Rebirth of Tanana Valley Railroad #1
by Dan Gullickson
Main Article ~ Restoration Photos ~ In Service Photos
Engine #1 as manufactured for The North American Transportation and Trading Company - FTVRR Files courtesy Eric Johnson.
Engine #1 shortly after arrival in Fairbanks area, ca 1905 - TVRR Files.
Engine #1 at TVRR Train Station, Chena, Alaska, ca 1906 - TVRR Files.
Records indicate that Engine #1 was the first Steam Locomotive in the Yukon Territory, arriving in the Dawson area in August of 1899 to work at coal mines that supplied fuel to Dawson (Cliff Creek, North American Transportation and Trading Co., and Coal Creek Mine). The engine was sold to local Dawson entrepreneurs in 1905, who were relocating to Fairbanks to build the Tanana Mines Railway (reorganized as Tanana Valley Railroad, 1907), and Engine #1 was shipped via riverboat to Fairbanks, arriving on July 4, 1905.
Main Article ~ Restoration Photos ~ In Service Photos
