Wp&yr 69

In June 1908 the Baldwin Locomotive Works Co. of Philadelphia, delivered the second of two specially designed narrow gauge steam locomotives that had been ordered by the WP&YR. Designated as Engine No. 69, this mechanical workhorse would spend the next 46 years far puffing across rugged Alaskan and Canadian mountain ranges that had been conquered by the WP&YR.

The first locomotives used by the WP&YR were small tea kettles acquired secondhand. Traffic demands by 1900 prompted the company to order several brand new locomotives built to its specifications. WP&YR officials recognized a need for additional motive power that would primarily be used to help pull or push freight and passenger trains over the steep grades encountered between Skagway and the summit over White Pass, where the track level rises more than two feet in every 100 feet of distance.

At the time of completion Engine 69, at 134,369 pounds, was one of the heaviest narrow gauge, outside-frame locomotives built by Baldwin. It was capable of tackling grades of 3.9 percent and curves and radiuses of up to 20 degrees. The tractive power of 69 was equivalent to that of many standard-gauge engines and it was well-suited to running over rails weighing 56 pounds per yard.

In the course of its now-100-year history, the venerable Baldwin 2-8-0 has served in two countries, has transported thousands for either fun or profit. Now once again shall Engine No. 69 sound its whistle across majestic mountains of Alaska & the Yukon.