Looking South, towards the Master Mechanics ("A") building.		Looking East along the north side of  Altoona Pipe and Steel's building.  Note the lead track.
	Looking Southwest from the 12th Street Pedestrian Bridge.		Looking South from the 12th Street Pedestrian Bridge.
	Looking West from the 12th Street Pedestrian Bridge.		Looking West, towards the original Museum ("B") building.
	Looking East towards Altoona Pipe and Steel from the original Museum Building.		Looking Southeast towards Altoona Pipe and Steel / the Master Mechanics building from the original Museum Building.

 April 2002 Update

Construction begins on the Museum's  New Quarter- roundhouse

		These photographs were taken on 04/01/02 by Barry Kaufman.

Spring 2002 Update

Quarter Roundhouse Project - The crew from the J.C. Orr Group are progressing nicely. They brought a drilling rig and crew in from South Carolina during the month of February to drill the holes for the caissons. The crew ran into some of the contemporary challenges of our railroading heritage - steel reinforced concrete pads from the early 12th Street Shops and underground tunnels. The reinforced concrete chewed up their teeth and shear bolts on their equipment. We caught the side of one of the early tunnels and it proceeded to fill our holes with surface water draining from the old passage ways. The tunnels were used by the PRR to carry steam, electric, water and sewage throughout the shops and city. The City Water Authority personnel tell us that many of the tunnels built in the late 19th Century of brick are better constructed than those built of concrete in the 1970’s. All obstacles were overcome - eventually. The building steel is arriving as we go to press and the project is on schedule. We are anticipating the building to be completed by mid-May. (Spring issue of "The Standard", Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum)

June 15, 2002 Update

These photographs were taken 6/15/02 and depict the red metal roof panels on the roof of the round-house and the new rail crossing to the Museum grounds.   by Barry Kaufman.

This view (Left)  illustrates the new track access to the Roundhouse via Altoona Pipe and Steel (former PRR) shops area.  The track cuts across the pedestrian walkway at 12th street and permanent gating is in place at the Altoona Pipe and Steel/Railroaders Memorial Museum fence lines.  In active PRR shop days at this location, the pedestrian bridge was elevated so as to not have pedestrian traffic interrupt work.  History is being repeated on these grounds as tracks are re-installed on and between ex-PRR properties and new roundhouse construction begins.

August 08, 2002 Update

On 8/8/02, David Seidel wrote "Much ado, much new, much ongoing at ARMM.  A brief review:

Construction and preparation are now resumed to prepare the grounds for the anticipated turntable for the round house.  All rolling stock is being moved and relocated; a few pieces may be de-accessioned.

Most rolling stock has been lifted onto the "live" siding track and moved to the the Horseshoe Curve Chapter's siding at the Ward Warehouse at 4th Street.  The Chapter leases one track, but WARD is permitting use of 2nd track as well.

As of today, only the fence-line track along the linear park remains.  This contains the (from east to west), dining car, Birch River Pullman, Fruit Growers Express car; GG-1 # 4913 remains on an adjacent track.  One car is on the "live" track as of today, the ex-PRR, ex-PCRR, Conrail Class FD-2, depressed center flat car referred to as the "Queen Mary". 

A new track has been constructed on the lawn of the museum, and a new access track (through and from west-end of) the Altoona Pipe & Steel shop (PRR circa 1905). Tomorrow a temporary link will be laid across 12th street . This matches up with a gate on AP&S property and a gate at ARMM.  The FD-2 will be moved August 8th, out of museum property on the live siding, and back through Altoona Pipe & Steel sidings, through their shop, across 12th Street through fence lines, and onto the lawn of the ARMM.  The FD-2 class flat, a one-of-a-kind car with 32 wheels from 4 truck sets from the PRR Class T-1 locomotive tenders, will be used as a stage for special events at ARMM in the future.

The Diner, and Birch River and Fruit Growers Express car will be lifted onto the live siding and moved to Ward Warehouse sidings temporarily.  Then, the live siding will be cut into the adjacent track to remove the GG-1 temporarily.

