Alaska Railroad at 100 years!

“Have you been to Alaska?” is the question often followed by, “Did you ride the Alaska Railroad!?”

Barb and I have been there several times. Once you have visited our 49th state, you know why it is called ’the last frontier’.  It’s vastness is unlike anything we have ever seen.

This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the Alaska Railroad’s last spike that was laid in a town called Nenana, and it completed a railroad whose story is unsurpassed.

The Centennial Celebration held July 15, 2023 was a grand event! We were blessed to be there to see the festivities in this small town, ‘where two rivers meet’. We met the president of the Alaska Railroad, the governor of Alaska and the Federal Railroad Administrator. The pride the ARRC (Alaska Railroad Corp.) employees take in their work and the company that is Alaska Railroad was easy to see. 

I would venture to say, there is no other railroad in the USA that compares.

Cruising Alaska is wonderful, but until you have ridden the Alaska Railroad, you have not seen ALASKA! I’m sharing several photos that I took while there. They are only photos, so I encourage you to go see for yourself!

Alaskan’s are proud of their state and rightly so. We are excited to launch our Build-a-Train for the Alaska Railroad, and we hope you come on this journey with us. Our first release is a coach named for the location of that last spike.

All aboard for ALASKA!

Posted in

Lowell Smith

A native of Portland, Oregon, Lowell Smith married his church choir sweetheart Barb in 1978. After a lifetime of rail-fanning, Lowell and Barb ventured out in 1992 to launch a new business in Portland, Oregon. Read more

Latest On The Track

What They Say:

B. Kutch

Love your 3-rail O Scale Atlas Woodside Reefer series. Looking forward to future issues.

S. Reames

I received my observation/business car today and – like all of my other cars from you – I love it!

D.

“You have no idea how excited I am about these cars . . .”

J D

Thanks, Lowell, for another awesome addition to an already incredible train.

B.L.

Thank you ever so much for being such an integral part of the model railroading hobby!

Rad J.

Lowell, I am very pleased with the N Scale Ferdinand Magellan Presidential car. As a retired US Secret Service agent I have conducted security advances for the president and his family traveling by train. I have done a lot of research on the Ferdinand Magellan and the model has excellent detail. It will be an…

Linda and Pete B.

Just wanted to thank you again for the opportunity to be with you and the many other happy folks who experienced the Feather River Canyon trip.  I know you put a lot of work into making this special trip a reality and it all came together extremely well!

Jerry E.

Received GN A10 today. Absolutely stunning! I am very pleased. Thank You all.

M. Magliaro

I received my #99 business card in the mail today. It looks superb. Thank you for another wonderful job. You are really filling a niche.

D.K.

Aside from the quality, creativity and originality, you are to be commended for your ongoing commitment to this (GAC) series, and all of your series of trains over a period of so many years.  There is always something to look forward to. Keep up the great work!’ D. K.