RAILROAD SIGNALS of the U.S.

ALTOONA - PA
RAILFAN GUIDE
 

Altoona is a great railfan town, period.  Between the Railroaders Museum, ALTO Tower, the former Pennsy Juniata Shops, the mainline, the Amtrak Station, and the close proximity to Horseshoe Curve, there is plenty to keep you busy for several days of enjoyment.

For the other guides in this area:
Horseshoe Curve
Gallitzin
the Cresson Area
West to South Fork
East to Mt Union
East Broad Top RR

If anyone has anything to add or contribute, please email me.

    1       The Juniata Shops

     

Back in the Pennsy days, these shops were hard to beat for just about anything.  The guys that worked here would tackle fixing or building anything... anything.  Up until the Norfolk Southern takeover of Conrail, they even opened the shops as part of the Railfest days, held in conjunction with the Railroaders Museum.  Still in operation: a turntable at the far north end of the shops, shown on the second row of pix.

    2       The Amtrak Station

The station is located directly across the tracks from the railroaders Museum and the mall (and a McDonalds if you're looking for a quick meal).  When they run trips "over the hill", they leave from here.

    3       ALTO Tower

 

Located a few hundred feet west of the Amtrak station.

    4       The Railroaders Museum

                 

A great railroad museum in one of the best railfanning areas of the country (a little personnel bias... nah).  For more info from their website, click HERE.  Their website also covers Horseshoe Curve, and admission to one gets you into both attractions (many years ago, before a visitors center was constructed, Horseshoe Curve was wide open and free to visit :-).

The above pictures are from the Railfest held in 2004, the last time I was in Altoona.  Present were Bennett Levin's E's as stationary displays.  In previous years, they ran excursions over the hill to Gallitzin and back.

NEW 4/19/2009
Reformatted 4/8/2010
Last Modified 08-Apr-2010