On Sunday, July 15th, 1923 the 29th President of the United States Warren G. Harding drove the golden spike at a ceremony in Nenana symbolizing the end of construction of the Alaska Railroad. On Saturday, July 15, 2023, the Alaska Railroad Corporation commemorated the 100th anniversary of this epic event with a special centennial train and celebration in Nenana. It's one thing spending 26 years recording the Alaska Railroad's history, but quite another to be a part of it. Yes, my wife, Terry, and I had an exclusive invitation to ride the train from Fairbanks to Nenana and back! Even as I write this, I am still pinching myself.

As we emerged from the Fairbanks Depot, our jaws hit the ground as the lead locomotive glided gracefully past in a brand new explosively amazing paint scheme. Colonel J.P. Johnson (General Manager 1946-1953) would undoubtedly be grinning from ear-to-ear as he looked down from the Great Beyond at SD70MAC #4328's drop dead awesome attire hailing from the bygone days of the 1947 AuRoRa "Moose Gooser" and 1952 AuRoRa F7s. The ARRC did an admirable job keeping this paint scheme under wraps (pun intended) as a special surprise for the day's festivities. The Alaska Railroad's Business Car Aurora #2000 and dome coach #500 made up the two car consist with SD70MAC "Spirit of Seward" 4002 adorning the opposite end.

President Harding was informed temperatures in Alaska were cold so he wore a wool suit. This was a big mistake as it was a hot and sunny day in Nenana. Maybe he should have put his suit in a time capsule to be open on the 100th anniversary as our day in Nenana was cool and drizzly. With that said, no one seemed to mind, as there was a certain unmistakable magic in the air.

The following is a photo journal of the Centennial Train as well as the festivities held in Nenana. Enjoy!

- John Combs, Webmaster, www.alaskarails.org

P.S. The Alaska Railroad was Bill Sheffield’s dream and legacy. Looking from the Great Beyond today, he sure would be proud!

My wife Terry captured this video of conductor Michele Flanagan skillfully guiding the Centennial train into the Fairbanks Depot as engineers James King and Sean Korshin man the controls of SD70MAC #4328 ablaze with a vibrant new design scheme. This paint scheme is actually a wrap by INPS. INPS told me, "Basically, the Alaska Railroad gave us the color codes they wanted and gave us the attached photos to match the scheme, with the addition of the 100 year logo on the nose and side. INPS did all the design. Our artist created the artwork for the railroad’s approval. We did paint all hand rails and latches, vents, hinges, etc, by way of color matching the paint to the vinyl. We have lots of photos and video. All the work was done at the Alaska Railroad in Anchorage with INPS, 3M trained and certified graphic installers. The film was printed in Longview, Texas at our plant. We use all 3M premium vinyls. The whole process took about 2 weeks and was completed by June 30th 2023. Service life is about ten years. Here is some information on the vinyl."

Admittedly, as the Alaska Railroad's number one fan, I was just vibrating with excitement standing in front of the centennial train. Although I did not realize it, Terry dressed so our outfits complimented one another.  I wore my denim ARR Scenic Rail Tours denim shirt and traditional ARR logo vest, while she wore Noah Nolywaika's "Nenana: Where River Meets Rail and Past Meets Future" shirt with blue jacket.  Who wore it best?

Number one conductor Warren Redfearn attended as honorary conductor. Warren joined the Alaska Railroad on January 20, 1975. Amazing!

Chatting about the new 100th anniversary wrap with ARRC COO Clark Hopp and Director of Freight Sales and Marketing David Greenhalgh.

Terry and I both felt extremely honored to be invited aboard this special VIP train. Due to my limited mobility they seated me in Aurora #2000 which had ADA access. This conference room observation car was built by Colorado Railcar Manufacturing in 2000 for the now defunct Florida Fun Train. The ARRC updated the car with carpet, glass edged artwork, upholstered chairs and enhanced the outdoor viewing platform. The second car in the consist was dome coach #500 which was built in 1958 for the Union Pacific.

Terry was a good Scout and traveled throughout the train taking photographs for me. My good friend and ARRC Manager of Crew Resources, Frank Keller, took the opportunity to fill her seat and visit for a bit.

I felt like I was walking among giants with a who's who lineup of ARRC President and CEO Bill O’Leary, ARRC COO Clark Hopp, ARRC Director of Freight Sales and Marketing David Greenhalgh, ARRC number one conductor Warren Redfearn, ARRC Manager of Crew Resources Frank Keller, ARRC Board Chair John Shively, various ARRC vice presidents, Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose, US Senator Dan Sullivan, Governor Mike Dunleavy, representatives from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and many more. There was a great deal of excitement in the air almost as if the carnival had come to town.

