Tunnel Ahead

​White Pass & Yukon Route, Skagway, Alaska

The White Pass and Yukon Route is a Canadian and U.S. narrow gauge railroad that links the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. The railroad was built during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s to transport prospectors to the gold fields.

The railroad track traverses 100 miles and climbs 3,000 feet in 20 miles.  The ride features steep grades, cliff-hanging turns, two tunnels (including this one) and numerous bridges and trestles. The steel cantilever bridge was the tallest of its kind in the world when it was constructed in 1901.

When I first looked at this image, I wondered why the people in the cars ahead of me were sticking out in precarious positions to get a good shot and then I remembered I was one of those idiots just a few cars back. What we won’t do to get the shot.