Train to Dawson

Music By:DarMoor Loclynn
Loclynn.com
this is a tribute to the men and women of the Yukon who lived and died forging the westward way. the footage is a hodge-podge of trains that do not truly reflect the litter of history but rather the spirit of the rail.
In 1897, three separate companies were organized to build a rail link from Skagway to Fort Selkirk, Yukon, 325 miles (523 km) away. Largely financed by British investors, a railroad was soon under construction. A 3-foot (914 mm) gauge was chosen; the narrower roadbed required by a narrow gauge railroad made for big cost savings when that roadbed had to be carved and blasted out of the mountain rock. Even so, 450 tons of explosives were used to reach White Pass summit. The narrow gauge also allowed for a tighter radius to be used on curves, making the task easier by allowing the railroad to follow the landscape more, rather than having to be blasted through it.
Construction started in May 1898, but they ran into some roadblocks in dealing with the local city government and the town's crime boss, Soapy Smith. The President, Samuel H. Graves (18521911), was elected as chairman of the vigilante organization that was trying to expel Soapy and his gang of confidence men and rogues. On the evening of July 8, 1898, Soapy Smith was killed in a gunfight with the guards at one of the vigilante's meetings. Samuel Graves witnessed the shooting. The railroad helped block off the escape routes of the gang, aiding in their capture, and the remaining roadblocks in Skagway subsided. On July 21, 1898, an excursion train hauled passengers for four miles (6.4 km) out of Skagway, the first train to operate in Alaska. On July 30, 1898, the charter rights and concessions of the three companies were acquired by the White Pass & Yukon Railway Company Limited, a new company organized in London. Construction reached the 2,885-foot (879 m) summit of White Pass, 20 miles (32 km) away from Skagway, by mid-February 1899. The railway reached Bennett, British Columbia on July 6, 1899. In the summer of 1899, construction started north from Carcross to Whitehorse, 110 miles (177 km) north of Skagway. The construction crews working from Bennett along a difficult lakeshore reached Carcross the next year, and the last spike was driven on July 29, 1900, with service starting on August 1, 1900. However, by then, much of the Gold Rush fever had died down.
At the time, the gold spike was actually a regular iron spike. A gold spike was on hand, but the gold was too soft and instead of being driven, was just hammered out of shape

learn more at,,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Pass_and_Yukon_Railroad

Category:

Music

Tags:

• White Pass Yukon Route
• Dawson
• train
• Alaska

[PoetryETrain]

This has been added to our playlists here, and on facebook, thanks....

[loclynn]

@PoetryETrain

Glad you enjoyed it

[donoesau]

The white pass & yukon railroad went from skagway,alaska to whitehorse, yukon in canada. It never went to dawson city the former capital of yukon territory. River boats operated between whitehorse and dawson city both of which are located on the yukon river. Last i heard the train only opeates from skagway to carcross in canada.

[loclynn]

@donoesau Thanks I made this back ground music and felt it had an old west trail feel to it. So i put this clip together in that spirit.

[RealIndianPrince]

I love the old steam trains . I have a box set that has only old steeam fron the old days. Around the time of the second World War. Very cool vids.

[loclynn]

my grand father worked on steam.. after the big D and then all the way into the late 60's fixing old steam tractors

[The333rd]

This is the type of music that inspires my music. Check it out on my youtube channel here: The333rd

Please subscribe and watch our videos!!

[Caspar33]

Music and dissolving images and film very artfully organized and put together. Well done.

[loctia1]

I love all kinds of trains.  This was a fine tribute. Thank you. Hunter

[Catbird7073]

I really enjoyed this one! What a wonderful tribute!

[jimmymac30]

excellent music and images, the historical description was very interesting as well, great job!!