summer. There were good days and lousy days, as one would expect, but it was a good summer, even if it flew by. A common question I get this time of year is when I expect to be recalled. I figure it will be early May. They may surprise me and call me sooner, but I would not bet on it. In the mean time, I'll enjoy not having to answer the phone, and get some things done on the honey-do list. They say the winters here are long, but it will go by fast too, and I'll be back to the railroad before I know it.

A panorama of Whittier in the winter, taken from my hotel room on the 14th floor of the Begich Tower.
Click on the photo to enlarge.

Passengers Say the Darndest Things!

Lately I have been working on the extra board, and in the past two weeks, I have caught a lot of passenger trains that way. While I do enjoy working on the passenger trains, I have found that sometimes passengers say things to which I do not know how to respond. Many of our summertime passengers are not from Alaska and many of questions simply are the result of being in a place with which they are unfamiliar. That is to be expected. But it also seems that at least once or twice per trip, someone asks a memorable and ridiculous question. Here are a few examples from the past couple of weeks that stand out in my mind.

Last week I was on the Glacier Discovery train, which operates daily between Anchorage, Whittier, and Grandview. The train leaves Anchorage in the morning, goes to Whittier, and then goes into Chugach National Forest, making stops in Spencer and Grandview. There is a brief layover at Grandview, and then the train heads north, going back to Whittier and ultimately returning to Anchorage in the evening. Many passengers ride the train to Whittier for scenic boat tours, and then return on either the train or a motor coach. Others ride to Spencer for rafting or hiking and then return to Anchorage via motor coach. While there are a few people who go out to Spencer or Grandview for camping, the majority of the passengers on the train return to their point of origin on the same day as they departed. In any case, the train only operates during the day.

On one of the trips I made on the Glacier Discovery last week, a gentleman approached me and asked me, "Does this train have a sleeping car?"
I replied that it did not, to which he replied, "Do any of your trains have a sleeping car?"
I responded, "No, we run all of our passenger trains during the day, so there is no need for sleeping cars."
He asked, "What about the trains that run at night?"
I was a little bewildered by that question, but said, "We don't run any passenger trains at night, they only run during the day. Just freight trains run at night."
He said, "Oh, well where do people sleep then?"
I said, "If you want to take a nap, you can do it in your seat."
I guess that was the answer he was looking for, because it seemed to satisfy his questions about railroad sleeping accommodations.

Alaska Railroad allows passengers to ride in the vestibules at the ends of cars if they wish. If there gets to be a crowd, people are asked to limit their time there so everyone gets a chance. All the entry doors on our passenger cars are Dutch doors, and we usually leave the top portion open. Because of this, the vestibules are quite popular for people taking pictures of the scenery, because it allows them to do so without glass in the way. However, when riding in the vestibule people are not supposed to lean or reach beyond the body of the car for obvious safety reasons.

On another trip on the Glacier Discovery, the day after the sleeping car interrogation, I noticed that some people were leaning way out of the side of the car ahead of the one I was in. It appeared that they were trying to photograph the locomotive in a curve, but they were hanging precariously over the side of the car. I walked up to that vestibule and spoke to them about it. They appeared to have been drinking, but they were polite and promised not to do it again. Less than a mile later, I happened to be in a position where I could see that vestibule from another car again, and noticed the same people doing the same thing, this time on the other side of the train. I walked to that vestibule again and asked them to find their seats. They protested a little but sheepishly made their way to their seats. As they were filing out of the vestibule, one of the people in the group asked, "Are you afraid we're going to try to jump off the train or something?"
I said, "No, I am more worried about you hitting something close to the tracks or losing your balance."
He then asked, "What would you do if we did jump off?"
The way he asked the question made it obvious he was just trying to get a reaction out of me by asking something ridiculous, so I replied, as stoically as I could, "Once you're off the train, you're not my responsibility."
He looked a bit surprised but did not comment.

