Eastbound out of Crossroads Village. Shortly after 10 AM, US 152 hauls a short passenger train on the Huckleberry Railroad, near the line's shops just east of Crossroads Village.
US 152 is a 36" gauge, Baldwin 10-Wheeler, built in 1920 for the Alaska Engineering Commission (AEC). It was used in building the Alaska Railroad, when that railroad was originally 36" gauge. When the line was later rebuilt to standard gauge, she became surplus and was placed in storage. In 1942, she was acquired by the US Army for use on the White Pass & Yukon. While she was apparently shipped to Skagway, she was never offloaded and never actually used there. With just 16,300 lbs of tractive effort, she'd have been pretty light for that line. After the war, she changed hands several times, before finally being acquired by her current owner, the Huckleberry Railroad in 1975. The "Huck" is a 3-ft gauge, tourist operation in Genesee Township, Michigan that hauls passengers out of Crossroads Village and along the shores of Mott Lake. She was originally operated by the Huck as their #2, but has since been restore to her historic number as US 152. The 152 recently underwent a pretty thorough overhaul, which included significant work at the Strasburg Railroad Shops. The boiler, running gear and other components underwent major repairs as well as an FRA 1,472 Service Day Inspection.
