Canada - Alaska RR - Go ahead, model this one if you dare !

[Puddington]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/railway-canada-alaska-ready-built-six-years-143840212.html

Interesting scenic opportunities for the modern modeler..? 

[Scottl]

Every once and a while that comes up, sort of like damming the Yukon River and diverting it to California.  Big ideas, not necessarily good ideas.

[Dave Schneider]

Economic fantasy land written by a promoter of the idea. There is no way this happens.

I'll wager the following....if it comes to pass I will:
1) Forsake the  Green Bay Packers and become a Bears fan-boy.
2) Turn vegan.
3) Replace beer and gin with green tea and soy milk.
4) Switch from jazz to gangster rap.
5) Go clothes shopping with my wife....yes, I am that certain it will not happen.

Best wishes, Dave

[Scottl]

Replace beer and gin with green tea and soy milk

You convinced me with this one.

While this developer is blowing smoke, there is one major new railroad in planning in Canada's Arctic.  It will be a new 150 km iron ore hauler on northern Baffin Island and they have done detailed route engineering and scoping.  CN is now in feasibility for another new railroad running the north-south axis of Quebec, again to serve iron ore developments and other resource industries.  Both of these are probably technically more difficult than this vapourous Alcan railroad due to permafrost, weather extremes and remoteness.  Of course, the latter won't be built because there is nothing to ship to Alaska other than guns, cigarettes and (seemingly if the railroad comes to pass) soy milk!

[Puddington]

Hell.... they couldn't even figure a way to model it (well, maybe David K could but not most mortals...) nevermind build the damn thing for real.....LOL

[Scottl]

There is a very nice narrow gauge model of a version of the Klondike Mines railway in Dawson City, Yukon, with a connection to Vancouver, I think.  The distance between the Yukon and Vancouver is a helix, I think.

Hence a solution for a schematic Alcan:  yard in Edmonton and connection to CN; helix; yard in Whitehorse; helix; yard in Fairbanks and connection to ARR!  I could probably fit it in my space