The rock cut sheltering part of the train shown on the (back) cover of this booklet is obviously not the same as the rock cut on yesterday’s booklet, but where might it be? The illustration appears to portray the train route into a town located on the west side of a large river with McKinley or some other large mountain in the background.

Click image to download an 24.4-MB PDF of this 24-page booklet.

The Alaska Railroad follows the Susitna River between Anchorage and McKinley Park but the tracks and towns are on the east side. Further north, the town of McKinley Park is not on a river, and while Nenana and Fairbanks both are, the tracks are not located in such a way that a portrait such as this one would be possible. I also don’t see any places south of Anchorage that look like this painting. Illustrators often exaggerated distances or proximities, but this image seems purely imaginary. Continue reading →

This is the 1931 edition of yesterday’s booklet, which was from 1927. One major change is that, instead of having a centerfold map of Alaska, this one has photos on the center pages and a much larger map that unfolds from the inside back cover. This map is glued into an otherwise blank page; since I was unable to scan all of the back of the map without detaching it, my scan includes part of the back cover (which is the cover shown below).

Click image to download an 20.2-MB PDF of this 20-page booklet plus map.

That cover shows an intensely colored painting of a train passing Mount McKinley. The train must be headed south because the mountain is on the right. Like a Bern Hill painting, the passenger cars are subtly and impossibly bent to match the curve of the tracks. Unfortunately, the painting is unsigned. Continue reading →