SEP. 15 SOCIAL MEETING of the WM Chapter NRHS will be held at 7 PM in the Cumberland Railroad Museum at 17 Howard Street among the shops at Canal Place. Nearest parking is available in the lot along Howard Street beneath the Interstate Route 68 bridge, opposite the historic Footer’s Dye Works building. Parking is free on a first-come basis. Be careful when crossing Howard Street because motor vehicles do not always fully stop at the bottom of westbound Exit 43B ramp. The meeting is open to the public at no charge.
Meeting Program Chairman Jeff Geiger will transport viewers to the great state of Alaska through the magic of watching high definition videos on the 55-inch, 4K Ultra HD video screen mounted on the west wall of the railroad museum. The video program begins with The White Pass Journey (2011), which features breath-taking views along the
White Pass & Yukon Route narrow gauge line that has been called “The Scenic Railway of the World.” The 110-mile long railroad goes from Skagway, Alaska, to Fraser, British Columbia, and ends at Carcross, Yukon. Construction on the rail line began in April 1898, just nine months after the Klondike Gold Rush that started in July 1897 with discovery
of two tons of gold. It took 26 months to build, following the Skagway River to White Pass Summit twenty miles to the northeast, then continuing on to Lake Bennett and down the Yukon River. The story continues with more details in the 56-minute video program, Alaska’s Gold Rush Train, as passengers travel aboard restored WP&YR parlor cars and discover abandoned gold rush sites, relive by fascinating lore narrated by local storytellers as viewers see spectacular gorges, glacier-fed waterfalls, and mountainsides graced with wildflowers. The WP&YR is one of the steepest railroads in the world and a truly incredible engineering feat, which has been declared as an international Historic Civil Landmark. It must be seen to be believed.
Western Maryland Chapter National Railway Historical Society 