Pennsy E8's Altoona Railfest Excursion Special and some Railroader's Memorial Museum

I love Altoona and Horseshoe Curve; I've only been there once, and it's a beautiful town.

My grandparents used to own a pizzeria on the main thoroughfare through Cresson; across the street was the Main Line. I used to wake up in the morning, and go out and sit at the pizzeria just to watch the trains all day.

I love Cresson, I put some shots up in the freight forum from the recent trip that I took there. Sadly though on this trip there were no 80MACs in Cresson.

Awesome pics of the classics!!! I wish I was as close to see them as you are. Enjoy them my friend.

Thank you! I wish I was close but Altoona is about 6 hours from me! I get out there when I can though. As soon as I buy my new camera it will probably be more often since I need an awesome location to test it out!

metsfan · July 5, 2009

Nice! :eek:

Next they restore that GG1. :cool:

- A

kaback9 · July 5, 2009

Thanks Andy!

Sadly to restore a G to working order now would cost much more than it would have when they were given the option with #4935 but turned it down. I would do just about anything to get one working again but I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

AA 8th Avenue · July 6, 2009

Wow really? That expensive to restore that gorgeous engine. I have always wanted to see one operating but alas I guess that will never happen. I just wish i was around when they operated in passenger service on the East Wind or Broadway Limited. Only on my O gauge layout i guess. BTW how far from nyc is Altoona by car ? I guess I can rent a car and drive out there.

AgedPolaris · July 7, 2009

Killer pics! Are those SEPTA shoreliners behind the engines?

metsfan · July 7, 2009

Thanks Andy!

Sadly to restore a G to working order now would cost much more than it would have when they were given the option with #4935 but turned it down. I would do just about anything to get one working again but I just don't see it happening anytime soon. B)

Someone will do it eventually, they are too much of a classic not to, even if it's just the shell and frame and new guts, would be worth having to run trains, could even do one accurately restored 100% but no PCB, and only move on a small section of track built for it or something.

Wow really? That expensive to restore that gorgeous engine. I have always wanted to see one operating but alas I guess that will never happen. I just wish i was around when they operated in passenger service on the East Wind or Broadway Limited. Only on my O gauge layout i guess. BTW how far from nyc is Altoona by car ? I guess I can rent a car and drive out there.

The frames were built one at a time by teams of welders & fabricators, to repair the frame to safe running condition would take months if not years of skilled labor and custom made parts. Replicas of the working parts, the boiler, the motors, gauges, lights, pantograph controls etc would be very expensive and be one of a kind. The support joints would need to be replaced, and the articulation pins would need replacing, as would the trucks, replaced with authentic replicas vs original, trucks that old just are not meant to run at any speed.

Killer pics! Are those SEPTA shoreliners behind the engines?

Yes, :septa: loans its comets from time to time, and i believe the museum also has 3 or 4 there permanently, but i'm not sure. I've seen photos of the steam engines moving them. Even the NH&I here in bucks gets a set of septa cars on temporary loan now & again. They have older retired heritage (reading, PRR, conrail etc) cars & equipment parked in various places along the NH&I right of way. One of them is a silverliner 1, & another is PRR usps mail car. Interesting stuff to say the least.

- A

kaback9 · July 7, 2009

Septa loans them out since its cheaper then loaning out Amtrak cars, I found it ironic at one point I photographed Septa cars and an ex NJT bus all the way out there.

About the G no one wants to do that sadly, it would be ridiculously expensive and lets get K4 1361 back together again and running first. When I see that running then we can work on the G! Besides there are alot of G's we could potentially restore to running order at some point but only one Pennsy K4 I can think of off the top of my head!

metsfan · July 8, 2009

The K first then! :cool:

- A

AA 8th Avenue · July 8, 2009

Seriously? I thought Pennsy had salvaged 3 K4s. Wow what a shame. I agree then restore the K4. Steam is the blueprint for our current train system and design. That needs to be saved and restored. I love steam and there should be more of them around. Yes, 2-8-0s are okay but K4s, Mikados, Mohawks, Hudsons, Northerns made the railroads that led up to the creation of Diesels and later Amtrak. More of these pieces of prewar craftsmanship and beauty should have been preserved, just out of respect. A crying shame...

metsfan · July 8, 2009

Seriously? I thought Pennsy had salvaged 3 K4s. Wow what a shame. I agree then restore the K4. Steam is the blueprint for our current train system and design. That needs to be saved and restored. I love steam and there should be more of them around. Yes, 2-8-0s are okay but K4s, Mikados, Mohawks, Hudsons, Northerns made the railroads that led up to the creation of Diesels and later Amtrak. More of these pieces of prewar craftsmanship and beauty should have been preserved, just out of respect. A crying shame...

The difference is that they had to scrap them to make room and money to get dieselized, they were too numerous, but they spared at least one on purpose, unlike the NYC which hunted down and scrapped every steam engine it could find. The only legacy we have from the NYC is diesel, and i think 4 total steam locomotives, 2 are switchers, and 2 are not really notable, all ALCO though. PRR has a lot of baldwin stuff left over even today, as does Reading. Reading was smaller than those 2, but we also still have a lot of its stuff, some of which is still in service with :septa: . Reading equipment got parted out a lot, i know of at least one diner which is an authentic ex-reading diner car, i do not remember where it is though, i'l try & find it. I know one used to be in warminster, near railroad tracks ironically enough, but that one may have been a Lackawanna car from an earlier time vs saved from scrap at the end of the steam era.

- A

mediccjh · July 8, 2009

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

kaback9 · July 8, 2009

Of course I have been down to Strasburg!

Here is an older shot:

http://kaback9.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1454880

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Pennsy E8's Altoona Railfest Excursion Special and some Railroader's Memorial Museum

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