White Pass Standard Gauge Conversion

1. White Pass Standard Gauge Conversion Mark Taylor University of Alaska Fairbanks Spring 2002

2. Outline Introduction Project History White Pass Assessment Conversion Considerations Construction Details Feasibility Closing

3. Introduction House Bill 241 proposes the extension of the Alaska Railroad from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon At Whitehorse, the proposed railroad would join the existing White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad White Pass track gauge is non-standard and requires conversion The process and feasibility of such standardization are presented.

5. Introduction The conversion of an active railroad has never taken place in modern times It is difficult to compare historical practices against today�s technology

6. Introduction Working knowledge of railroad operations, maintenance, and construction Worked seasonally as track surveyor, bridge inspector, conductor/engineer, work train foreman, project engineer Authored White Pass manual of maintenance and construction standards

7. Project History Railroad development into Alaska and northern Canada has a long history First development was Alaska Railroad in 1923 Further exploration prior to WWII State interest in 1970, 1980 produced route surveys and environmental studies (HB 47) Recent increase in interest over last decade; notably HB 241 and Sen. Murkowski�s �Rails to Resources�

8. Project History The White Pass is included as an integral component of proposed trans-Canada railroad Provide a tidewater access 110 miles from Whitehorse, YT

9. HB 241 Testimony White Pass could be converted ahead of the proposed corridor and serve as a supply route A route simply from Fairbanks to Skagway via Whitehorse would prove sufficiently valuable in and of itself in addition to serving as a building block to further southward expansion

10. White Pass Built in 1898 as a transportation response to the Klondike gold rush Key transporter of freight and passengers to and from the Yukon and Northern B.C. Leased by the U.S. Army in WWII, valuable construction supply route for the Alaska Hwy

11. White Pass Major transporter of ore from the Yukon Following mine closures, unable to compete against recently opened hwy traffic Shutdown in the fall of 1982 Reopened the spring of 1988 Seasonal passenger operations moving over 300 000 / yr

12. White Pass White Pass was designed for narrow gauge but constructed to standard gauge specifications Current maintenance and construction meets standard gauge operational requirements

13. White Pass Current Track Maintenance Upgrading to heavy rail Installation of 8 ft. ties Higher capacity switches Standard ballast Wider clearances Higher load ratings bridges and docks Uniformity of heavy passenger trucks

14. Conversion White Pass�s current maintenance program is intended to ensure safe, reliable passenger operations however such efforts greatly enhance the efficiency of future conversion The active passenger corridor receives the heaviest maintenance and upgrades

16. Conversion Traffic interruption Revenue is generated through summer tourist trains To limit or restrict passenger operations is unnecessary Much of the railroad is unused and substantial work can be accomplished without hindrance to passenger operations

17. Construction Outline Construction is expected to last two years Work performed through seven phases Starting in early January of �Year One� Ending mid-September of �Year Two�

18. Construction Outline Year One Phase 1; Construction of rail-barge facility Phase 2; Upgrading of bridges Phase 3; Grade stabilization from Carcross  to Whitehorse Phase 4, 5; Gauge widening from Carcross to  Bennett to Skagway Phase 6; Equipment conversion

19. Construction Outline Year Two Phase 6 (continued); Equipment Conversion Phase 7; Gauge widening from Carcross to Whitehorse

22. Phase One; Rail Barge Facility Begins January of Year One Ends May of Year One Allow for construction material to be loaded by the manufacturer and shipped directly via barge Be the leading end of Skagway�s rail-barge connection

23. Phase One; Rail Barge Facility Construction must be completed prior to the cruise ship season Wintertime port construction is common in Skagway All docks in Skagway have been designed or adapted to accommodate passenger traffic

24. Phase One; Rail Barge Facility Two are immediately suitable for a rail barge ramp construction All are deepwater docks Skagway has 25 ft tides and the appropriate ramp design would allow for four loading/offloading windows per day at the 16 ft stage

26. Phase One; Rail Barge Facility �Railroad Dock� designed and built to standard gauge rail capacity A third rail runs throughout its length No additional rail crossings would be required Additional rail traffic accessing the pier would pose no significant threat increase to pedestrian traffic

28. Phase One; Rail Barge Facility �Ore Dock� The former ideal location for such a facility Alaska Marine Line operates a ramp here Land leases have severely restricted any potential foot print for freight operations Track geometry in the confined quarters would be a design problem Rail access would require additional grade crossings through Skagway tourism district

