White Pass and Yukon Route 73 is a narrow-gauge "Mikado" type steam locomotive, built in 1947 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW). It is preserved and operated by the White Pass and Yukon Route (WPY) in Skagway, Alaska.
History No. 73 was built in May 1947 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) for the White Pass and Yukon Route (WPY), it was referred to as Queen of the Fleet, due to it being the very last of the four 70-Class locomotives that was constructed for the WP&YR and the last narrow gauge locomotive built by Baldwin. The Baldwin Class 12-28 ¼ E were often referred to as Hog by the crew members, due to their high fuel consumption. It was originally built as a coal burner, but was later converted to burn oil in the 1950s.
The locomotive worked two decades on the WPY hauling both freight and passenger trains until it was retired from revenue service on June 30, 1964 and put into storage. The locomotive was moved to Bennett, British Columbia, Canada, in 1968 for static display.
In 1979, the locomotive was moved again to Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, this time to be restored to operating condition. It returned to service in April 1982 and hauled its first inaugural run on May 29; since then, it has hauled excursion trains over the WPY line.
In 2003, No. 73 was taken out of service to undergo a major two-year overhaul, with an estimate cost of $500,000; work was completed in 2004 and the locomotive returned to service. In 2012, No. 73 was taken out of service again to undergo another major two-year overhaul, which was completed in 2014.
In September 2009, No. 73 ran a rare doubleheader excursion special with No. 69, running from Skagway to Fraser, British Columbia, and return.
In 2017, No. 73 was taken out of service and moved to Arlington, Washington, United States, to undergo its Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 1,472-day inspection and overhaul. On June 15, 2019, No. 73's overhaul was completed and the engine returned to the WPY on June 17.
No. 73 was scheduled to operate for the 2020 operating season, but was later canceled due to the railroad suspending their tourist operations over the COVID-19 pandemic. The railroad planned to resumed operations in July 2021, but was pushed back for two more years until eventually resuming operations in May 2023. In June 2024, No. 73 eventually returned to service hauling excursions.
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External links White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad official website