The Alaska Railroad is basically a single route running from Anchorage to Fairbanks. At the Anchorage end there are a couple of short additions, one running to Whittier, AK and the other running to Seward, AK. The railroad does not connect with any other rail system directly, but does move cars to Seattle by barge, where they can be added to other rail systems.
The railroad is the last full service railroad in the US. By that I mean that anyone living near the line can flag down the train by waving a white flag and the train will pick them up. Their fare is based on the number of miles they travel after being picked up. They can also arrange to be let off just about anywhere along the rail route. This is very important to people living in very remote areas of the interior because they may not be close to any road other than the railroad. They depend on it to get groceries, mail and almost anything else. Here is a picture of an elderly couple who have just been let off the train, their house is in the background. Note the stack of supplies they have brought home.
Here are some more pictures of the train:
When the train goes around a curve the people in the back cars can see the front cars
The engine of one of the trains that arrived in Denali today
The cars used by Princess and Holland America to move the tourists in. In this case people are leaving Denali heading for Anchorage, about a 9 hour trip for them, but beautiful country. These are two level cars, the upper for sight seeing and the lower is a dining area.
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