12hrs on Alaska Luxury Train - Anchorage to Fairbanks

today i'm taking this luxury train for 12 hours across alaska i'll show you exactly what it's like to experience this incredible journey over the last frontier from anchorage all the way up to fairbanks i'm in first class today which features panoramic dome ceilings a dining car bar and even an outside viewing deck we'll also explore the other carriages offered on this train aptly named adventure class oh and i'd just like to thank squarespace for sponsoring this week's video so with that and fresh off a long-haul flight from the other side of the world let's pick up my journey in alaska's largest city anchorage at 7am well hello there and welcome back to the channel you join me today at alaska railroad station here in anchorage where we're gonna take this epic train across the last frontier so without any more to say let's head straight inside get our bags checked and also pick up our tickets to get on board the denali star i've arrived over an hour early but the station is already a hype of activity as i have bags with me i must first go and check these in the baggage tent which is adjacent to the station there are two companies operating today the alaska railroad that we're on and the totally separate wilderness express just as i hand over my bags a train rolls into the station it's all getting very real and i'm super excited now i've got to go head into the main station building and collect my ticket because apparently you need to have one printed at the office the hobby continues inside the station though thankfully i didn't have to wait long one thing i'm a little bit disappointed over is you cannot select your seat even upon request at the ticket desk right i got my tickets all collected here the unique thing about today is you actually have to wear a badge so i mean i'm kind of used to that as you know on the channel this alaska gold star badge and that's because today we're traveling in what's called the gold star service and that's basically the front i think it's the front two or three cars [Music] anyway all that remains now is for us to wait until we can get on board i think we've got around five or ten minutes to wait naturally this means i can take advantage of my new favorite coffee chain the alaska-based polar espresso and in what seems like no time at all we're addressed by one of the friendly railway representatives and invited to board at our leisure there's obviously a bit of commotion and i'm letting everyone get on board before i'm gonna go settle in just because i don't think it's particularly necessary to rush at the minute there's a seaplane going over that's cool love that seaplane aside i hold back and watch the many excitable passengers scramble to get on board given we're not departing for another 40 minutes i'm happy to just marvel at this incredible train set to take us hundreds of miles across this beautiful state there are four boarding zones and i'm zone b which is gold class contrastingly c and d are adventure class but worry not we'll take a full look around all of the classes of travel today after having my tickets checked it's time to get on board seating for gold class is all on level one accessible by this spiral staircase and now begins my hunt for my randomly assigned seat 6a as you can see i'm pretty much the last of board and soon after settling into my seat we're welcomed by our guide for the journey and promptly to part in a hail of train horned blasts the first leg of our journey will take us deep into the wilderness and away from civilization arriving later this afternoon into denali national park it's a popular stopping point for many but we'll be continuing on all the way to fairbanks now that we're on our way i'm invited downstairs to the dining room for breakfast this takes place in two sittings to accommodate the 34 guests in this gold class carriage there are both double and quad seats but in this instance presumably due to odd numbers i'm offered my own booth let's take a look at the menu then oh and did i mention we're getting breakfast lunch and dinner on this journey today breakfast is well catered for and immediately the reindeer sausage stands out to me sorry rudolph after placing my order i can't help pinch myself for many years i've dreamt of coming to alaska and already i can see why so many speak so highly of it i'm promptly served a fresh filter coffee and whilst it's not going to win any awards it certainly does the trick to keep those caffeine levels up and pending jet lag at bay well here you have it reindeer sausage scrambled eggs potatoes and um orange well there's only one thing for it let's try this exotic meat fully aware if you're alaskan or indeed scandinavian you're cringing at me now but please bear with me we just don't get this down asda and well it's delicious it's a very lean meat so very different to say a pork sausage but i'll definitely be trying it again with that we passed through one of the last pockets of civilization until this evening wasilla which is incidentally alaska's fourth largest city we stop briefly as you have to remember these once in each direction daily trains provide an essential lifeline to locals right with brackie out the way let's head back upstairs and have a proper look around my seat as many are still at breakfast this will give us a chance to see the seats empty laid out in a 2-2 config they're all pretty much identical there's ample legroom and space under the seat in front to store your carry-on bags of course the