Short But Spectacular Autumn comes early and doesn't last long here above the 63rd parallel, but in its fleeting moment there is nowhere else on earth that can compare. It's the final weekend of the 2017 summer passenger season and the third to last southbound Denali Star (train 230S), the flagship of the Alaska Railroad's fleet, is climbing the nearly 1% grade on the long tangent here at about MP 319.7 on the ARRC mainline. The foothills of the Alaska Range are wildly ablaze in hues of gold and crimson, and the SD70MACs leading the way are perfectly attuned to their native land. Cantwell, Alaska |