This week, on a train chartered by Holland America Tours, one of their passengers asked me what is perhaps the vaguest question I have ever heard. Holland America has their own service staff on the trains, which does include tour guides to narrate the trip. As I was walking through the car, a man stopped me and said, "Excuse me, I just wanted to ask you about something the guide said earlier."
I knew right then that this was going to be interesting, because I had not likely been around to hear what the guide had to say in the first place, but against my better judgement I said, "Alright, I'll try to help."
He then explained, "Well, a while ago we were going through the Alaska Range and I saw this one mountain with some snow on it and it looked like it also had a glacier on it. Our guide said she didn't know the name of it and I was just wondering if you knew the name."
I expected it to be something I could not answer, but this was even more hopeless than I had anticipated. Before I could respond, he continued trying to describe the mountain, "It must have had a glacier, I mean, the glacier was pretty big. The mountain was pretty big too, but I don't think it was Denali, and I was just wondering if you knew the name."
He paused, during which time I was still blown away by the ambiguity. Once again, before I could say anything, he continued, "I know not all the mountains in Alaska have a name, but if this one does, I was just wondering if you knew. I know this might be a little bit of a stretch, but if you can help, I'd really appreciate it."
By this point I was thinking this was a lot more than a little stretch! I finally had a minute to respond and said, "I would probably have to see it to tell you what it is called."
I guess he thought he hadn't described it well enough, so he continued, "Well, it was pretty big and it was in the Alaska Range. It also had a big glacier on it, and it looked like there might have been some snow too. We just went by it a little while ago, it was on the left."
I told him again, "I'd have to see it to be able to tell you."
He then asked, "Well, do you think it even has a name?"
I said, "It probably does, most of the bigger mountains do, but I just don't know which mountain it was without seeing it."
He replied, "Oh ok, well if it has a name, do you know what it was?"
Figuring there was no other way out of this one, I simply said, "Nope!"
I guess that's all he was looking for, although I cannot imagine I gave him any more information than the tour guide already had.

Earlier today I had a man approach me and explain that he worked for New Jersey Transit. We chatted for a bit and compared notes on the electric railroading there and mountain railroading here. He suggested that I try to get on the railroad there, and told me that my seniority and vacation time would transfer. I was a little surprised by that, since it is a different railroad, but he went on to tell me that my seniority and vacation would transfer to any railroad in the country, and I should do my research. Having gone from BNSF to Alaska Railroad, I am well aware that seniority and vacation do not usually transfer from one railroad to the next. He was quite shocked when I told him that Alaska Railroad does not participate in Railroad Retirement or the United Transportation Union's "National Agreement." We tend to do our own thing up here in those cases. After he headed back to his seat, I could not help but wonder why he thought I would be interested in working for a railroad in New Jersey. We had this conversation as the train was passing through the Alaska Range and over Hurrican Gulch, and I could not help but think that by comparison, New Jersey has extremely little that appeals to me!

Sometimes the hardest part of the job is maintaining a straight face when someone says or asks something ridiculous, but it completely serious and expects a serious reply.

Passenger Service

Last weekend, I worked on my first passenger train. I learned a lot, and had a few misconceptions about passenger service dispelled.

The train I worked was Alaska Railroad's weekly winter passenger service between Anchorage and Fairbanks, known as the Aurora. This train runs north on Saturdays and south on Sundays. The 358 mile trip is scheduled to take 11:30, with the majority of the stations being flag stops, where the train only stops if there is someone boarding or disembarking at that particular station.

Unlike freight crews, passenger crews come on duty only 15 minutes prior to the scheduled departure of the train. The yard crew gets the train to the depot and several of the depot staff handle passenger ticketing and boarding before the road crew comes on duty. In that 15 minute window, the crew has a job brief, during which they talk about any conditions that will affect train operation, such as temporary speed restrictions. They also talk to the dispatcher to verify that the paperwork is all up to date and correct. After that, the Conductor goes into the depot and gets the passenger manifest from the ticket window, and then it is off to the train. Once everyone is on the train, just before departing, the crew must complete an air test. The 15 minutes get used up very quickly. It is a whirlwind of activity right at the start of the day, and lots of hurrying to make sure the train departs on time. Once the train is underway, the pace slows down a little. There is still paperwork to be done, but the Conductor has all the way to Fairbanks on the northbound trip to take care of it.

Once the Aurora gets underway, the Conductor has to look over the passenger manifest and figure out what stops will be made. Since the Aurora is a flag stop train, the station stops can change quite a bit from one trip to the next. The only stop that happens pretty much every time is Talkeetna. After figuring out the stops, there really is no paperwork that has to be completed right away, but I found it was easier to start on everything early, so that I would remember to do it later. It also meant I had less paperwork to do at the end of the day, so if I got sidetracked by something else, I was not in such a hurry to finish the paperwork. Once the paperwork is started, there is some down time.

I had expected there to be a bit of paperwork, although I had not expected the whirlwind to get going in the morning. Prior to working the passenger train, I had thought that passenger Conductors have it pretty easy. I mean, you never hear about a passenger train breaking a knuckle, and they certainly do not have to switch en route industries! I figured passenger service consisted of eating free dining car food, socializing with the passengers, and relaxing. What I learned is that there is some down time on the job, but it is hard earned! Between station stops, there can be quite a bit of down time, but at each stop, it is definitely go time.

