This narrow-guage railroad preceeded the Alaska Railroad as Fairbanks' first train service. Originally begun as the Tanana Mines railway in 1904, the system eventually stretched about miles from Chena to Fairbanks, and from a switch at Happy up to Fox, Olnes, and Chatanika for a total of about 25 miles. The railroad provided freight and passenger service to the mines in the Chatanika and Fox areas, and also helped bring in some of the early dredges to the area. Between 1910 and 1917 the Railroad began to lose money and was eventually sold.