Alaska Railroad suffers 2 weekend collisions

The victim of a train accident over the holiday weekend has been identified as 42 year old Bret Miller of Anchorage.  He was hit and killed by the southbound passenger train on July 4^th near Montana Creek.  Train workers say he was trying to retrieve his dog.  The train crew blew the whistle and went into emergency braking, but was unable to stop in time.  The man was struck and thrown clear of the track.

In a separate incident, at approximately 7:25 p.m on Sunday, an Alaska Railroad

southbound passenger train struck a pick-up truck after it became stuck on the tracks near ARRC milepost 141, located near the village of Eklutna.  No injuries are reported in either the vehicle or on the train but the Chevy pick-up was destroyed.  The locomotive received no damage and did not derail.

An initial investigation revealed three occupants of a pick-up truck

were driving illegally on the ARRC track near Eklutna.  The pick-up

became stuck on the track when the 16-year old male driver tried to turn

the truck around.  The individuals abandoned their efforts as the train approached.

 The train crew spotted the vehicle on the track and began emergency

braking procedures, but with the speed and weight of the train, the train

crew was unable to stop until after it struck the pick-up.

The southbound train, with nearly 700 passengers continued on

towards its final destination of Anchorage.  The train originated in

Fairbanks, with stops in Denali Park and Talkeetna.