Construction of the railroad began under the Alaska Engineering Commission around 1916 . After construction was completed in 1923, the AEC became the Alaska Railroad Commission and later, The Alaska Railroad. Early construction was of interest to the government in Washington D.C. and professional photographers were employed to document the work in Alaska. Photographers represented in the collection include P.S. Hunt, H.G. Kaiser, A.J. Johnson and The Sydney Laurence Co. Between 1915 and 1923, nearly 2,700 photographs were taken.

This microfiche collection of the Alaska Railroad photographs was funded by the Alaska Historical Commission and directed by M. Diane Brenner of the Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum. The Anchorage Museum of History and Art holds the original photographs and reproductions must be ordered from the Museum. [From: Alaska Railroad Microfiche Project, Brenner, M. Diane, 1984.]