Plowing Ahead

The White Pass, at 2,865 feet, receives significant snowfall from late September until early June, and since 1898 the WP & YR's skilled crews have used a variety of rolling stock and other machinery to keep the railroad open and operational. Among the most powerful was Cooke Rotary Snowplow No. 1, built in 1899 and well suited to the early needs of the White Pass & Yukon Route even during the harshest winter conditions. This 129-ton rotary snowplow used its boiler solely to turn 10-foot circular blades that carved through deep snow drifts often as high as 12 feet, while two locomotives coupled behind pushed it forward so it could slice through nearly impenetrable snow. More modest but important was Caboose 909, which often served as an office and quarters for the train crew, and whose cupola gave crewmen a better place to inspect the train. Skagway's history as a transport hub is closely linked to the WP & YR and its many years of service.

Skagway, Alaska · United States