Lancaster Pennsylvania - Trains Magazine

tpd0418

  [snipped]  . . . Horseshoe Curve and the Railroader's Memorial in Altoona. This will be my second trip to Strasburg and first trip to Altoona - I can hardly wait. . . .

  See the 4 recent videos whose links were posted earleir this morning at this thread here - the title says it all:

 

Two are at the places I mentioned above - Cresson and Casssandra.  The East Slope is Altoona to Gallitzin (or the engine shop at Cresson, practically); the West Slope is from Gallitzin or Cresson to Conemaugh or Johnstown, roughly. 

David J. Williams, who graciously took and posted those, also hosts and owns the Yahoo group website whose URL is under his signature.  Although you have to join to view much of anything there, it's free, and may be worthwhile for general info, esp. if you'll have a computer or 'smart phone' with you - as you'll see, those guys are into monitoring darn near everything that moves from Harrisburg to Conemaugh !

On your way west, the railfan spot at COVE/ MP 116 a little ways northwest of Harrisburg seems to be a special favorite. 

HorseShoe Curve is always worth seeing, but so you're not disappointed, be advised that the photo opportunities are not likley to be great this time of the year.  The vegetation has really grown up in the past 20 years or so, and when it's fully leafed out as it is now with the wet year we've had so far, it's hard to see much beyond the visitor's area at the apex/ center of the Curve.  That's still fun, but the long views are now found mostly only in the older books, magazines, videos, and other depictions, etc. 

- Paul North. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)