Mile 6 Start Of 11 Mile Tangent

The 1913 Alaska Railroad Commission Report says, "At about 5 miles out from Cordova the line enters the Sheridan Glacier flats, which it crosses in a distance of approximately 15 miles. This stretch contains a tangent of 11 miles was [sic] exceedingly simple, and easy of construction." Here is an early photo of the tangent:

The 1913 report goes on, "The Sheridan Glacier flats are almost level, and therefore do not invite overflows. As far as mile 19 the flats are ordinarily beyond the reach of tides. East of mile 20 the line enters the tidal flats. The bottom in general is glacial overwash gravel, and the track is laid on a gravel fill 3 to 5 feet above surface of the ground. There are about 40 bents of trestle to the mile on this s[t]retch, but the commission is informed that it is the ultimate plan to fill a large proportion of these structures. On certain parts of the line the roadbed has never been brought up to the located grade. . . ."

In other words, we're beginning to see some of the contradiction in the line's construction. Along many areas, costs were kept to a minimum, but on the other hand, we'll come to see major steel truss bridges worthy of any J.P,Moran effort.

Here's a shot of the trestle work at Mile 10, as described in the report:

Here's a shot of a work train filling in gravel along the trestles on the tangent. The loco is Number 50, an ex Southern Pacific 1881 Rogers, one of the earliest on the line and one of the last to operate after abandonment.

Here's a shot at mile 8 of the tangent, a little farther back west toward the saddle, The fill here is complete, but the roadbed probably looked more like the shots above before the fill was added.

And here's a shot at mile 16: