The Pennsylvania Railroad's premiere passenger train, The Broadway Limited, got it's name from this section of the railroad which featured four mainlines parallel to each other. There were two uphill tracks, one downhill track, and one was bi-directional. Somewhere around the 1980's the former bi-directional track was removed.
Just West of Altoona is the famous Horseshoe Curve. This engineering feat solved the problem of too steep of a grade ( i.e.. angle of vertical accent ) by winding the tracks along two hillsides and across a valley, thus increasing the track's length, but also reducing the grade. Just East of Horseshoe Curve is Kittanning point; once used to refuel engines. Just West of the Curve is MG tower and interlocking.
far East end of Altoona
Aug.1976
* Antis - looking
down as Train TV-25 seen passing
the Tower
Juniata Shops..
...
Sept. 1975
*
rear of the Juniata shops showing a former
NYC E #4037
* Amtrak
E8
#304 and SW-1 8450, with an NYC E7 being cannibalized
*
many "covered wagons" , Alcos, Baldwins and
etc.
* old
Baldwin S-12 switchers #8323
and also #8376
* Alco
S4 switcher PC9791 set behind the shop
* SW-1
switcher
PC8505 seen in use somewhere in the yard
Aug. 1976
*
parked around the turntable are PC5619, PC7728, Ann
Arbor GP35 #390 ,
RDG switcher
#2756, and an SW1 switcher . A close-up of AA390 shows
that it is ridding
on
Alco trucks and appears to have suffered a rear collision.
Aug. 29,1992
* CR8927 is
a SW9 , ex-NYC #8927
* old U23B's stand behind
switchers SW900m CR8716 ( ex-RDG 1516 ) &
SW8 CR8676 ( ex-LV 262 )
* switchers SW7
#9085 ( ex-PRR 9085 ) & SW9 #8951 ( ex-CNJ 1084 )
* several B36-7's
are seen behind the main shop building
* Conrail GP10 #7576
and B36-7 #5055 keep company with Reading Blue
Mountain & Northern #3303
Nov.20,1993
* two foreign units
can be seen here -
* PCM #16 is
barely visible in this photo
* even number CR5400
is seen at a distance
* both CR5446
& CR7463 ( ex-NYC GP9 ) are visible in this photo
Homer
Sept.
1975
*
scrap-line has PC#8398 a Lima Hamilton
road switcher &
NYC E7's #4025 and
#4035
*
many Baldwin S12's including PC9354,
9826, 9653, 8306 & etc.
Aug.1976
* Westbound
ore train passing Homer's scrap line, lead by
PC6062,
then alcos #6312 and 6344
*
The scrap line at Homer ( Just East of Rose )-
Aug.1976
an old PRR
S12 switcher # PC 8330
ex PRR Alco
RS-1 seen as PC 9938
ex LV RS-3
#213
* still numbered as EL
6352 F7B ( later CR 3854 ) and
sister EL 6351 F7A ( later CR 1883 )
Nov.
1977
* ex-EL #821 ( ex-ex-Erie
) E8A is seen lettered as
CR#4011
* CR#1888
was at one time EL#7104 F7A
* two old E8As PC#4248
& #4255 were both originally PRR
* #7639
is an ALCO RS-11 ex-PRR
* originally delivered to
the PRR, #6871 and #6876
were Alco RSD-12
In Jan.1979 #6871 ( originally PRR 8671 ) became slug # 1114
( CSXT 1012).
In Jan. 1979 GE in Cleveland also converted CR#6876 ( originally PRR 8676)
into slug CR#1112 class MT6 ( future CSXT 1010 ).
* F7A PC#
1796 was ex-NYC #1796
* E8A PC#
4042 was once NYC# 4042
* numbered as 4073
this ex- NYC E8A doesn't appear on my Conrail Roster
* NYC 4093
was discovered shoved off the end of the track,
still in NYC paint !