Our first stop on the northbound trip was Wasilla. We had a just a few people boarding there. Since the Wasilla platform is only about the length of two coaches, the Engineer cannot see exactly where to stop to get the appropriate door at the platform. So the Conductor has to go back to the door to be used and count the Engineer down to the stop. Usually the countdown is done in coach lengths to a stop, starting about four coaches from the stop. Once stopped, we had one person get off, and then several who wanted to get on the train. Since Wasilla has no ticket office, we were given the tickets for the passengers boarding there with out manifest, prior to departing Anchorage. The easiest way I found to distribute tickets on the platform like that is to announce to everyone to have their ID out, and then call out the last names on each reservation. As each name is called, the person or group can approach the side of the train, show their ID's, at which point I would give them their tickets and allow them to board. In addition to boarding people, we had luggage to stow in the baggage car. We also had one person stop by with a package for a family that lives off the railroad in Sherman, which is only accessible by train. Once all the passengers and their luggage were on board, we continued heading north. Despite all the activity, the entire stop was only a couple of minutes.

When we left Wasilla, we had more down time before our next stop, which would be Talkeetna. Somewhere in there was time for breakfast too. Talkeetna is always a stop, but you never know what is going to happen there. Some days, it is just a quick one, and other days over a hundred people get on or off there. We only had a few people with reservations to there, but that still does not guarantee anything about that stop. Talkeetna serves as the jumping off point for people who have cabins or homes between there and Hurricane, some 60 miles to the north. In that area, along the Susitna River, the railroad is the only means of access. Because of that, the train will stop anywhere to pick up and drop off people. There are no passenger depots between Talkeetna and Hurricane, but there are a lot of trails that lead to cabins out in the woods. If people need to get on the train out there in the woods, they come out to the tracks and flag the train down. Train crews that have worked in passenger service a while generally have a pretty good idea of where the trails are, because those are where we usually stop, but the railroad will pick up someone flagging down the train at any location between Talkeetna and Hurricane. Because of the locals that live out there, Talkeetna can be quiet if no one is going out there, or it can be very busy if a lot of the locals are traveling at once. I had heard stories from other student Conductors that made it sound like thousands of people boarded every week at Talkeetna every week, so I was a bit anxious to get that stop over with.

As it turned out, Talkeetna was not the complete zoo that had been described to me. There were about a dozen people that boarded there, for whom we had the tickets, and three locals. The boarding and luggage handling was basically the same as it had been in Wasilla, it just took a few minutes longer. We also received more items, mail, and newspapers to deliver to some of the locals who were not riding the train. Once everyone and everything was on the train, we headed out. Because locals can flag down the train anywhere between Talkeetna and Hurricane, I stayed in the baggage car, where there is a makeshift office, since I would have to load items for anyone we picked up. I would also have to unload items for the locals on board when we got to their stop. It was just easier to ride in the baggage car and be in position instead of the dining car, which was four cars away.

My Conductor told me I got off pretty easy that day with the local traffic. We had a few people to drop off, but no one flagged down the northbound train. Once the three who boarded in Talkeetna were off the train, we were done with the local stops. All we had to do was deliver the newspapers, mail, and a couple of other items. Once we were north of Hurricane, I went back to the makeshift office in the dining car. There was still some paperwork to be completed from the locals' tickets.

Our next stop was another small one in Healy, and then we went to our final destination of Fairbanks. Healy only had four people disembarking, and would have been quick and uneventful except that just before pulling into the station, we learned that the checked luggage belonging to the four people getting off had been mislabeled as going to Fairbanks. Since most of the passengers were going to Fairbanks, we had quite a few suitcases to look through in the baggage car. We ended up having a fairly lengthy stop in Healy, but we did find the luggage in question!

In Fairbanks, everyone who was still on the train disembarked. There we did not have to handle luggage because there are people there full time who load and unload luggage. We just pulled in and got everyone off the train. By then, our 12 hours to work were up, so once everyone was off, we collected our stuff and got off the train ourselves. The train just sits at the depot all night anyway, and it is able to be serviced right there at the platform. As we were collecting out stuff and getting ready to get off, we ran into the CEO of the railroad, which surprised us a little. He had not been riding the train, but was apparently in Fairbanks for something and decided to check in with us. He was surprised at the crowd getting off in Fairbanks. Over 150 people had disembarked there, which is quite a lot for the middle of the winter. Usually few people go to Fairbanks in February!

Once we had collected our stuff and gotten off the train, it was off to the hotel for a good night's sleep before returning to Anchorage on Sunday.