In late 1958 Alaska stood on the brink of statehood. The Alaska Statehood Act had been signed into law by President Eisenhower on July 7, 1958 and the first elections for U.S. Senators and Representative would be held in November of that same year. On January 3 of 1959, Alaska would officially become the 49th state and would be a territory no more. The Alaska Railroad, at that time owned by the U.S. Government and operated by the Department of the Interior, provided this overnight service between Alaska's two largest cities. Please note that the timetable in the Guide is condensed; only major stops are shown.

As Alaska neared the end of its status as a territory, the Midnight Sun neared the end of its existence as an overnight sleeping car train. By April of 1959 passenger service between Anchorage and Fairbanks would be shifted to a daytime schedule and the sleeping cars would be retired.