Alaska's Tanana Valley Railroads

In a region desperate for transportation to rich, gold-bearing creeks, the narrow-gauge Tanana Mines Railroad was built over permafrost, bogs, and hills to carry miners and supplies in 1905. Reorganized as the Tanana Valley Railroad, this little line promised the survival of both gold mining and Fairbanks until Fairbanks's economic base broadened. The railroad, built with Klondike Gold Rush earnings, prospered for only a few years and was acquired by the Alaska Railroad. The narrow-gauge survived 25 years, serving as the terminus for the Alaska Railroad and ensuring the development of Interior Alaska.

About the author

Author Daniel L. Osborne is a longtime, dedicated volunteer and operates the surviving Tanana Valley Railroad steam engine No. 1. He always wondered how things work. That curiosity propelled his life; he is now a retired rocket scientist. Active after retirement and still curious, Osborne seized the opportunity to learn about steam locomotives. His current obsession in historic railroads led to the history of railroads in the development of Alaska and the question of why the gold rush settlement of Fairbanks did not become a ghost town.

Product details

• Authors: Daniel L. Osborne
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC)
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.04.2013
• EAN: 9780738596679
• ISBN: 978-0-7385-9667-9
• No. of pages: 128
• Dimensions: 164 mm x 233 mm x 12 mm
• Weight: 309 g
• Series: Images of Rail; Images of Rail
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Züge und Eisenbahnen: Sachbuch, USA Westen, History - U.S., HISTORY / United States / State & Local / West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY), TRANSPORTATION / Railroads / Pictorial, TRANSPORTATION / Railroads / History