30. Phase One; Rail Barge Facility The City of Skagway exists in a confined valley Waterfront land is leased by White Pass from the City Much land has been subdivided and remaining portions are not adequate for staging of railroad freight

31. Phase One; Rail Barge Facility The best means of marshalling barge borne freight is to remove it directly from the barge and stage it north of town near railroad milepost 3

34. Phase Two; Bridges, Tunnels, and Clearances 23 Bridges over entire route 14 bridges within Alaska 3 bridges within British Columbia 6 bridges within Yukon

35. Phase Two; Bridges, Tunnels, and Clearances To handle the increase in axle loads from standard gauge equipment, many bridges require upgrading The simplest method is the installation of intermediate pony trusses at bridge mid-spans

36. Phase Two; Bridges, Tunnels, and Clearances Alaska Subdivision (MP 0.0 � 20.4) 5 bridges have been recently rebuilt to steel, standard gauge capacity 4 require intermediate bents Both short and shallow 2 require extensive upgrading 3 are adequate

37. Phase Two; Bridges, Tunnels, and Clearances British Columbia Subdivision (MP 20.4 � 53.2) 2 have recently been rebuilt to steel, standard gauge capacity One is due for rebuild by 2003

38. Phase Two; Bridges, Tunnels, and Clearances Yukon Subdivision (MP 53.2 � 110.0) 3 recently reconstructed to standard gauge capacity 3 require extensive reconstruction All short and shallow

39. Phase Two; Bridges, Tunnels, and Clearances Only two tunnels exist along the railroad Both in the Alaska Subdivision

40. Phase Two; Bridges, Tunnels, and Clearances MP 16 Tunnel Constructed in the winter of 1899 300 ft long Requires no upgrading Current dimensions allow for standard rail traffic

43. Phase Two; Bridges, Tunnels, and Clearances MP 18 Tunnel Built in 1969 to replace a bridge 700 ft long Built to American Railway Engineer Assoc Standards (AREA) However, the portals limit the interior dimensions of the tunnel

45. Phase Two; Bridges, Tunnels, and Clearances Clearances No additional right-of-way widening is necessary An intensive maintenance program has actively removed close clearances, widened cuts, deepened shoulders, and removed rocky outcrops

46. Phase Two; Bridges, Tunnels, and Clearances Clearances Historically, White Pass has transported excess dimension freight White Pass transported 80 ft lengths of 60 in diameter pipe in proof of concept test for Foothills Pipeline White Pass operates with some standard gauge equipment

50. Phase Three;Right-of-Way Stabilization Carcross (MP 65.7) to Whitehorse (MP 110.0) Little maintenance has occurred over this northernmost section since 1982 A dedicated crew will work six months beginning May 1 of Year One The crew will be comprised of one work train and supporting heavy equipment

51. Phase Three;Right-of-Way Stabilization Primary focus of crew: Restoring shoulder width Replacing wooden culverts with aluminum Widening cuts

52. Phase Three;Right-of-Way Stabilization It is expected that over 200 000 yds of material will be removed or distributed along the right-of-way All of the material required is available from natural sources within designated railroad land rights

53. Phase Three;Right-of-Way Stabilization Existing track: Much of the subgrade is a mixture of sand and silt Cleaned ballast was placed during 1960 overhaul throughout much of this section Rail, ties, and accompanying track hardware is inadequate for standard gauge traffic and will be addressed during Year Two

54. Phase Three;Right-of-Way Stabilization No rail operations are underway over this track portion and construction crews can operate unimpeded Access to the track is available via the Klondike Highway

57. Phase Four;Gauge Widening Carcross to Bennett Carcross (MP 67.7) to Bennett (MP 40) This section of track follows the shore of Bennett Lake passing light grades through fine soil terrain near Carcross becoming rock near Bennett No operations are underway over this section

58. Phase Four;Gauge Widening Carcross to Bennett Heavy reconstruction has taken place within the past six years Shore stabilization 100% long tie renewal Extensive surfacing Ballasting Much of the rail is new 100 lb/yd and adequate for standard gauge traffic

59. Phase Four;Gauge Widening Carcross to Bennett Track and right-of-way is in condition suitable for straightforward gauge widening No operations take place over this section Two crews, totaling thirty people, would be required Work will closely resemble the process of a rail relay

