newsminer.com

It’s not every day that tourists arrive in Fairbanks in their own railroad cars.

About 15 small rail cars are expected to pull into town Saturday on the tracks of the Alaska Railroad.

The visitors, traveling the tracks between Anchorage and Seward, are driving or riding in small two- and four-person railroad motorcars, sometimes known as “speeders.”

The speeders are tiny, covered vehicles that railroads once used to transport maintenance workers along the tracks of all railroads. This group is from the North American Railcar Operators Association.

The speeders don’t travel very fast, usually about 20 mph, and they are preceded and followed on the tracks by pilot cars that have been hired from the Alaska Railroad. Most of the cars have 20-horsepower engines and flanged wheels, like those on railroad cars.

As they do on other tours, the railcar operators pay for the privilege of using the tracks.

The name “speeders” originated because the cars are fast compared to the hand-powered cars they replaced

The speeders travel in a group and their movements are carefully timed to stay out of the way of other traffic. On a normal day, they might travel up to 120 miles on most trips.

They are expected in Fairbanks on Saturday from Denali National Park and will be touring the city on Sunday before hitting the tracks for the southbound trip.

The Friends of the Tanana Valley Railroad plan to fire up historic Engine No. 1 on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at Pioneer Park, both for the railcar visitors and members of the public.

The small cars yield to automobiles at railroad crossings. At busy spots, if there are no crossing gates, they will have traffic monitors in safety vests get out and stop traffic while the caravan moves on.

“Riding in a motorcar provides a perspective on rail travel that most people never experience. One is seated perhaps only two feet above the top of the rail and can see directly ahead and to both sides, similar to the view a locomotive engineer has, but even better,” the North American Railcar Operators Association says on its Web site.

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COLD GLORY: The History Channel show “Tougher in Alaska” will feature Interior Alaska on Thursday. Among those in the spotlight are the Boy Scouts of Troop 42 who were out winter camping at 40 below when the History Channel crew arrived. The show is on at 9 p.m.

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GOOD SERVICE: Mike Norum, who has worked for Alaska Airlines for 29 years, was recently named a recipient of the “Customer Service Legend” award, the highest company honor. Norum is the lead ramp service agent in Fairbanks.

“We are extremely proud of Mike and this recognition is well deserved,” said Cory Christian, customer service manager at the airport.

Since 1991, 183 airline employees have received the award. It’s a select group as the company has more than 10,000 employees.

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FROM THE PRAIRIE: The pride of Lake Wobegon, Garrison Keillor, will be in Fairbanks for a presentation Sept. 9 at Hering Auditorium and a lot of people want tickets.

Tickets are available through the Fairbanks Concert Association with the purchase of season tickets, which range from three to six events.

Order forms are available online at www.fairbanksconcert.org or by calling the Fairbanks Concert Association office at 474-8081. Individual tickets for Keillor will be available Aug. 1.

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GARDEN PARTY: The Georgeson Botanical Garden Society is sponsoring two fundraisers this summer. One is a Victorian Garden Tea Party, set for June 29 from 1-4 p.m.

The other is a “Garden Faire,” planned for July 19 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The deadline for vendors to register for the Garden Faire is June 20. Activities included are: a garden art show, a quilting and fiber art show, educational activities and an open-air market.

More information and applications for vendors can be obtained at gbgsociety.org or by calling the garden at 474-6921.

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NOT ANTI-AGIA: I was glad to hear from both City Mayor Terry Strle and Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker that they don’t envision the Thursday energy rally at 5 p.m. in the Carlson Center as an attempt to torpedo or undermine the Palin administration’s proposal for the TransCanada gas pipeline project.

That’s good news.

They said it is not an anti-AGIA rally, but a way of showing how serious the issue of high energy prices has become for this region.

Both Strle and Whitaker, and I imagine North Pole Mayor Doug Isaacson feels the same way, said they want to emphasize the plight of residents struggling with huge fuel and electric bills.

It is certainly important to convey the financial drain to lawmakers from across the state, who may live in areas with inexpensive natural gas or hydro power.

As I said Monday, the long-term gas pipeline decision has little to do with the immediate problem. Both the Palin administration and our local lawmakers are developing plans to provide help this summer.

Strle said the mayors hope legislators from elsewhere in Alaska who attend the meeting at the Carlson Center will “think back on this rally and remember that Interior residents are looking for statewide leadership on this issue.”