Gold And Blues

On a gray fall day the golden leaves complement the blue and gold colors of the Alaska Railroad Blues Train headed south over the 20 Mile River bridge at MP 64.7 on the ARR mainline a half mile north of the junction with the Whittier Branch. This popular photo location is usually photographed from the parallel Seward Highway to the west and is much less frequently shot from this side east of the tracks.

An annual tradition on the Alaska Railroad, the Blues Train ran right after the end of passenger season and sold out fast every year. It was a fun trip from Anchorage to Seward on a Saturday afternoon enjoying live music, catered food, and cold beverages enroute before arriving on Resurrection Bay for a night of music and fun before a hung over Sunday morning run back north the next day. Sponsored by the iconic half century old Spenard Institution Blues Central the railroad itself tried to keep it going after the legendary hole in the wall bar closed upon the retirement of its owner in 2014. I'm not sure how many more seasons it ran after this or if this was the final season, but now it is no more.

Portage, Alaska
Saturday September 24, 2016