Tanana Valley
Railroad Engine #1
Called "a museum in progress," while the engine was being restored.
It is
the oldest rail relic in Alaska and the Yukon.
It was built in 1899 and operated in a
Dawson coal mine until Falcon Joslin bought it for his Tanana Valley Railroad, where it
ran locally from 1905 until 1923 or '24. It is powered by wood and coal. Later engines
that pulled cars to the gold camps north of town were more powerful.
The running gear is all original, but the cab has been reconstructed and the
boiler replaced. The non-profit "Friends of the Tanana Valley Railroad"
incorporated in 1992 to restore the Engine entirely to working order. The 100 year
old engine was returned to service July 2, 2000, running again and operating on the narrow gauge Pioneer
Park tracks for special occasions.
The engine and other railroad memorabilia can be observed at the new Tanana
Valley Railroad Museum and compound at Pioneer Park (Alaskaland). In 2012,
there were 122 members in the "Friends of the Tanana Valley Railroad.", but
many other volunteers also pitched in to help over the years.
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