Skagway has changed.....looks a lot cleaner and paved these days. Summer 1975 I was a patrolman on the Chilkoot Trail snd all that area pictured was gravel and mud. NPS gave us the upstairs White Pass offices to crash in when in town. I rode the train weekly from Bennett. Ore trains kept me awake all night with switching Alcos and five chime echoes that never stopped. I remember at the time thinking I don't believe what I'm seeing.......100 car narrow gauge ore trains, two sets of helpers per train, brand new MLW DL535's. I don't care if I can't sleep, this is heaven. Some of the rolling stock still had traces of Rio Grande heritage under raised paint. Those were the days of daytime "piggyback" RV's from Whitehorse and container flats bound for the ferry along with passenger movements. Funny thing was at Bennett the RR management wouldn't let hikers off the trail(me included) eat with the train passengers in the chow hall. Too much stinky for the hoite-toits off the cruise ships I guess? We were forced to stay outside on the platform until everyone was served, watching endless narrow gauge train movements and helper turns before being invited into the back of the kitchen for what was left. Frequently the train passengers would see my NPS shirt and invite me out of the trash area to sit at the head of one of the tables and tell stories. I could always sense the agitation of the food service people when this happened. The White Pass truely was a mainline railroad in those days.
ARD