Nov.20,1993
* Westbound train with
CR6051 passes stored Car 20
Rose
Aug. 1976
*
many alcos in storage, exact location uncertain
but believed to be Rose
*
a Eastbound slows for a crew change, trailing a
cloud of brake shoe
smoke
lead by GP35 PC2287, GP39 PC7994,
GP40 PC3164
( notice just an edge of the old building )
Nov.20,1993
* same site as above, but
years later
Works
Aug.14,1976
*
PC #8046 leads Train PR7 with ex-Lehigh Valley
U-Boat
#511
Nov.21,1993
* looking
East from footbridge - Nov.21,1993
* looking
West then looking East as Eastbound
Train PIBA passes the footbridge
* CR6051 leads Westbound
iron ore Train ZSR113 as it passes
by Works
Station area
Sept.13-14, 1975
*
Twilight draws near as this Eastbound passes the Station with GP-35
PC#2380
an ex-NYC unit without dynamic brakes
*
Three SD45s and another unit shove this train West
around sundown.
* Two
SD45 #6109 & 6207 lead #2207 Westbound past the Station
*
Westbound passes the famous Mobile
Home Passenger Station
( once located about 200 yds. East of current )
*
The National Limited #31 arrives with SDP40F #595
& E8 #322 about 11:00pm.
*
The next day an Eastbound arrives from the southern line
to the Car Shops.
Lead unit is PC7881, then PC2380 and PC6010 .
(notice the vacant field to the left, which today is the Railroader's Museum)
Aug.14-15, 1976
* Eastbound Amtrak #30 the
National Limited seen approaching the Station
*Train
SW6 rolls in with SD40 #6266, SD45 #6180 & SD35 #6007
*
Train RR3 leaves with PC U-boat #2965 & ex EL
SDP45 #3668
Nov. 1977
* an inside
view of the Mobile Home Station's ticket window
* an Eastbound Amtrak
arrives at the temporary Station with extra power
added
the second unit is E9A Amtrak #412
( ex- UP# 907 )
the third unit is E9A Amtrak #420
( ex- UP# 943 )
here the train's headend slowly pulls
past the temporary Station
as the train departs we see the reason for the extra power, an
FRA car on the rear
* an Westbound is
photographed from the temporary Station's
porch
* Westbound is seen passing
the area where the permanent Station was later built
* The Station area skyline as
an Eastbound glides past with
2
ex-EL SD45-2
Nov.21, 1993
* an Eastbound "Power-Shift"
passes the Station with #8086, 8077, 6378, 6381, 3224
* this train lead
by CR5524 leaves the Holidaysburg line with its
helpers
* CR6366 & 6367 , two
consecutively
numbered SD40-2's working as helpers
* CR6819 leads
Train XGW524 with C30-7A #6564 in
the consist too
* Amtrak #40 arrives at
the Station
Alto Tower ( just
West of the Station)
* Helpers await
their next assignment, setting beside Alto
Tower - Aug. 1976
* looking at ALTO
Tower - Nov. 1977
* ex-EL SD45-2 CR6663
seen beside Alto Tower seen
Aug.30, 1992
Slope Interlocking
* looking East, just East
of "Slope" you can see where this location's
name came
from as two Helpers #6341 ( SD40 ) & 6536 ( U30-C
) wait in a distance - Nov. 1977
* two ex-EL
SD45-2 ( CR#6665 & 6656 ) in EL paint on a Westbound at Slope
- Nov. 1977
Horseshoe
Curve
Sept. 1975
*
Penn Central Alcos C628 #6312 and
C636
#6344 ( with mechanical trouble)
assist a Westbound ore train
* two trains
pass at Kittanning Point
Eastbound National Limited approaching
the Curve, then beside the
K4
steam engine . Amtrak#590 is a SDP-40F, #225 is an E8A (ex-L&N
#795)
* Westbound Conrail train
with two ex-EL SD45's in the consist
- summer 1976
* Helpers
use dynamic brakes to ease a Eastbound train down hill on
"The Curve"
( SD45 #6140 ) - May 1977
* Helpers
shove a Westbound train over the hill - May 1977
* Westbound Train
EC-9 has rare mid-train
helpers and even normal
rear helpers - Nov. 1977
* ex-Reading
GP35 #3620 leads an Eastbound downhill - Nov.
1977
MG Tower (
just West of the Curve)
*
Alco C425 PC#2433 on Train# TH-3A or CB-9 - Aug.
14, 1976
* Westbound train
moves uphill past MG Tower
during a snow storm - Nov. 1977
Gallitizin (
East of Cresson - site of 3 tunnels )
Aug.1975
*
An Alco lead train heads past the interchange
between the two mains at UN.
