Alaska Railroad Collection

Physical prints housed at:
Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Bob and Evangeline Atwood Alaska Resource Center
625 C Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: 907-929-9235
Fax: 907-929-9233
Email: resourcecenter@anchoragemuseum.org

Guide prepared by: Heather McClain, Senior Archivist; Mikayla McCallum, Archives Technician; Eli Williamson, Intern; Diann Benti, Volunteer

Dates: 1915-2014
Extent: 148 boxes; 76.5 linear feet
Language and Scripts: The collection is in English.
Name of creator(s): Phinney S. Hunt, Henry G. Kaiser, Sydney Laurence, Albert J. Johnson, Alaska Railroad

ADMINISTRATIVE/BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

The Alaska Railroad is a freight and passenger railroad owned by the State of Alaska that runs from Fairbanks to Seward. The Railroad got its start in 1903, when the Alaska Central Railroad was built in Seward, Alaska. The railway extended 50 miles north before the company went bankrupt in 1907. In 1909, the Alaska Northern Railway purchased and extended the line 20 miles to Kern Creek.

The Alaska Engineering Commission (A.E.C.) was created in May 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson to implement the surveying of routes through the territory of Alaska. The A.E.C. purchased the Alaska Northern Railway, which in 1915 moved its headquarters along Dgheyay Kaq’ (The Mouth of Ship Creek) near the townsite of Anchorage. By 1917 the A.E.C. incorporated the Tanana Valley Railroad which had constructed 45 miles of southward line from Fairbanks. In 1923, the northern and southern railroads would converge in Nenana, completing the Alaska Railroad. This momentous event was commemorated with the driving of the golden spike by President Warren G. Harding.

Over time traffic on the Alaska Railroad gradually increased, and by 1938 the railroad was able to report its first profitable year. During World War II, the line would grow further in order to support the war effort. In 1944, two railroad tunnels were constructed through the Chugach Mountains to allow rail access to the military port in Whittier. This would eventually grow to become the Alaska Railroad’s second major port.

Following the war, the Alaska Railroad began to contract barges and riverboat services along the Tanana and Yukon Rivers. In 1963, the Clair Engle, a Hydro-Train barge, became the first rail car service from the Continental United States to Alaska. The railroad’s operations were temporarily disrupted by the 1964 Earthquake, which caused a great deal of damage to the Railroad, costing an estimated $30 million and taking months to bring the line back up to full service. In 1967, the Railroad would pass from the Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Transportation. After over 70 years of ownership by the federal government, in 1985 the Alaska Railroad was sold in full to the State of Alaska for $22.3 million. Today, the Alaska Railroad operates freight and passenger trains in the State of Alaska.

SCOPE AND CONTENT OF COLLECTIONS

The collection consists of over 10,000 photographic images created by and related to the Alaska Railroad. The majority of the collection focuses on locomotives, bridges, buildings, construction, freight, equipment, passenger services, employees, and track. While the main focus of the collection is the railroad, the photographs often capture events and details of mid-20th century life in Alaska, such as the 1964 Earthquake, floods, celebrations, and many scenic images of the Alaskan landscape. The collection depicts a wide variety of locations along the Alaska Railroad including Seward, Whittier, Portage, Anchorage, Eklutna, Palmer, Houston, Suntrana, Healy, Nenana, and Fairbanks.

Arrangement: The collection is arranged by Series and Addenda.

Series 1 – Alaska Engineering Commission (A.E.C.) Prints
Series 2 – Subject Folders
Series 3 – Prints
Series 4 – Copy Negatives
Series 5 – Audiovisual Materials
Addendum 2004
Addendum 2012
Addendum 2014

Helpful Terms and Abbreviations
 

AEC                       Alaskan Engineering Commission, created to build the railroad, in August of 1923, the Commission was                                          abolished and substituted with the “Alaska Railroad”
B & B                    Bridge and Building
MOW                    Maintenance of Way
MP                        Milepost
MP & E                 Motive Power and Equipment
Piggybacking        When the trailer chassis is separated from the tractor and loaded directly onto a railroad flatcar.

The Alaska Railroad Collection was previously comprised of a variety of collections in order to complete the Alaska Engineering Commission prints (Series 1). From 2025 onwards, photographic prints from other collections found in Series 1 will be pulled and returned to their originating accession group.

Collection contains outdated sentiments and language. Restricted items have been masked
for sensitive and/or restricted content.

SUBJECTS

Alaska Railroad
Alaska Engineering Commission
Hunt, Phinney S.
Johnson, Albert J.
Kaiser, Henery G.
Laurence, Sydney
Dgheyaytnu / Anchorage (Alaska)
Yidateni Na’ / Cantwell (Alaska)
Nay’dini’aa Na’ / Chickaloon (Alaska)
Curry (Alaska)
Denali National Park and Preserve
Eklutna (Alaska)
Eska Creek (Alaska)
Fairbanks (Alaska)
Healy (Alaska)
Honolulu (Alaska)
Houston (Alaska)
Nenana (Alaska)
Palmer (Alaska)
Railroads – Design and construction – Alaska
Railroads – Equipment and supplies – Alaska
Railroad workers – Alaska
Seward (Alaska)
Sunshine (Alaska)
Suntrana (Alaska)