best bit are these incredible panoramic windows which never get old there's also powerful ac to keep these in essence greenhouse on rails cool and comfortable seats also recline at the pull of a lever though i'd feel awkward to do this with someone behind me there is actually one seat that would be my preference alas unbookable but the front row you get more legroom and incredible front-facing views unfortunately this car has another gold class carriage blocking your visibility but we'll try out the forward one later and you'll see what i mean now i think it's time to check out the party piece the outside viewing platform at the back of the carriage but just before that it's time for a quick word from today's video sponsor squarespace squarespace make it super easy for you to set up and host a website and no you don't have to know complicated coding squarespace really have this down handling it all from your domain name through to the design hosting social media linking and even your search engine optimization the best bit is skyspace offering you a free trial and 10 off your first purchase of a website or domain just head over to squarespace.com forward slash track trendy and use the coupon code track trendy thanks again squarespace for making this video possible right then the outside viewing platform perhaps my favorite feature of a train ever out through the auto open double doors you'll find the fantastic sheltered space to get just that tiny bit closer to your surroundings plus if you're brave enough stick your head out for some refreshing gale force winds i was actually pleasantly surprised today that this space never became totally packed and whilst it was busy at times there was always a space to stand and enjoy the splendid views the benefit of being in the second gold class carriage is that you get unobstructed views backwards and grants a wonderful perspective of this incredible train i won't lie i spent longer out here than in my seat talking of seats as promised let's check out the other first class carriage accessible by spiral staircase at the front of the car and heading through the auto open door marked private not sure about you but i always feel a bit naughty bowling through a door marked private now for my favorite seat and the fact that it's empty makes me think they don't sell it now how's this for a perspective [Music] i'm happy i came when i did as we could see quite clearly the alaska range simply awe-inspiring with the car getting busier it's my cue to leave i want to just go and check out the other viewing deck so you can see the difference personally i much prefer the one in my car with those unobstructed views but the beauty of being a gold class passenger is you can just go between the two cars as you please now we pull into our next station tarkitna this is a prolonged stop so a chance to get off the train and stretch my legs well welcome to tell kittner our first stop where we can actually get out and have a look and also appreciate the scale of these carriages i was going to try and see if it's possible to get any closer to the front however it doesn't look that way well you know what they say where there's a will there's a way as i walk past the forklift loading supplies and luggage onto the train i notice a gap in the fence well it looks like i might be able to go and have a look there's two of these huge locomotives driving this incredible train across the countryside wow [Music] right i think it's probably a good idea i head back i do not want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere where there's not another train for 24 hours and in fact during covid there was only one or two trains a week so uh thankfully we're not there now but still i don't want to be waiting for 24 hours let's go head back on board i just got back on in the nick of time and just taking away the stairs with that we're promptly back on the move again thankfully i won't have to test my survival skills just yet with all that excitement let's check out one of the two lose on the lower level of the first class carriage whilst pretty basic and of course not offering the luxury of a shower it's clean and frankly does the job right let's head upstairs and check out the bar i can get two complimentary alcoholic drinks and limitless soft drinks throughout my trip i'm sure it's no surprise to you lot but i've gone for a dc it certainly hits the spot whilst hanging out on the open-air viewing platform no this will never get old [Music] after enjoying some downtime back at my seat watching the world go by we're informed over the tunnelway that shortly we'll be passing the southbound denali starter train not wanting to miss this i immediately head back out to the viewing platform albeit a little early in 10 or so minutes we come to a complete stop this is also where the crews swap so the anchorage staff never go further than halfway to fairbanks and vice versa i love the event they make out of this and it's heartwarming to see how much the crew seem to be enjoying their job mind you it is one of the world's most scenic railways [Music] back on the move again and we're about to pass along the hurricane gulch bridge which is the longest and tallest on the entire alaska railroad at 296 feet above hurricane creek it's incredible to think that this was built over a hundred years ago and in fact back then it was the tallest bridge in the u.s for an entire eight years well i'm not sure about you but i make it lunch time let's head downstairs and see what's on offer unlike breakfast