Field Trip Report: Part 3 of 7 – New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York

Click on the image for a closer look!

Following Strasburg was an early evening visit to Altoona, where we discovered that Horseshoe Curve is now completely shut down for visitor access after 5PM. The staircase is closed off and you're not even allowed to park anywhere near the place! We parked on the side of the road and sat on a picnic table near the visitor's center, where we could hear a freight train going through the curve with only fleeting glimpses of the train itself.

The next morning the Railroaders Museum in Altoona relieved the cumulative disappointments somewhat. The display is extremely well done and focuses on the people in railroading rather than the trains. They are currently building a new roundhouse and turntable although the museum almost shut down this year due to a lack of funding. The economic downturn in the U.S. seems to have hit Central Pennsylvania very hard.

#6- A plan of the new roundhouse and turntable, which appears to be completed although it wasn't operating the day we visited.

Access more info on the Altoona Railroaders Museum by clicking here.

To read Part 4 of this series, click here.
To return to the first installment of this news posting, click here.

Posting and pictures by Derek Boles, TRHA Historian