The Lure of the Pittsburgh Division

While most of the railfan world thinks of Altoona as "the Mecca of Railroading", which it may well be, it's only one of the many places along the Pittsburgh Division of Norfolk Southern that offer a nice balance of excellent setting and high traffic density. It also helps to have our local guide Phil along to maximize the day as one works outward from Altoona. Phil used to live about 15 miles from HAPT galactic headquarters when he worked for the Maine Central but believe it or not I met him by pure chance in Gallitzin, PA at Tunnel Park. Phil now resides in Altoona and offers a guide service to railfans in conjunction with the Tunnel Inn. What a dream job!

All but one of these pictures were taken in two days in July 2007 while on a tour of the region with the Wheelman, The Fiddler, and myself. This made about my 10th trip to Altoona since 2002 when I met Phil. Most of the time we set up base camp at the Tunnel Inn and this trip was no exception. There's nothing like the rumble of 12,000 horsepower and diesel fumes in the morning! Breakfast on the porch in front of the action at the Allegheny tunnel is unbelievable. Mike the owner is a great host, when he's around, and has a classy establishment that you should experience at least once. The Feb. 2006 shot of a westbound slab train emerging from the Allegheny Tunnel is mere feet from the Tunnel Inn on the public bridge and next to Tunnel Park, outfitted for railfans and the merely curious. The town is very railfan friendly and proud of its heritage. Ask the Wheelman about the scanner antenna he donated for their caboose in August 2002. They sent him an official letter of thanks.

We usually meet Phil at the Inn and he drives us around. The crackles on the scanner and Phil's built-in knowledge of the potential lineup of trains determines where we go. With his years of local and railroading experience, sun angles, mileposts and other variables come together to get us in front of the most trains possible all day long. Throughout the day we all ask him the numb questions we could easily look up back home - Where does 25K originate?; How long does it take 10G to get here from there?; Who owns Cosco containers?; and the like. Phil is very patient. Plus, he is an expert on intermodal traffic and works hard to stay current. We even get to know something about what commodities are passing before us and what strange places around the world they came from. Phil has a great "voice of authority" which has been captured for a couple of Altoona area "Train Time" videos seen around Maine on Cable Access TV.

Generally we hang out west of Altoona and east of South Fork (starting point of the infamous Johnstown Flood) though we do head out in all directions depending on time, weather and season. Regular haunts include such familiar spots as Cresson, Gallitzin (top center), Cassandra (2nd from top left), Lilly (right & left), Summerhill (lower right) and of course Horseshoe Curve. We do get to less familiar spots (except to locals) like Mill Run (2 top right), Brickyard Crossing, Jamestown Road, Portage, Conpitt Jct. and Bolivar. Whenever we head out to the west of Altoona, we can photograph over 25 trains in a good day. Naturally we miss a few in the process. Lulls always end at McDonald's or Subway when you are safely distant.

Good days always come to an end at some point so we said goodbye to Phil and worked our way east the next morning. Normally, heading east of Altoona costs us a lot because we lose regular contact with the tracks and miss a few trains once we pass Tyrone (left). Trains move faster and don't bunch up as much. The three tracks become only two. There's still plenty to see but it's spread out over more territory. With less in the way, there is less radio traffic to help out, though each train does call the signals. On this trip we had to take the Fiddler back to the Reading area so going via Harrisburg along the line made sense. On the left we have a westbound at McVieghtown and on the right we have a westbound coal empty with ex-Conrail SD60's west of Mt. Union. Naturally, as soon as we finished our fine pub lunch in Huntington, the traffic dried up. As we moved on, one spot we stopped for was Lewistown (lower left) where a local group has restored the depot and is clearing the area around it for railfans to use. We caught quite a parade right at the depot. Further east at Mifflin (right) we were a little deceived by the radio but still managed a westbound by the depot. Best of all, before we lost contact with the line and the setting sun, we caught an eastbound (below) RoadRailer 262(?) at Tuscarora Springs. I like that name and it makes for a good place to wind down the story.

Another HAPT adventure story and travel log rolled into one. Something keeps us going back to the Pittsburgh Division. Maybe you caught a hint of why in this relatively feeble attempt to show it off here. Maybe it's the dearth of high density railroading in Maine that draws our gang, but there are plenty of others "from away" lured there as well. So we are not alone. By the way, this place was a really spectacular way to finish a trip that included West Virginia and Maryland along the old Baltimore and Ohio mainline. Wheelman got plenty of slides and Fiddler has it all on video too. Maybe you've "been there, done that", but when you enjoy the action with friends, it's priceless.

BC