The high man on the totem pole himself, Bill O'Leary, stopped by to chat with us. I love his sense of humor and optimism, and he is the epitome of Alaska Railroad warmth and friendliness.

"To travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches, and rivers, in fact, to see life." - Agatha Christie.

Having just crossed the Mears Memorial Bridge, we prepared for arrival in Nenana. This 700-foot-long truss bridge which spans the Tanana River is among the largest truss-type bridges in the world.

Its completion in 1923 symbolized the end of construction of the Alaska Railroad and is arguably the star of the show today.  Click here for the video.

Throngs of onlookers with cameras and smartphones recorded the arrival of our Centennial train at the Nenana Depot. Visible are two sets of canopies, the closest of which will be used for the ceremony while the farthest housed tables and chairs for eating lunch. Also in view is the Nenana Depot which initially opened for service on December 12, 1922. Today it has a first floor gift shop and historical displays while the second floor provides lodging in one of three rooms.

"The celebration began with the opening of a time capsule buried in 1998 during the railroad’s 75th anniversary. The contents of the capsule, including photographs, letters, a gold spike and state citation, among other items, are now in the care of the city of Nenana for future display." - Alaska Railroad News Release

Alaska Railroad Centennial celebration banner hanging outside the window of the Nenana Depot.

A plaque honoring Ralph Madjeski, a Polish-American engineer who designed the Mears Memorial bridge, was presented by the members of the California based Polish Council of Engineers in North America.


An overview of the day's events.

Part of the fun of being in Nenana was meeting up with friends, both old and new. Although I'd been corresponding with Brice Douglas for some time I finally got a chance to put a face with a name. Brice is a second generation railroader and serves as a conductor on the Alaska Railroad. What makes him a breed apart is his stellar photography skills. He has an innate ability to see the railroad's charm through a trainman's eyes. One of his photos made the cover photo for the Alaska Railroad’s 2022 Annual Report. Furthermore, Brice created this eye-catching 100th anniversary conductor hat badge.

Jim Blasingame was the first ARRC executive I ever met, and I loved his affinity for the history of the Alaska Railroad. A gentleman's gentleman, Jim helped the ARRC build leadership initiatives, develop and manage corporate communications, and preserve its history when he was Vice President of Corporate Affairs. . Even after his retirement, Jim stayed in close contact and helped me navigate my journey through cancer treatment. Just in case you are wondering, one of those bags of chips in my lap belongs to my wife. Really!

Nenana Mayor Joshua Verhagen stands with Christy Terry (former Mayor of Seward, current Lead ARRC External Affairs and now promoted to ARRC vice president of real estate) on the new gazebo donated by the Alaska Railroad to the Nenana community which will provide a gathering space for generations to come. Incidentally, you will find the entire Centennial event on Josh's Facebook page.

A block party provided by the Alaska Railroad offered hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, potato chips and root beer floats to over 700 people in attendance.

After driving the golden spike, Warren Harding was presented with Wallace Calderhead's Tanana River bridge replica made from Alaska gold and silver. This bridge eventually became property of the Harding Museum in Marion, Ohio. This museum was kind enough to loan it for display during the centennial celebration.

Jonathan Binkley, ARRC conductor Conor Keogh and ARRC Board Chair John Shively recreate the scene from the ARRC's 75th anniversary where
ARRC Board Chair Jonathan Binkley, ARRC conductor Conor Keogh and ARRC President/CEO Bill Sheffield were waving the U.S. and Alaska State flags while arriving in Nenana.

Schedule of events handed out prior to the start of the program.
Speakers included ARRC President/CEO Bill O'Leary, Governor Mike Dunleavy, Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose and US Senator Dan Sullivan.

Bill O’Leary stated, “What the railroad really stands for is service to Alaska and Alaskans. This organization is absolutely key to the state of Alaska, and I know all 700-plus employees of the Alaska Railroad are dedicated to its mission and our state.”

The Alaska Railroad Centennial program states, “We acknowledge that we are on the sovereign lands of the Nenana Native people in the western-most portion of Tanana Athabascan territory.” Standing with ceremonial hammers is Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) President and CEO Bill O’Leary, Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose, Nenana Native Association First Chief Caroline Ketzler, US Senator Dan Sullivan, Governor Mike Dunleavy and ARRC Board Chair John Shively.

One of several gold spikes used in the ceremony. The original 1923 gold spike is in the hands of Ben Nysewander.

Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose drove the first spike in Nenana during Alaska Railroad’s 100th Anniversary Ceremony.



Senator Dan Sullivan drove the second gold spike.

Governor Mike Dunleavy drove the third gold spike and assumed the "Nailed It!" pose.

Terry and I finished off the day by visiting the Harding Car in Pioneer Park.

 

 

See also Vid Smith's YouTube videos of the event

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