tion of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline; it was the biggest surge in car loadings since World War II.
As oil prices decreased in the early 1980s and the economy began to weak- en, so did the railroad’s profit potential. As a result legislation was signed on January 14, 1983, transferring owner- ship of the Alaska Railroad to the state of Alaska. The state didn’t take actual ownership until 1985 during a ceremo- ny held in Nenana at the same location as the driving of the last spike. The first year of state ownership was a difficult one as it was necessary for the railroad to overcome several obstacles, which in- cluded a derailment, a flood, and a chemical spill. Years of deferred main- tenance during federal ownership had left much of the railroad in bad shape and thus began a period of capital im- provements. By 1989 the railroad had invested more than $35 million to bring the line up to a good state of repair. During the late 1980s business was good, bolstered in part by increased coal traffic. At the same time the rail-
RIGHT: A work train gathers cars for their move north while in the background an empty gravel train awaits a crew. BELOW: The north- bound Denali Star crosses Riley Creek Trestle inside Denali National Park and will arrive at the station in just a couple of minutes.
road was looking to diversify and was looking for a way to capture some of the booming Alaskan tourism business. The railroad upgraded its facilities and signed contracts with the cruise lines that deliver thousands of tourists to Alaska’s shores each year. In addition the railroad looked for ways to help sta- bilize the freight side of the balance sheet, which was dominated by coal and crude oil. During this time changes were made to the barges that serve
Alaska, one from Seattle and the other from Prince Rupert, British Columbia. In addition the Alaska Railroad sought in increase overnight trailer service be- tween Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Into the 21st Century
Economic downturns in the 1990s and into the 2000s were tough on the railroad with both passenger and freight
suffering losses. Particularly hard hit was coal, as the Usibelli coal
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