Klondike Mines Railway Locomotive Shelter
Currently closed for the season. Guided tours will resume in the summer of 2024.
The Klondike Mines Railway
The Klondike Mines Railway represents a brief yet remarkable period in the history of Dawson, during which the boomtown and the goldfields, which it served, were connected by 31 miles of narrow-gauge track that extended all the way to King Solomon's dome.
| Stampeder, attempted miner, and entrepreneur, John H. Mackenzie, applied for a rail charter in December 1898, realizing the profit that could be made servicing thousands of miners in the goldfields. He partnered with businessman H. Stratton and Klondike City mogul and politician Thomas O'Brien, who acquired the charter from Ottawa but a year later. |  |
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The railroad would run up Bonanza, Eldorado, and Dominion Creeks, down Hunker Creek and the Klondike River, and return to Dawson. The company projected that the main source of revenue would be from passenger traffic and the transportation of cordwood for fuel and mining. In addition it would carry mail, express and refrigerated freight. It was anticipated that the Klondike Mines Railway, would move 13, 000 tons of freight a year. |
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Construction finally began in 1903 but after two miles of track had been laid, work came to a halt. One of the problems was that miners were reluctant to have a railroad cross land that had the potential to produce vast quantities of gold. "A.N.C. Treadgold and the Klondike Mines railway collided this morning. Treadgold did not like the fact that the railway crossed one of his claims in the Nineties Below on Bonanza, so he proceeded to the claim this morning to remove a track" (Dawson Daily News , July 23, 1905). |
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As negotiations for the building of the railroad continued, the face of mining was changing. As early as 1900 the amount of gold easily pulled from the ground had decreased. More efficient methods of obtaining the gold had to be introduced. Mining became more mechanized and less dependent on hand labour. Ground was mined using hydraulic monitors or dredges. Individual miners were bought out, claims consolidated and profitably reworked. |
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The problems between the miners and the railway builders were eventually resolved and construction resumed. The train operated as each mile was finished. The 31.8 mile line was completed from Dawson City to a terminal at Sulphur Springs in October 1906. The Klondike Mines Railway began operation with three locomotives purchased from the White Pass & Yukon Route: a 2-6-0 Brooks mogul, a 2-8-0 Baldwin, and a 2-8-0 Baldwin Vauclain Compound. |
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"Have a Big Day - Many Take Ride On Klondike Train" "The first passenger trains between Dawson and the Forks were opened yesterday" (Dawson Daily News, July 23, 1906). The individuals and families who lived and mined on the creeks now received their mail, food, supplies, and enjoyed trips to Dawson on a regular basis.
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Sunday excursions became very popular for the Dawson set. Initially there was only one car for passengers; flat cars were modified to accommodate extra people. On Dominion Day and the Fourth of July, the company decorated the trains and sold tickets at special excursion rates . Three of the twelve stations along the route, Dawson City, Grand Forks, and Sulphur Springs, contained a general waiting room and ticket office, a ladies waiting room, a warm storage and baggage room, and a general freight shed. |
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Originally, the train was to run twelve months of the year. Due to the lack of proper snow clearing equipment and the high cost of operation in the severe Yukon climate, winter runs stopped after the first year. |
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Dredging companies ended the age of individual miners and the resulting population decline forced the KMRy to terminate its regular passenger service by 1911. Over the years the cars were altered to accommodate the different types of freight that was being transported. The long daylight hours in the spring and summer meant the massive dredges could be built in one season. To meet the demand, the Klondike Mines Railway operated non-stop, hauling the heavy mining equipment brought in by the sternwheelers. The Klondike Mines Railway also hauled pipe up Bonanza Creek, to be used on the Yukon Ditch. |
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By the beginning of the 1910s, providing freight service for the transport of cordwood used to thaw the ground before the dredges became the sole order of business for the KMRy. By 1913, the original thirteen box cars had been turned into flat cars for carrying wood. |
