Built in the 1950s, these plush Budd and Pullman domed rail cars are now used in Gray Line's McKinley Explorer service, where they package the views of the passing countryside with a ride softened by special three-axle trucks. Each summer day Gray Line offers northbound and southbound McKinley Explorer cars. The cars are each named for Alaska rivers, including Chena, Tanana and Kobuk. Each of the 13 rail cars is self-contained and has a capacity of 70 passengers, with seating on the upper level and dining facilities on the lower level. A tour guide offers information on sights and the history of the rail area.
Children are half price.
Gray Line also offers a wide variety of travel packages, some of which include lodging. Since 1984, Princess Tours has been introducing travelers to Alaska with its own Midnight Sun Express. Ultra Dome Series I cars, with daily departures from both Fairbanks and Anchorage. I cars offer an upstairs dome viewing area with a 360-degree view and tour guides, outdoors viewing platforms on the lower level of some cars and a dining area that seats about 32 people. Like the Alaska Railroad, Princess and Gray Line both offer discounts to travelers riding early or late in the season.