There were a lot of great places along the Pennsylvania Railroad’s four track main over the Allegheny spine to watch and photograph trains. One of the best of those railfan locations is between downtown Altoona, (ALTO Tower) and famous Horseshoe Curve.

Two great railroads bisected the city of Berea, OH. To the north was the New York Central’s water level route and to the south was the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis, the Big 4. They interchanged here under the control of Berea Tower.

Amtrak’s shops at Beech Grove is the destination for a lot of equipment needing of heavy repair or major maintenance.

Visit the BCR from North Vancouver to Lillooet and follow a freight a freight along Howe inlet at Porteau and Britannia Beach. Also, steam action and the Vancouver Sky Train.

Boston and Albany tracks still see freight trains today – but now those trains say CSX on the side. Before CSX, before Conrail, there was Penn Central.

When the railroad-building craze hit the US in the 1830’s, the political and commercial interests in Boston sought to access the vast market potential in the burgeoning west. A rail charter was granted to build a line west from Boston to the New York line.

Alto Tower, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, controlled the former Pennsylvania Railroad’s busy four track main over the Alleghenies, including the passenger station, the sprawling shop complex, a major freight yard and access to the Hollidaysburg secondary. See this famous tower, sadly now closed, under Conrail and Norfolk Southern flags!