I hope when they built the replacement shops, better provisions were made for fire protection. For example a better, more reliable water supply and an automatic sprinkler system inside the building. IMHO, as poorly equipped as the Skagway Fire Department was, if a serious fire had started in the center of town, in all probability a great many buildings in Skagway would have been lost. I'm not criticizing the volunteer fire department; they did the very best they could with what equipment they had. However as a fire protection professional I feel the municipal government was negligent for not providing funding for adequate fire apparatus. I'm also left wondering why the railway's fire insurance underwriter didn't insist on better fire protection for the old shops.
The #72's boiler was scrapped in 1974 and the rest of her remains were later sold to Silver Dollar City as a source of spare parts for the #70 and #71 who were also sold to Silver Dollar City. SDC later became Dollywood in 1986.
The Cantilever bridge that was closed should be rebuilt and reused again. Restoration must be put on to the Cantilever bridge at dead horse gulch. I think a good name is the Dead Horse Trestle. If I designed a new locomotive for the White Pass and Yukon railway, I would make it a CoCo narrow gauge diesel locomotive that would have cabs at the front and back and it would be made of light metal’s and a super strong engine and it would be full width. The cabs on both sides will look like the Alco locomotive’s fronts but instead they would be full flat on the top and rounded at the front’s.
Why cabs at both ends? That increases the initial cost as well as ongoing maintenance costs. Also, full-width carbodies have long since fallen out of favor because the "road-switcher" type hood units were found to furnish improved access for maintenance. I'm not trying to be negative, but those are the facts of the matter.
Not that I am aware of. If there was I would gladly help out. I would love to see the 52 run again. I volunteer with the 557 Restoration in Wasilla and find it fascinating.
