Eastern Railroad Discussion > altoona cresson area

Everyone I need some info...I know there have been threads on here about railfanning this area..I have all the maps...what I am looking for is what is traffic like up there these days...we have not been there since last may....are any of the new sd70\'s making it to altoona to be painted?
what are the best times of day on fri, sat, and sundays to catch trains around cresson. We will be staying at the station inn...any info would be great...I also remember in a recent thread about walking through the woods to get to the good views of the curve...has anyone done this...what is the snake population..etc....

thanks
Gary

(He\'s gonna run my bag of Doritos over for this)......Snakes, no. Rat, yes.........:-)

busiest times of day during the weekends are early morning then again from mid-afternoon on.

There are plenty of great public access sites to railfan in this area. Among them, the front porch of where you are staying with a cold one! Or down the street at the Cresson Park railfan facility, with it\'s cool caboose and decks. Press the button to hear the radio action, if you don\'t have a scanner. About 3 miles east of Cresson is Gallitzen, with it\'s tunnels and new bridge in front of them with pedestrian access. The Tunnel Inn is there too, another cool place to stay, right next to the bridge and tunnel. Across the tracks is Gallitzen Park with it\'s PRR caboose, which is manned with great guides who are very helpful. And 6 more miles east is the curve, with which you are familiar. 6 more miles east is Altoona, with all of it\'s great attractions. Just stay out of the woods!!! No need for that. You do not want to trespass in PA! And no need to worry about snakes or RATS if you stay on the right track! Just follow the rules, and you will have a safe and enjoyable trip. I was there less than a month ago. Had a great time! Plenty to do and see. SD70\'s going to Altoona? Here\'s a pic from the curve. Managed to catch one on it\'s way there in primer. Have a safe trip. Stay out of the woods. Kevin...

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Cresson Park, just down the street from the Station Inn.

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the tunnel at Gallitzen.... from the new bridge.

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The Tunnel Inn. If you have any more questions, please email me. I would be happy to help you out. BTW, at the Horseshoe Curve, they have cut down many trees and brush since your last visit. The view is greatly improved. I could post another pic, but I think I\'ll leave that for you to find out on your own. Take care!

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thanks for the info everyone..if anyone can think of anything else to add please do so or email me....i forgot to ask...it seems like there has been quite a bit of foreign power on NS...has any of this made it over this line..and if so what is it typically?

thanks again everyone, you are what makes this sight great and wonderful....the information we pass to each other makes this site work!!

gary

Put it this way, Go have fun, Whatever you
see is what you see. It is so unpredictable
up here it is unbelievable. Some days they
(NS) run so many trains you wonder where they
get them all, and some days, You wonder where
all the train\'s are, Because it is so dead!!!
As for foreign power, They show up occasionaly,
Today for example I caught a UP SD70M Wing/
Flag/Flare number 4763 on an eastbound 804
coal train. Other than that the foreign power
is very few and far between for the Pittsburgh
Line. You just have to be lucky and hope
something different rolls through. As for the
primer SD70M\'s there are only five on the
property so far, So your chances of seeing
any of those are slim right now also. Also
Kevin157 that is a GE C40-9W in your photo,
Not a new SD70M!!! You will however see the
primer Dash-9\'s, Because they are everywhere
right now, As for Dash-9\'s I hope you like
them because you will see a lot, and I do mean
a lot of them. So many it will make you sick!!!
Dash-9\'s pretty much dominate almost every
train here on the Pittsburgh Line. I think that
pretty much covers it.

Tony K, CRsmurf
M.P. 273 Conemaugh,Pa.
NS Pittsburgh Line

Happy that you found my info useful. Watch out for the RAT! mully wrote:

> thanks for the info everyone..if anyone can think of anything
> else to add please do so or email me....i forgot to ask...it
> seems like there has been quite a bit of foreign power on
> NS...has any of this made it over this line..and if so what is
> it typically?
>
> thanks again everyone, you are what makes this sight great
> and wonderful....the information we pass to each other makes
> this site work!!
>
> gary
>
> [%sig%]

supersock wrote:

> (He\'s gonna run my bag of Doritos over for this)......Snakes,
> no. Rat, yes.........:-)
>
> [%sig%]

rat is cool, just follow the rules, and have a great vacation! Take care!

FYI, it\'s "Gallitzin" not "Gallitzen".