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Steaming to Bennett on the WP&YR
by Murray Lundberg
To Bennett-Carcross (northbound) Photo Album
To Carcross-Bennett (southbound) Photo Album
Click each photo to greatly enlarge it
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MP 0 - Skagway Station
Getting ready to leave the depot - July 20, 2001, 8:00 AM.
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I love the smell of napalm in the morning. - that line from the movie "Apocalypse Now" was brought to mind by the smoke pumping through the trees in the morning light.
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MP 14.3 - Skagway River
As seen from Bridge 14A - the water is exceptionally high and muddy from recent rainy weather.
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MP 14.3 - Bridge 14A
Bridges are numbered by their relationship to mileposts - the first bridge past Milepost 14 is 14A, the second bridge would be 14B and so on.
Locomotive #40 is seen here coasting south to Skagway.
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MP 15.1 - Bridge 15A
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MP 16.0 - Tunnel Mountain
We are about to cross Bridge 15C and enter the 250-foot-long tunnel.
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MP 18.6 - Bridge 18A
This is probably the most famous structure on the WP&YR line. Built over the winter of 1900-1901, it was the highest cantilever bridge in the world. The West Fork of the Skagway River is 215 feet below the bridge deck.
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Many people breathe a sigh of relief when they see that the trains no longer use the old cantilever bridge!
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MP 18.7 - Bridge 18B
This bridge was built in 1969 when the railway began hauling much heavier ore cars. A 675-foot-long tunnel had to be built as well, as the canyon at that point is far too narrow for a curved track back down the other side.
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MP 18.7 - West Fork Skagway River
As seen from Bridge 18B.
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MP 19.4 - American Shed
A 1,042-foot-long snowshed was built here to combat heavy snows. It was removed in the 1980s when it became too rotten to maintain. To the left, the "Trail of '98" can clearly be seen.
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MP 20.4 - White Pass Summit
This is as far as the Summit Excursions go - 2,865 feet above sea level. About 70% of White Pass passengers take that excursion, often due to cruise ship schedules that don't allow for a longer trip.
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MP 21 - Canadian Shed
To combat drifting snow, a 1.064-foot snowshed was built over this cut through the granite.
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ca. MP 23 - Summit Lake
The South Klondike Highway can be seen on the far side of the lake. The beautiful colour of the water shows that this lake is glacier-fed.
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MP 24.6 - Meadows
This beautiful spot is quite a surprise to find among all the granite of the White Pass.
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MP 29.7 - Ptarmigan Point
The lake goes by several names locally, but is called Shallow Lake on government maps. The point is a great location to let photographers off and do a train run-by.
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MP 34 - 34 Flats
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MP 34
Baldwin 73 southbound on July 1, 2006. Meeting 73 was a huge bonus on our afternoon walk that day - a handy granite outcropping provided
this higher viewpoint.
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MP 36.5 - Beaver Lake
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MP 40.6 - Bennett
A major renovation of the station and cleanup of the property last year has done wonders for the area.
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Bennett
Conductor John McDermott talking to some of the younger passengers from the train.
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Bennett
A general view of the townsite, looking south. The WP&YR station is to the left, the historic church can be seen among the trees on the hill at right centre.
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Bennett
A Parks Canada guide led passengers on a tour of the old townsite, explaining what signs were used to create a map showing how Bennett was laid out, and where certain buildings were located.
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Bennett
The historic Bennett church, the only building remaining from Bennett's heyday during the Klondike Gold Rush.
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Bennett
A bonus - I hadn't expected to get any shots of the locomotive under power at Bennett. Hey, what time are we supposed to be on board???
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Bennett
WAIT FOR ME!!!!!
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