Spencer Whistle Stop is a unique station on the Alaska Railroad. The stop is entirely for hikers, sightseer’s and rafters who want to access a viewpoint to Spencer Glacier (or go rafting through the glacier outflow to Luebner Lake). There are a few wilderness campsites in the area but most passengers make a same day round-trip having about 3 hours to stop and make the 1 mile walk each way (with additional connecting trails) to the Glacier Viewpoint. This walk is along wide gravel paths but extremely flat. A few vehicles are visible at the station, primarily a truck and a couple of old buses, these vehicles are brought it on railroad flat car each season to assist Chugach Adventures River Float Tours (see Luebner Lake for full details) the station has no connection with the outside world via roadways, just the railroad or boats.
Glacier Discovery Trains are the only trains that stop at the station with Coastal Classic trains bypassing the stop along the same stop. Trains then normally continue south to the Grandview Whistle Stop. I visited over Memorial Day Weekend in 2024 very early (it was the trains 3rd trip of the year) and the train simply stopped at the Spencer Whistle Stop and didn’t continue to Grandview. These two whistle stops (and the purchase of a Colorado Railcar DMU that is branded for the Chugach Notational Forest) is part of a project that long term wants to build a total of four whistle stops to take visitors and help them explore this remote roadless and spectacular wilderness, extremely close to stunning glaciers.
The whistle stop is both simple but quite nice for how remote the station is. Trains stop and discharge passengers down to the ballast, with silver steps provided, along with even an ADA mobile lift making the station wheelchair accessible. An opening in the trees leads past signs that tell passengers to wait behind them, 25 feet back from the train tracks. There are no station name signs along the platform but there are a couple of railroad information signs, including the required (unless they are posted in every train car) Title VI Civil Rights notice. A coned off area has a sign that says “Place Spencer Whistle Stop Luggage and gear here until the train arrives” which is an invitation to use the baggage car. Passengers are even allowed to leave luggage on the train if they are making a same-day round-trip and not packing it in and camping for the night. Passengers participating in rafting adventures are told to leave all of their belongings on the train, including their shoes (the rafting company provides rubber boots) with the train moving without their belongings.
Behind the entrance to the train platform is the whistle stops amenities. There is an iconic US Forest Service sign for: Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop, Chugach National Forest, a common place to snag a group photo or selfie, two wooden open air shelters (that originally had proper windows that have now gone missing and are boarded up) provide some space to get out of any inclement weather and provide benches and some interpretative sings. There are bearproof trash bins. Finally, there is an outhouse building containing toilets. The station doesn’t have any potable water so plan to bring your own (when I rode the Glacier Discovery Train the Wilderness Café didn’t have any water for sale, just alcohol and soft drinks, I was grateful that I had brought my own).
One of the shelters has some panels and historical photographs of the history of the railway, including how the railway men lived in camps while the railroad was being built.
Photos 1-43: May 25, 2024
