Nome, Alaska: Last Train to Nowhere

A view of rusting locomotives taken August 16, 2008.

The Nome-Council Road turns inland at the ghost town of Solomon, an old mining town with an abandoned railroad train known locally as the Last Train to Nowhere (the remains of the Council City and Solomon River Railroad).

The engines were originally used on the New York City elevated lines in 1881, then were shipped to Alaska in 1903 to serve the miners along this line to Nome. A gold strike at Ophir was the inspiration for the construction of the railroad, but a huge storm in 1913 took out the tracks and stranded the rolling stock where it is today, literally dissolving under the influence of Bering Sea storms.

This is a scenic spot for bird-watching, and fishing is good in the Solomon River, all along the road. Council, near the end of the road, has a couple of dozen families in the summer.

This is an abandoned train that is still sitting in the middle of tundra. The occupants of this train were known to be gold miners.