Ties are laid from another (new )access track through Altoona Pipe and Steel Co. which is already cut into and laid permanently across 12th street and fence lines.  Rail will be applied from fence line on the ties into the roundhouse shell; the LORETTO, private railcar of steel baron Charles M. Schwab, will be stored under this shelter temporarily.

A corporate sponsor, Blair Medical Associates of Altoona,  is funding the acquisition of the new turntable for the museum, which will be installed in close proximity to building B."

 

This view shows workers installing the roof on the roundhouse.   Photograph by David Seidel.  Pre-June 2002.  Date unknown.

 

August 09, 2002 Update -Turntable Located

 On 8/9/02, David Seidel advised a turntable has been located.  It is coming from Pen Argyl, PA on an old Reading RR line.  The table  is 100 ft.   It has been buried in the pit but is being dug out and shipped to Altoona.  Track was being extended into the roundhouse stall on  8/8/02 and 8/9/02 as the cut across 12th Street is complete.

August 13, 2002 Update-"Queen Mary" Move

On Thursday morning, August 8, 2002, another operation changed the landscape at Altoona Railroader's Memorial Museum significantly.  The ongoing project to relocate all rolling stock from land-locked stub-end tracks, in preparation for the construction of a turntable pit, resulted in the move of the Class FD-2 Depressed Center Flat Car (ex-PRR 470245), which railroaders have affectionately called the Queen Mary due to it's enormous size (not to be confused with former office car QM).  With a light-weight of 250 tons and 32 wheels (four truck sets from former Class T-1 locomotive tenders), measuring 121 ft 9" in length, the QM moved slowly from it's perch at ARMM with much squealing of wheel against rail and creaking of tie and rail joint.  At a modest 5 mph to navigate track curvature, the beast moved easterly out of the museum property to the east end of the Altoona Pipe and Steel industrial tracks.  The NS crew assisting with the project then reversed direction through the AP&S Shop to the shop's west door (ex-PRR 1905) to what had previously been a dead-end track at 12th St., Altoona.  However, crews of Jan Finkbinder had constructed a track extension from the west end door of AP&S to the 12th st fenceline, matching the industrial gate;  placement of a temporary track across the pedestrian right of way (12th st) and into the museum property, which, coincidentally lined up with ARMM's existing gate.

On the first attempt, the QM's massive size moved across 12th st but that low under-belly hung up on the crown of the temporary track.  A few minor adjustments later with track-jacks resolved the problem and the QM moved freely onto the lawn in front of Altoona Railroader's Memorial Museum without a wheel hitting the dirt.  Having observed the operation, the crew of Jan Finkbinder deserves the credit for the skills demonstrated on the project.

Today, the QM sits on the lawn of ARMM, where industrial shops of the PRR once stood.  This car dominates the landscape and it's size is truly appreciated from this perspective, rather than being buried in a series of parallel tracks.  Museum officials plan to utilize theQM as a stage and platform for special occasion performances and will, no doubt, be prominent at Railfest activities this year. NS engineman on the SW-1500 was George Mitchell and the locomotive was ex-Conrail and appropriately sub-labled: PRR from the July 1, 1999 merger date.  A PRR builder's photo of the FD-2 can be found displayed in Building B of ARMM.

The Queen Mary was donated to Altoona Railroader's Memorial Museum in 1999 prior to the merger with NS. Load capacity of the FD-2 is another 250 tons." by David Seidel

 

August 21, 2002 Update - Photos of the Yard Realignment and the "Queen Mary" Move

 

by Barry Kauffman

 

 

 

The Roundhouse/Turntable project is a project of the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum. 
PRR K-4s #1361 is owned by the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum.  The Museum is a business partner with the Horseshoe Curve Chapter, NRHS.
Reporting on the restoration of PRR k-4 #1361 is done under agreement with Museum Officials.

Railfest is a trademark of Railroaders Memorial Museum, Inc. 
The logos for the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum are trademarks of the Railroaders Memorial Museum, Inc. 
NRHS and its logo are trademarks of the National Railway Historical Society.  Photographs are by Chris Behe unless otherwise noted.