RAILROAD SIGNALS of the U.S.

Railfan Guide to
ALTOONA - PA
 

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.

Note: If you like Pennsy signals, the signals in the downtown area are getting ready for a changeover to the new color light signals, and the Pennsy Position Light signals will be gone forever.... get your pictures of them and of trains with them in your shots now!

The guides for the Altoona area are divided into the following maps:
     Index page
     Map 1 - Altoona proper - you are on this map
     Map 2 - Horseshoe Curve
     Map 3 - Gallitzin and Cresson
     Map 4 - West  (to South Fork)
     Map 5 - East (to Mt Union)

     the East Broad Top RR Railfan Guide

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

Sites

    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.

Additional Maps

The three following maps came off of one of the coolest maps I ever came across on CN's website, but I have lost the way to find it again.  Their map of the United States and Canada has virtually every railroad track existing.  Here are three "Snags" from Altoona down to Johnstown:

Signals

    1       NB/ - Next to Juniata Shops

    2       SB/Signal Bridge - Northside of 17th St

    3       NB/Signal Bridge - Southside of 17th St

    4       SB/Signal Bridge - Northside of Walnut St

    5       NB/Signal Bridge - Southside of Walnut St

    6       NB/SB Signal Bridge - 35th St

Floobydust

 
For you Harbor Freight fans, it's located on the south side of town just off I-99 on Planks Road.
It's in the SC across from Arby's and KMart on my map.

 
If you prefer Tractor Supply, it's located down in Duncansville.

If you're a Northern Tools fan, sorry, there are none north of Virginia unless you're out in Minnesota!

NEW 4/19/2009
Reformatted 4/8/2010
Last Modified 30-Sep-2011