Railfanning Altoona: Stronghold of the late great Pennsylvania Railroad

[@alphakiller2269]

Thank yu for showing fans that we at ns love doing our jobs

[@hartmutlorentzen9659]

Excellent video, thanks for presentation, from Germany

[@monmixer]

Wie ist das Leben in Deutschland heutzutage? Ich hoffe!!

[@Traumatree]

Great video! Nice song about Altoona also! I am planning a trip to go and visit that Pittsburg line and I will sure stop here in Altoona!

[@luvindemtrains]

Great production. You provided a lot of information in a short time. I really liked how you concentrated on the NS(ex-Pennsy) but then took us into town to look at the murals and other historic highlights. Such a quaint town with a big history in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania. As others have stated there is a sense of melancholy to know how things once were and now are. Keep up the great work.

[@SantaFeAllTheWay]

Thanks much. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@cameronpiper6125]

Great video I’m from there I enjoy the trains there i enjoy catching the trains plus I love the railroad history of altoona

[@walterstrains]

never get tired of altoona.

[@tombirmingham7354]

Nice video. I was there with Conrail, then NS. Loved the shop.

[@SoFloRR1018]

Awesome footage! Sad to see how much has disappeared. New sub for you

[@tjgordon2920]

The first set of tracks is right by where I grew up. If it was filmed a little higher you could see my house. Spent a lot of time as a kid watching trains there.

[@joelmorvan8298]

Very intersting. I am french, if i can going to USA in futur, I go not to Colorado canyon or California beach but to Altoona and the Horse Shoe Curve !! Amicalement

[@SantaFeAllTheWay]

Be sure to see the Pennsylvania Railroaders Museum when you're in Altoona.

[@victorianidetch]

Nicely done, I grew up near Dutch Hill and could hear the trains on cold mornings walking to school.

[@amibee38]

As did I...4th & 16th...good ole' days in my memory!

[@davidpaol1]

What is really sad is the reality that Govt let die on the vine The once mighty Pennsy and others like her, making it impossible to operate profitably, and regulating them out of existence allowing other forms of transport unequal favor. The loss of the Pennsylvania devastated many proud rail hubs that are still feeling the loss some 50 years later

[@gredw6733]

I was born there in 1947. Altoona's fortunes were tied to the Pennsylvania Railroad.

[@michaelnazaruk4100]

A great video, but at the same time, it is a very sad video. What was once a hustling, bustling city , it has virtually been turned into a near ghost town, and ironically, has been basically run into the ground by the same railroad organization that put Altoona on the map and made it great.

[@chuckm6486]

It's still a nice town - terrific housing stock in many neighborhoods - but the downtown has been overlooked (to put it politely) with the move of all the (still pretty significant) retail shopping out to Logan Center and also to the area around Pleasant Valley Boulevard. And a big opportunity was missed with the Penn State - Altoona campus that is located on the western outskirts of town when it could have been a significant catalyst for developing the downtown area.

[@michaelnazaruk4100]

@@chuckm6486 - I agree with a lot of what you wrote here. Penn State has developed a lot of the downtown Altoona area into learning and conference centers. But the fact remains that our city lacks any type of manufacturing and industry for substantial job growth. The Pleasant Valley Blvd and Plank rd fast food restaurants don't count.

[@brucebechdel3524]

0

[@brucebechdel3524]

Yeah, it was quite a sad & strongly, impacting video of the state of railroading left in Altoona compared to it’s previous glory by the mismanaged, Penn Central, debacle and resurrected, saved and restoredEd by CONRAIL. I won’t even go into the Norfolk Southern era Because as their initials stand for the phrase “Nothing Special”!! They could at least provide some color to their dull and sombering black and white. I grew up during the days of the later, Penn Central railroad, and all of Conrail who rescued and restored profitability and health those operations which included two outstanding railroad colors of the Reading, Erie Lackawanna, Lehigh Valley, Central Railroad of New Jersey, and Lehigh and Hudson River RR. Though, I did not see very much of their actual locomotives, but I was aware of their engines painting schemes. There was even with ConRail a loss of something that even they weren’t able to return. I even wish that the proud profitable and glorious Southern Railway had stayed independent and had the good sense not to merge with any railroad. Since ConRail’s absorption by NW & CSX😭 there hasn’t been anything worthwhile to photograph/video {if I could even operate one!}. Except I DID Like CSX’s Blue, Gray WITH YELLOW engine scheme. Plus, boxcars and gondolas have practically disappeared leaving only covered hoppers or regular open ones which LACK any RR logos & + container traffic which can consist of entire trains, leave very little to go to “in the Field”, which bring up another troubling aspect Of why there seems to be no point in viewing what freight operations do still exist!! My criticism lies within what I see as a criminal defacing with graffiti on freight cars 😢😢😢😠😠😠remain today!! I don’t know what or how this disgraceful unneeded ruiness destructive Nonsense got started, but I wish it WOULD. BE. STOPPED!! What’s the point of seeing ANY RR freight cars covered with even some distracting & distressful distasteful garbage! Why this has been allowed to continue leaves me very upset, as well as disappointed with the railroads to prevent such activity. I don’t know if they can effectively combat this abomination., but they could at least TRY! And anyone caught creating or trespassing to do this defacing should be 1. To. PAINT Over this crap at direction by The railroad & 2. Placed in JAIL W/ a sentence!

[@brucebechdel3524]

How &. WHY. Has this revolting, UNSightly, criminal, distracting & Just awful practice be allowed to continue making it pointless to see, photograph or video today’s railroad freight cars!!

[@billyoder-g1y]

Nice

[@robertwagner8596]

!st.....more to come after i watch the show...

[@brucebechdel3524]

I’m. Really 😢😢

[@brucebechdel3524]

24:21

[@brucebechdel3524]

😅