| White Pass & Yukon No. 195 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| White Pass and Yukon Railroad No. 195 as it appears today. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The White Pass and Yukon Railroad #195 is a USATC S118 class 2-8-2 Mikado from the White Pass and Yukon Railroad.
History[]
On June 7, 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded the Aleutian Island off of the coast of Alaska. The U.S. feared that if they could set up air bases there, the Japanese could do air raids and drop bombs on the west coast. So the military leased the nearby White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad and brought in several locomotives and rolling stock to aid in the construction of the Alcan Military Highway. Among the locomotives brought to Skagway, where eleven USATC S118 class 2-8-2 Mikado type steam locomotives numbered 190 - 200 built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Eddystone, Pennsylvania in February 1943. Engine #195 was one of these locomotives. After the war, locomotives #190 - 197 were sold to the White Pass & Yukon, whilst engines #198 - 200 were all sold to the Casa Grande-Sausal Railway in Peru. In 1951, engines #191, #193, #194, and #197 were scrapped. #196 was placed in storage, whilst engines #190, #192, and #195 continued service.
#195 was out of service by 1956 and then in 1962, the engine would later be donated to the city of Skagway, and has remained on static display ever since.
Trivia[]
- The locomotive is located off the parking lot of the Skagway Museum.