Eastern Railroad Discussion > Altoona Trip Report / Oct 26th

This past Sunday, my son and I spent 10 hours railfanning the Altoona area.  It was helpful that folks here on TrainOrders had offered some suggestions via the forum a week ago, per sites and opportunities.  This is the first of several posts; image #1 here shows the PRR caboose in front of the museum at the Gallitzin Tunnel.  The park at Horseshoe Curve was closed on Sunday but the property sites along a public roadway, so I could grab a picture of the sign.  In image #3, the blue sign was posted on the observation platform at Cresson (although you’ll see the same sign at other locations around the region).  It is great having so many railroad attractions within minutes of each other

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Our railfanning day started out around the Juniata Yard early on Sunday morning.  It was quiet, obviously!  From sidewalks around the property, you have an excellent view of the massive complex.  The NS Wabash heritage unit was buried among what seemed like hundreds of units at the facility (not sure you could effectively count all the locomotives on the property even if you wanted to).
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/25 02:23 by NSyorktown.

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Altoona itself is a real railroad mecca.  The first image is of an Amtrak heritage unit on the front of Train #42, the Pennsylvanian.  The Amtrak station is right across from the railroaders museum (which, of course, isn’t open on a Sunday morning).  On the west edge of Altoona is a prime spot to watch the action off of 10th Street at Porta Road.  Along that open stretch, known as the Brickyard Crossing, westbound trains are charging up-grade toward Horseshoe Curve while eastbound runs are trying to slow down as they enter town.  We caught a MOW run late on Saturday (T&S group #20) in poor light and 4-5 trains the next morning is full daylight.  From that location, it is just minutes to "the curve".  With the leaves now off of many trees, you have a decent view of the action from the road in front of the facility.
 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/25 03:04 by NSyorktown.

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A few miles west of Altoona are numerous communities who promote the heritage of trains and welcome railfans.  There is a museum near the Gallitzin Tunnel we would have enjoying seeing but there was also a Lions Club Halloween parade in town at 12:00 noon on Sunday so we got out of the community prior to that event.  Johnstown has a park downtown that offers a great view of the NS line (we caught multiple trains in a 40+ minute period).  The fall trees, puffy clouds, and colors of the stacked containers all led to a neat scene.
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/25 07:19 by NSyorktown.

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The Cassandra Overlook Is a famous railroading location; the bridge was installed in 1936 and is popular to this day.  Perhaps my favorite photo from Sunday was of the 3 lines running west of the bridge, lined by protective fencing.  The scene was enhanced by the late-afternoon sun.  Image #3 shows a loaded coal train with plenty of power (front, middle, and rear) for the uphill run.  Not sure of the # of cars or tonnage, but we saw a total of 14-15 trains on Sunday and most were in the monster-length category . . . including this coal run.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/25 02:32 by NSyorktown.

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I live in Calif., but have visited Cassandra a few times.  A fantastic place - sure hope I can make it back there again.

Next time you're in Johnstown, take the incline up and enjoy the view of what looks like a model layout. There are restrooms, a viewing window for the machinery, a gift shop and a little ice cream and snack stand.

Rebecca Morgan
Jacobsburg, OH

nice pics, looks like a nice time thanks for sharing.

David Edwards
Downingtown, PA

I hope if (probably "when") the UP+NS merger takes place, Juniata survives.

That would be sad for the dedicated workers at North Little Rock, but I don't see the combined system keeping both,

If I were a betting man I'd bet on NLR surviving though, given the combined system centrality, the UP-dominated exec management, and the desire to contract out as much as they possibly can, including 100% of locomotive rebuilds.