I guess the White Pass to Yukon train, which runs from Skagway to the Yukon territory, would also qualify as an Alaska-Canada train. They say that this new rail line will, eventually, connect Alaska to the lower 48 states.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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Richard, in a 1945 book authored by Journalist and Showman, Edward Hungerford, titled "A Railroad for Tomorrow" written during the "giddy" postwar years of "we can do anything; we whupped those bad guys and they never touched our homeland", an ALCAN railroad was proposed by the author, which included passenger trains.
Oh well, what else does a "lame duck" have to do with his time. At least such is a diversion from planning to "become another Grover Cleveland".
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Thoughts of this sort of thing have been floating around since the late 1800's. Something like 30 years ago there was a proposal for a Bering Strait tunnel with associated railroad to connect it to the North American and Asian systems. After all, the US, Canada and China all have the same track gauge. The same arguments about reduced shipping time and scenic passenger service were also introduced. The Bering Strait tunnel is actually about the same as two English Channel tunnels end to end. However, if you think about this thing for a while, the Bering Strait tunnel itself is actually the easy part. The discussion on the project used a cost per mile for the railroad that would be appropriate for Kansas, not for a line in some of the most inhospitable territory on the planet outside Antarctica. You would have literally hundreds of miles of line to be built through empty land on both sides of the strait. As to traffic, you are NOT going to get traffic currently going by ship. The operating cost difference is simply too great. And that is not even considering amortizing the cost of construction. Anything truly time sensitive is already flying.
By the way, this is not a "lame duck" exercise. This thing went before congress in 2019, with apparently the only objection coming from someone concerned with transport of oil sand products.
I see this as simply a method of funding a useless study to make someone politically connected happy.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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quote:Originally posted by George Harris: After all, the US, Canada and China all have the same track gauge.
Mr Harris, last time I checked, who's on the West side of the Bering Strait? Russia, with its 5ft gauge.
I "missed out" on being aboard a train while it changed the gauge of its "bogies". Intending to ride Sevilla to Paris changing to a Talgo at Barcelona during '90, RENFE had a downed wire and the connection was missed.
quote:Originally posted by George Harris: By the way, this is not a "lame duck" exercise. This thing went before congress in 2019, with apparently the only objection coming from someone concerned with transport of oil sand products.
I see this as simply a method of funding a useless study to make someone politically connected happy.
Likely "on mark", Mr. Harris. What adds insult to injury is the discredit such brings to your profession.
Further adding to the discredit, is that whoever "had friends" in the Trump administration to get this contract, "hasn't got 'em" in Joe's. Now what work has been done will simply be scrapped so a "friend of Joe" can start all over again.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by George Harris: After all, the US, Canada and China all have the same track gauge.
Mr Harris, last time I checked, who's on the West side of the Bering Strait? Russia, with its 5ft gauge.
This is true, but you are a long way from the nearest point on the Russian system. The logical nearest source of traffic is China. You will cross, and if so desired connect to the Russian system, but it would only be to cross, and that crossing point is fairly close to the Chinese border and would be several hundred miles from the Russian side of the strait. Traffic to the rest of Russia would do its change of gauge there, with the line continuing at standard gauge on to China.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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Any tracks crossing the strait would certainly use the Diomede Islands, which are three miles apart between countries and are inhabited. The islands are tiny, and won't support a rail line and the inevitable highway beside it without drastically disrupting the native population. There was a time when the civilized world would simply brush those people aside for the sake of progress,but can that be done now?
Posts: 510 | From: Richmond VA USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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Railroad line plus parallel highway equals about a 200 feet wide right of way. No matter how small the islands are this should not destroy them. Not to mention, it is highly unlikely that road traffic will be driving, but much line the English Channel tunnel, be carried through by the trains. As said, the tunnel is effectively two English Channel tunnels end to end, thus the islands would be a short stretch of daylight between them. It is virtually certain that the trains would be electrified due to the ventilation issues you would have with diesels. However, this whole thing is highly unlikely to ever happen. It is simply not economically feasible no matter how much weight there would be for it politically, which I suspect is near zero. At best, call me back in 100 years when the world population has more than doubled and we are farming northern Canada and Alaska.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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