*
Helpers PC#6228 SD45 and PC6078 SD40 have just
"cut-off " and now work
their way through UN Interlocking
and move up toward AR Tower
Aug.1976
* Train WPV-4
seen passing AR Tower in Aug.1976
* Eastbound helpers at SF.
The two levels of the tunnels are
clearly seen in this
Aug.1976 photo
* the East side of the "Lower Twin"
tunnels shows the old blowers from the steam
era
still in place - Aug.76
Nov.1977
* ex-PC U33C #6559
Leads a Westbound uphill around
Benny Curve,
east of Gallitizin
* E8a #440
( ex- RF&P #1012, AMTK #220 ) leads an Amtrak
train
downhill at Benny
* Eastbound is seen East
of Benny
* Train EC-9 exits
one of the "lower twin" tunnels
at Gallitizin
Nov. 21, 1993
* Still there!
Today the track has been removed from the left tunnel
* "The Slide" undergoing
lowering for doublestack trains to pass thru the tunnel,
seen looking West toward AR tower
Cresson (
West of Horseshoe Curve - Top of the Hill - Helper
Base site )
Sept. 1975
*U23B
#2770 setting at the helper base
*
SD35 #6000 seemed to elude me all day for a good
photo location
*
looking East past the Helper base, with MO
tower is the distance
Aug. 1976
*
a Westbound is eclipsed by an Eastbound
#3185, ex-B&O ex-CNJ#3066 &
2761
*
PC6043 leads two ex-Erie SD45s Eastbound, passing
MO tower.
Nov. 1977
* a big SDP-45
(ex-EL 3654) is seen on a Eastbound at "High Bridge"
,
just East of
Cresson
* looking West, beside
MO Tower as 3 trains pass ( Photo
1, Photo 2 )
Aug. 30,1992
* Amtrak's Broadway
Limited #40 with units # 264 & 411 seen East of Cresson
at the Highway #53 overpass
Nov.21,1993
* looking Northeast across
the Helper Base
* several ex-EL
SD45-2 are seen ( #6659, 6660, 6654)
* more SD45-2s
seen from the street
93 Conrail Technical Society's Altoona Tour
Juniata
Locomotive Rebuild Center - Nov.1993
* The
tour
begins with a safety & site lecture
* Locomotive
trucks
are cleaned at this station
* a
large supply of wheels are seen in the truck servicing
area
* here
a traction motor is fitted to the truck
* another
repair station, this one for traction motors
* GE C30-7a #6551 and another
GE
unit seen inside shops
* a B&W photo of a Locomotive's Prime
Mover ( ie. engine )
* a Color photo of several prime movers
setting on the floor
* Prime Mover servicing area
and removed Locomotive axles
* I'm not sure what this repair station
does; engine components ?
* engine's crankshafts are taken care
of here
* B&W photo of an Air Brake equipment testing
Center
* locomotive CR3401 is seen
in a service bay
* an ex-CR loco in a service bay , painted
with #105
* these two SP units setting in service
bays are #8016 & 8039
* ex-EL SD45-2 #6666 is
seen in another service bay
* two
E-units and brand new #5544 pose outside
* same
viewed from the sunny side
* E8A
CR4021
will become CSX 9998 , it originally was built Oct 1952 as
PRR 5711, then re# PRR & PC 4311, later AMTK 317 & 499
* E8A
CR4020
will become NS 100, it originally was built April 1951 as
PRR 5809, then re# PRR & PC 4309, later AMTK 315 & 498
* here
the old & the new pose nose-to-nose
* CR5544
SD60M will become CSX8774 after the CSX / NS deal
* CR6221
C40-8W is not shown on the CSX proposed roster
Holidaysburg
Car Shops ( located South of Altoona )
a boxcar near lifting jacks
used in truck ( ie. wheel sets) replacement;
note high ladder to roof of the car
freight
car axles
two old boxcar frames about to become new
gondola's frames
jig used to lift these frames
an inverted frame begins construction
new gondola seen midway
through construction
one gondola seen flipped on its side for
airbake equipment installation
final
wielding to be done
a nearly complete gondola gets its grab irons
and other hardware