60. Phase Four;Gauge Widening Carcross to Bennett Two people will precede crew one removing spikes and anchors on the west rail The east rail will remain in place serving as a gauge rail The crew will proceed with a hydraulic gauging machine moving the unspiked rail 10.25 in. and gauge spike

61. Phase Four;Gauge Widening Carcross to Bennett The next crew, in the same fashion, will move the east rail 10.25. in and gauge spike The bulk of the crew will complete all spiking, anchoring, leveling, and lining Standard gauge production rail laying equipment will be used The crew will leave behind standard gauge track

62. Phase Four;Gauge Widening Carcross to Bennett The primary crews will ignore track discontinuities to maintain momentum Ie: grade crossings, turnouts, yards A follow up crew will address these potentially time consuming tasks

64. Phase Five;Gauge Widening Bennett to Skagway Bennett (MP 40.4) to Skagway (0.0) At Bennett, crews will be entering the active passenger corridor Timing is important The construction crew should arrive Bennett near the time Bennett Service is suspended Expected around mid-August

66. Phase Five;Gauge Widening Bennett to Skagway From Bennett, construction can proceed toward Fraser Crews should arrive Fraser near the time Fraser service is suspended Expected around mid-September

68. Phase Five;Gauge Widening Bennett to Skagway From Fraser, construction can proceed toward the summit Crews should arrive at the summit near the time total passenger services are suspended near late September After this date, crews have total access to the passenger corridor

70. Phase Five;Gauge Widening Bennett to Skagway In Skagway Yard, a crew of eight to ten will be at work converting switches, road crossings, and some short lengths of three-rail track At the end of the summer of Year One, the essential portions of the Skagway Yard will be ready to accommodate standard gauge stock

71. Phase Five;Gauge Widening Bennett to Skagway By the Fall of Year One, the railroad will be standard gauge from Skagway to Carcross

73. Phase Six; Equipment Conversion The Skagway Facility can dedicate itself to equipment conversion after the suspension of passenger service Nearly all of White Pass� equipment in service is historical passenger equipment The process would proceed through the winter ending before start of season Year Two

74. Phase Six; Equipment Conversion Only passenger equipment will be focused on for conversion Freight and work equipment can be easily replaced with more efficient leased or purchased standard gauge equipment brought in by barge

75. Phase Six; Equipment Conversion Nearly all of the passenger fleet has been transitioned to a uniform, steel truck design which can be easily converted to standard gauge A stockpile of standard gauge components can be on hand early via barge

76. Phase Six; Equipment Conversion The conversion of equipment would be a straightforward: The car enters the shop Is jacked up Narrow gauge trucks and brake rigging removed Standard gauge trucks and rigging installed

77. Phase Six; Equipment Conversion White Pass locomotives are wholly obsolete with their technology dating back to the 1950�s One modern, standard gauge locomotive would easily replace four existing White Pass locomotives New locomotives could be purchased and/or leased for a significantly lower cost

79. Phase Seven; Gauge Widening Carcross to Whitehorse Carcross (MP 67.5) to Whitehorse (MP 110.0) The existing track over this section would be converted during the spring and summer of Year Two

80. Phase Seven; Gauge Widening Carcross to Whitehorse All new track supplies could be brought to Skagway via barge and taken directly to Carcross on standard gauge cars This will provide the most striking metamorphosis This will also be the most management intensive part of construction

81. Phase Seven; Gauge Widening Carcross to Whitehorse All new track supplies would be brought to Skagway via barge and taken directly to Carcross on standard gauge cars First, a crew working north will widen gauge as previously outlined The track will be temporarily spiked on the existing narrow gauge ties

82. Phase Seven; Gauge Widening Carcross to Whitehorse Second, a standard gauge work train will proceed north distributing new, 115 lb/yd rail and ties at night During the day, a crew will lay the new rail and gauge spike, still using narrow ties

83. Phase Seven; Gauge Widening Carcross to Whitehorse Third, a crew using standard gauge production equipment will insert new ties and complete the conversion This is concluded with a ballast train and surfacing crew Work will progress at 3 miles per week Work is to be completed by mid-September

84. Cost This cost assessment is a broad scope analysis of projected costs

85. Cost: Phase One

86. Cost: Phase Two

87. Cost: Phase Three

88. Cost: Phase Four

89. Cost: Phase Five

90. Cost: Phase Six

91. Cost: Phase Seven

92. Summary

95. Questions