| The Klondike Mines Railway ceased operations in July 1914. A variety of reasons may have contributed to its demise. The cost of building the line had far exceeded the initial estimate and the railroad continued to operate at a loss. Mining companies used methods to extract the gold which were not labour intensive and people moved from the creeks and Dawson to the south. Once the mining equipment was in place the amount of freight the railroad carried diminished. The development of 'cold-water thawing' after the First World War also meant that regular deliveries of cordwood were no longer in demand. | 
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Very little physical evidence of the Klondike Mines Railway remains today. The rails were torn up and put to various uses; ties were left to rot and the rail bed overgrew with foliage. |
| A group of local residents recognized the historical significance of the locomotives abandoned in Klondike City, and moved them to Dawson City Museum in 196... The locomotives are all that remain of the Klondike Miens Railway's rolling stock which once included a first class passenger car, a baggage car, and twenty three box and flat cars. |  |
The Locomotives
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Klondike Mines Railway No. 1 Type: Brooks Mogul No. 522 Wheel Arrangement: 2-6-0 Construction Date: April 1881 Bore-Stroke: 14 x 18 inches Driver Size: 41 inches Weight Loaded: 82,000 lbs. Tractive Effort: 10,600 lbs. Boiler Pressure: 135 psi |
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Although "Peggy" has the distinction of being the KMRy's first locomotive - it was purchased in 1902 - KMR No.1 was also the least used engine. Despite serving mainly as a stand-in, "Peggy" was nonetheless significant in that she played a major role in the construction of the line itself. |
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Klondike Mines Railway No. 3 Type: Baldwin Consolidation No. 16456 Construction Date: 1899 Wheel Arrangement: 2-8-0 Bore-Stroke: 19 x 11 x 20 inches Driver Size: 36 inches Weight Loaded: 159,000 lbs. Tractive Effort: 21,000 lbs. Boiler Pressure: 200 psi |
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| Purchased in 1906, the powerful but difficult to handle KMR No.3 saw little action until the last year of the KMRy, when freight service to the goldfields became the main order of business. Today, KMR No.3 also holds the unique honour of being the only existing Vaulcain compound outfitted with the original system in Canada. |  |
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Klondike Mines Railway No. 2 Type: Baldwin Consolidation No. 7597 Wheel Arrangement: 2-8-0 Construction Date: May 1885 Bore-Stroke: 15 x 18 inches Driver Size: 36.5 inches Weight Loaded: 100,000 lbs. Tractive Effort: 15,000 lbs. Boiler Pressure: 150 psi |
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Arriving on the shores of Klondike City in 1905, the relative power and reliability of KMR No.2 ensures its place in history as the most used locomotive on the railway. Like KMR No.1, No.2 was also used during the construction of the line. |
| But where is No.4? Built by the Baldwin Company, this was the only locomotive actually built for KMRy and was also the only one to enjoy active duty after the railway's demise. Purchased by the White Pass-Yukon Railway in 1942, it served as a yard engine in Skagway before being bumped around several railway theme parks. KMRyNo.4 now resides in storage on a game farm in El Reno, Oklahoma. |  |
Other Artifacts
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Keystone Churn Drill Type: No.3 Traction Builder: Keystone Driller Co., Beaver Falls, PA. Construction Date: 1906 Engine: 8 x 8 11 horsepower (makes 4 revolutions per 1 drill stroke) Boiler: 34' x 66' - 56 cross tubes |
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Keystone churn drills were important tools in early Klondike mining development as they introduced a scientific approach to prospecting. Potential mining area was drilled and core samples were taken to estimate gold concentration and distribution. Information from these expeditions revealed dimensions of gold bearing levels making dredge and hydraulic mining operations more efficient and accurate
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Precise information on this particular drill is unknown. It is, however, known that in 1907, through Dawson Hardware's purchasing power, the Canadian Government brought 6 or 8 Keystone Drills to the Dawson area. These drills were offered on a rental basis to anyone who wishes to use them. There were also other Keystone drills brought to the area at various times. The drills were essential in three major prospecting expeditions. The expeditions occurred in 1908, the 1910s, and a final huge expedition in the 1930s. The expedition in the 30s was headed by YCGC (Yukon Consolidated Gold Company). Their measurements were so accurate that they are still used today by some mining companies. |