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I was still down in Skagway when the 5 days a week WP&YR passenger train to Carcross was laying over from 12:30 to 1PM. However I found this Fairmont A6-F4-1 track gang car with trailer, asleep a few tenths beyond Carcross station on the otherwise out-of-service track leading to Whitehorse. Purchased new by WP&YR in 1976, this Ford powered gas-mechanical speeder apparently continues to be used as needed. Fairmont closed down their business by 1979; I expect this is one of the last built for 3 foot gauge track. Can't be many railways with operational Fairmont speeders nowadays. Hi-rail pickup trucks are more versatile - they are a good fit for standard gauge track, but not narrow gauges.
Copyright Notice: This image ©John Pittman all rights reserved.



Caption: I was still down in Skagway when the 5 days a week WP&YR passenger train to Carcross was laying over from 12:30 to 1PM.
However I found this Fairmont A6-F4-1 track gang car with trailer, asleep a few tenths beyond Carcross station on the otherwise out-of-service track leading to Whitehorse. Purchased new by WP&YR in 1976, this Ford powered gas-mechanical speeder apparently continues to be used as needed.
Fairmont closed down their business by 1979; I expect this is one of the last built for 3 foot gauge track. Can't be many railways with operational Fairmont speeders nowadays. Hi-rail pickup trucks are more versatile - they are a good fit for standard gauge track, but not narrow gauges.

Photographer:
John Pittman [288] (more) (contact)
Date: 07/03/2018 (search)
Railway: White Pass and Yukon (search)
Reporting Marks: WPYR 2020 (search)
Train Symbol: Not Provided
Subdivision/SNS: WP&YR MP 67.7 (search)
City/Town: Carcross (search)
Province: Yukon (search)
Share Link: http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=34035
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Photo ID: 32857
Map courtesy of Open Street Map

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3 Comments
  1. jp4pix
    July 16, 2018 at 9:59 am

    On closer observation, something has been keeping the the track tops in this picture free of heavy rust. However a few miles south of Whitehorse the track was obviously out of service. Along the Yukon River in Whitehorse city, the tracks are maintained nicely for use by Whitehorse’s summer-season non-electric trolley – though 2018 resumption of service was apparently behind schedule.

  2. Stephen C. Host
    July 16, 2018 at 11:18 am

    Trains appear to run to Carcross regularly with bus connections to Whitehorse.

    https://wpyr.com/excursions/all-trains-motorcoach-connections-via-carcross-bennett/

  3. jp4pix
    July 16, 2018 at 3:09 pm

    This track is a bit north of Carcross station. I suspect this is the main line side of the Carcross wye, and that WP&YR have been using this wye to turn many/all of the 5 trains a week that terminate at Carcross. This is different from what happens with trains that terminate at Fraser BC – they have a double ended siding, not a wye, so the engines uncouple and switch ends. My current theory is that the rails get rustier within a mile north of this spot.
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