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Caption: Displayed beside the WP&YR station at Carcross, Yukon Territory
"The Duchess" is a saddle tank loco built by Baldwin in 1878 as an 0-6-0 for a Vancouver Island coal mine that had 30" track gauge. Sources indicate that the front coupling rods were removed in 1883 turning it into a 2-4-0, and it has been that way ever since. Around 1889 it was re-gauged for 36" track.
In the past, the main travel corridors of Yukon Territory were its lakes and rivers, which WP&YR connected with. In 1900 Duchess was acquired to power the Atlin Short Line Railway (a.k.a. Taku Tram), replacing horses, and the line became a White Pass & Yukon property that same year. It pulled a single coach on the 2 mile inter-lake portage between docks at the east of Taku Arm off Taglish Lake and Scotia Bay on Atlin Lake BC - in the other direction it pushed. After a 20 year career it was retired and shipped back to Carcross YT, where it's boiler at times served as a trash incinerator, until the engine was put on display in 1931.
"The Duchess" was cosmetically restored a few years ago, including a new wooden cab.
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Looks good cosmetically, after all this time.
Here’s an easy way to see where this engine ran, relative to Carcross. Click the “-” on the Google map 4 times for the big picture.
The WP&YR railway runs Skagway-Fraser-Carcross-(Whitehorse). From Carcross, your boat follows the narrow Lake Nares east (right) to the long narrow north-south Lake Tagish. Turn south (down) about 3/4 the length of Tagish Lake, look out for narrow Taku Arm which points east toward Atlin BC. Follow Taku Arm right as far east as it goes. The tram used to cross the two miles from there to Atlin Lake. (Hope that Google Maps shows the same view to you.)
Yes, thanks for the lesson! The only trouble I have with looking at this stuff is that it re-kickstarts the yearning I have to drive up that way. Someday………..