Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
I apologize for taking so long to respond to your question.  I have been out of pocket.I don't know the number of freight trains that operated through Altoona in 1957.  However, in the late 1950s and early 1960s the PRR ran an average of 900 freight trains a day.  They included through freights trains as well as local trains.  All the east west through trains, i.e. New York to Chicago, Washington to Chicago, etc. went through Altoona.  In addition, a significant number of coal trains from the mines just west of Altoona rambled through town on their way to the east coast.  As I remember it, many of them were bound for Baltimore, which had significant coal loading facilities for export coal.  Lastly, there were several car transfer trains from the Samuel Rae Shops in Hollidaysburg as well as a local from Roaring Spring, Bedford, and Duncansville. We lived near the Horseshoe Curve.  During the summer we slept with the windows open because, amongst other things, we could not afford an air conditioner.  I remember hearing the trains working up the hill to and beyond the curve all night long.  And in the mornings I could see the brake shoe smoke waffling over the curve.  When I was off from school, sometimes with official approval and sometimes without it, I would frequently ride my bike up to the curve.  It was not unusual to see 10 to 15 trains go by in a couple of hours.    My guess is that there were 75 to 100 freight trains of all descriptions that went through Altoona every day, but it is only a guess.  I will keep looking to see if I can come up with a freight schedule, although it would not be an absolute indicator because so many of the trains were classified as extras.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag