On display
Altoona, PA
Access free shuttles from Peoples Natural Gas Field. Limited capacity - metering enforced.
What’s happening at this stop
4014 comes to Altoona — the locomotive-building capital of the old Pennsylvania Railroad — for a free display from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Access is by free shuttle from Peoples Natural Gas Field; capacity is limited and metered, so arrive early. Viewing is from the ground, with no cab access.
Few towns are more fitting: just west of Altoona the Pennsylvania Railroad swept its main line around the Horseshoe Curve in 1854, and the Altoona Works once built more locomotives than any shop on earth.
Tickets & admission
Free — no ticket required. Free admission; free shuttle from Peoples Natural Gas Field (limited, metered capacity).
Why this stop matters
Altoona was Pennsylvania Railroad's company town: the Altoona Works once employed 17,000 people and built more locomotives than any other shop in the world. Just west of town, the Horseshoe Curve carried PRR over the Allegheny Front — an engineering set-piece designed in 1854 that's still a working main line, and a pilgrimage site for any steam enthusiast.
The curve and the shops made Altoona a genuine railroad city; today the Railroaders Memorial Museum and the Horseshoe Curve visitor center keep that history in front of the public, a short distance from where 4014 goes on display.