lunch seems to be more a communal affair so i'm seated next to a lovely couple from new york looking at the menu there's a few options to choose from but really there's only one for me the burger of course it's actually really great to sit with other passengers and you really can't beat sitting down eating hearted food or while sharing stories from travels from around the world all of a sudden my new friends along with the rest of the dining car had to head back upstairs sharpish as we're fast approaching denali where a good percentage of people the train it's a popular stop-off where people head off on excursions for several days before later continuing on to fairbanks or back to anchorage right so welcome to denali this is only a very brief stop i thought i'd come outside and stretch my legs gotta walk off some of that burger so i think when we get back on board the train it's time to go and have a look at some of the other carriages because of course it's not just gold class today there's a very very unique carriage with like a dome on it that we need to go check out [Applause] okay as promised it's time to go and explore the rest of the train we begin to trundle through the banana river canyon don't worry we'll still get a brilliant vantage point in the other dome car welcome to adventure class so we first met with the wilderness cafe and this is where you can purchase food and drink as within the adventure class fair this is not inclusive it's a lovely carriage to be in and given it's a converted two-story drinker you get a real sense of space unlike anything i've experienced on the rails before the other thing as well is these are much older training carriages than what we're in what we're in i think around 2000 maybe built where we're going to go now is much much older think 1950s so here's the first carriage i believe this is x amtrak seats are again in a 2-2 configuration but are really quite comfortable in fact i found these to be more cushioned than the gold class ones but we're on the hunt for the crown of adventure class the dome car located up a set of stairs you're brought into another world and a very scenic one at that this is open to everyone in adventure class but during busy times it's requested you don't spend longer than 20 minutes at any one time to allow for other guests to enjoy the experience too i was excited to see that row one is free so set up camp for yet more incredible scenery as we progress through the canyon it's actually quite surreal seeing the train from the back as we wind through these rocky trails if you are tight for budget adventure class certainly still packs a punch but i still think that the outside viewing platform is a total game changer right let's head back downstairs and take a look at the adventure class luz these are noticeably older obviously but are clean and well kept now there's actually two more carriages on the train which we haven't seen unfortunately we won't get to see inside this is the wilderness express which is a private company separate to alaska rail these are usually chartered by the cruise firms and today it's no exception i believe it was princess cruises in there today now i feel it's time to use up some of those booze tokens i'm parched and feel an alaskan beer will certainly quench that first i'm able to use these in the wilderness cafe so let's kick back with an icy bay ipa and watch the world go by absolutely idyllic [Music] well you've guessed it it's food time yet again now because i was back in the tail sorry snow pierced a reference i couldn't help but say so there's actually no room for me downstairs in the dining room and to save me waiting they've offered to serve me at my seat and for a change of scenery why not so what do we have on the menu then well i've ordered the gumbo we'll see what that's like in just a second whilst i wait for this we're about to head over the most iconic bridge of the entire trip the mere's memorial bridge this was the last part of the alaska railroad to be built and before they had this ferries had to be used to cross the river well not in the winter they actually laid rails across the frozen water and that really is quite something okay it's gumbo time now i can't say this is presented in the most appetizing manner but hey what does it taste like it turns out it's delicious and the perfect lighter meal to finish off the trip with i certainly couldn't have done another burger as we crunch the last few miles let's talk cost how much did this cost me today so i booked direct with alaska railroad and this cost me a total of 473 yes it's quite expensive for a day trip but i feel it's worth every penny given the unique perspective you get to see of alaska and just like that we trundle into fairbanks station and with it drawing to a close our epic journey across this beautiful state well there we have it welcome to fairbanks alaska a epic rail journey across the last frontier i hope you've enjoyed coming along today it's been a really interesting and epic adventure but i'll catch you all again next week thanks once again to squarespace for sponsoring today's video head to squarespace.com for a free trial and when you're ready to launch go to squarespace.com trek trendy save 10 off your first purchase of a website or domain

Channel: Trek Trendy

Views: 1,121,583

Keywords: alaska railroad, alaska first class train, denali star, goldstar service, adventure class, alaska railway

Id: aBlqCS7npBU

Length: 17min 16sec (1036 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 12 2022