Other Small Steam
There are a couple of other small steam locomotives on display along the route of the Alaska Railroad, although you’ll have to go almost all the way to Anchorage to find them. Off the main line and not far from Wasilla, you’ll find Premier Coal Company No. 5, a three-foot-gauge 0-4-0T, adjacent to the repurposed Palmer station. The Alaska Railroad’s tracks are still in place at
Palmer, although the branch is now on- ly served as far as a gravel mine for freight and as far as the State Fair- grounds at the new South Palmer sta- tion for passenger trains. No. 5 was built by Baldwin in 1910, one of three sister locomotives purchased for the construction of the Alaska Railroad. In Anchorage you’ll find a standard gauge 0-4-0T on display directly in front of the Alaska Railroad’s depot.
This locomotive was built by Davenport in 1907 as a narrow gauge 0-4-0T for the Panama Canal Commission where it worked as No. 802. In 1917 the Alas- ka Engineering Commission (the pred- ecessor to the Alaska Railroad) re- ceived surplus locomotives from Panama and No. 802 became No. 6, working on the construction of the ARR. In 1930 it was converted to stan- dard gauge to serve as the Anchorage
LEFT: Premier Coal Company No. 5 is on dis- play adjacent to the Palmer station. No. 5 was built by Baldwin in 1910. The station has been repurposed by the town for community events. BELOW: Alaska Railroad “No. 1” served dur- ing the construction of both the Panama Canal and Alaska Railroad, and now stands outside the Anchorage depot.
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