Photographs courtesy of Mike Gerenday

You never know what you might find minding your own business while driving on Alaska's roads, and this is no exception. On my way home from picking up my uncle who had moved back to Alaska, we drove the back way through Palmer. Next to the Noisy Goose Cafe across from the fairgrounds there was a hotel that was torn down for road improvements. Next to a fence was not one, but three ARR boxcars, and two were HICUBEs. We parked up to the fence and I took a few photos, my uncle said he knew who the land owner was, so we drove around the fence.

Mr. Kopperud owns a transport company and the boxcars. He bought them in the late 1980s when a large portion of troop sleeper/boxcars were retired. There were two HICUBES, 8020, one unknown, and one refer boxcar, 11726. Mr. Kopperud was born and raised in Palmer and said that the refer boxcar was designated for the original Matanuska Maid Dairy that was serviced by the railroad in down town Palmer. He remembered the same yellow boxcar and number, and hauled ice cream when the dairy produced it.

I took my photos and we all chatted for a few more minutes and thanked Mr. Kopperud for letting me take close up photos of these unique cars. 

Palmer was a railroad town, part of the Chickaloon/Sutton branch that ran from Matanuska to the coal mines. Even though the remains of the line are quiet and the whistles of the Iron Horse no longer echo through the valley, there are many retired pieces of rolling stock and other reminders of a different time for the Alaska Railroad.