Bumped Off Budd The northbound Hurricane Turn flagstop train is momentarily paused at the platform beside little 'downtown' depot at the section house right in the tiny little village. In just a moment they'll head north across the Talkeetna River bridge and strike off for 50 miles through the roadless wilderness stopping as needed to drop off locals, fishermen, and others striking off into the wildlands of Alaska before traveling as far as their namesake bridge and then turning back. Leading the little train is ARR cab control/power car P32 (former AMTK F40PH #268 originally built December 1977) which was acquired and rebuilt by NRE in Mount Vernon, IL in 2003 along with sister P31 and equipped with an 800KW Cummins HEP engine. And providing the horsepower here on the rear is GP40-2 3009 which was bought new by the railroad in April 1976. At right tucked away in the 1518 foot long siding for the weekend is a company work train with sister GP40-2s 3012 and 3011. Trailing is RDC 701 now relegated to duty as the work train's 'caboose' and tool car after herself having held down Hurricane Turn duty for decades. She was built as an RDC-3 for the New Haven Railroad in 1953 as their number 126 and came to Alaska in 1985 from SEPTA who'd acquired her second hand from NH successor Penn Central. If you'd been here the prior summer you'd have seen 701, but not in such an ignominious role. 2008 was the last summer of the 'Budd cans' as the crews called them and this marked the first year of a conventional locomotive hauled consist on the famous little train. To see 701 at work on the turn the prior summer check out this shot. And she's still in Alaska today, albeit far from the ARR's rails down on the Kenai peninsula at Whistle Hill. Talkeetna, Alaska |
