The 5 Best Railroad Overlooks Near Altoona

The 5 Best Railfan Sites Near Altoona Pennsylvania.

Nowhere in Pennsylvania will you find a greater concentration of railroad overlooks than the Altoona region!

"Railroading is Altoona" exhibit at the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum.
“Railroading is Altoona” exhibit at the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum.

And while there are historic spots for railfans to visit all across the Keystone State, you’ll find the largest number of “trainspotting” lookouts in close proximity to what was once the largest railroad town in America.

Norfolk Southern engine rounding the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona.
Norfolk Southern engine rounding the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona.

In fact, nearly 60 trains a day still travel this stretch the old Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line, making it an attractive year-round destination for railfans of all ages.

An eastbound freight train passing beneath the Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook.
An eastbound freight train passing beneath the Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook.

So follow along as I show you how to find the 5 best railroad overlooks near Altoona!

Norfolk Southern locomotives passing beneath the Cassandra Railroad Overlook bridge.
Norfolk Southern locomotives passing beneath the Cassandra Railroad Overlook bridge.

1. The Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum

We’ll start with the most obvious railroad overlook near Altoona – the pedestrian bridge over the rails immediately behind the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum.

The Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook bridge is located directly behind the museum.
The Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook bridge is located directly behind the museum.

While there is a fee to tour the museum, there is no fee to simply walk behind the museum and out onto the pedestrian bridge over the train tracks.

A westbound Norfolk Southern train approaching the Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook.
A westbound Norfolk Southern train approaching the railroad overlook behind the Altoona Railroaders Museum.

You’ll hear the whistles of the approaching trains from both directions well before you see them, which gives you ample time to get your camera ready if you’re taking photos.

An eastbound freight train passing beneath the Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook.
An eastbound freight train passing beneath the Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook.

And the museum and surrounding structures do make for nice “industrial” photo backdrops.

Eastbound train passing below the Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook bridge.
Eastbound train passing below the Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook bridge.

The museum is located at 1300 9th Avenue, Altoona, PA 16602 (GPS coordinates 40.512866, -78.400784).

Map to the Altoona Railroaders Museum Railroad Overlook Bridge.
Map to the Altoona Railroaders Museum Railroad Overlook Bridge.

Easy to get to and a great open vantage point above the tracks – that’s the railroad overlook behind the Altoona Railroaders Museum.

A westbound Norfolk Southern train passing beneath the Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook bridge.
A westbound Norfolk Southern train passing beneath the Altoona Railroaders Museum railroad overlook bridge.

2. The Horseshoe Curve

The Horseshoe Curve was considered one of the “engineering wonders of the world” at the time of its completion in 1854, and it continues to be one of the best railroad overlooks near Altoona.

A young railfan waves to a passin Norfolk Southern engineer at the Horseshoe Curve.
A young railfan waves to a passing Norfolk Southern engineer at the Horseshoe Curve.

The Horseshoe Curve lessens the steepness of the tracks for trains crossing the Allegheny Mountains, allowing for a more gradual ascent/descent.

Eastbound train descending the Horseshoe Curve.
Eastbound train descending the Horseshoe Curve.

There is a fee to enter the Horseshoe Curve, but that includes a very interesting museum tour as well.

Approaching the Horseshoe Curve Visitor Center in Altoona.
Approaching the Horseshoe Curve Visitor Center in Altoona.

You’ll find the Horseshoe Curve 5 miles west of Altoona at 2400 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Altoona, PA 16601.

How to find the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona Pennsylvania
Map to the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, Pennsylvania.

One of the unique things about the Horseshoe Curve is the experience of having a train “wrap around” you, in the shape of a horseshoe!

A single train wrapped around the Horseshoe Curve in Altoona.
A single train wrapped around the Horseshoe Curve in Altoona

3. The Gallitzin Tunnels

Completed at different times between 1854 and 1904, the Gallitzin Tunnels are an important historic site, a great railroad overlook near Altoona, and crucial rail passages to this very day.

A westbound Norfolk-Southern train exiting the western portal of the Allegheny Tunnel in Gallitzin.
A westbound Norfolk Southern train exiting the western portal of the Allegheny Tunnel in Gallitzin.

The Allegheny Tunnel (known originally as the Summit Tunnel) was the longest railroad tunnel in the world at the time of its completion, at 3,612 feet.

History of the Gallitzin Tunnels.
History of the Gallitzin Tunnels.

Today railfans have a beautiful spot to watch trains enter and exit the Allegheny Tunnel in Gallitzin in the form of Tunnels Park.

Tunnels Park and Museum in Gallitzin, PA.
Tunnels Park and Museum in Gallitzin, PA.

The Jackson Street Overpass next to the park offers great views of the tracks and tunnels from walkways on either side of the bridge, with special cut-outs in the fence specifically designed to allow for photography and/or videography.

Jackson Street Overpass just west of the Gallitzin Tunnels.
Jackson Street Overpass just west of the Gallitzin Tunnels.

And whether it’s Norfolk Southern freight trains or Amtrak passenger trains, it’s hard to beat the close-up views at the Gallitzin Tunnels.

Double-stack freight cars passing through the Allegheny Tunnel in Gallitzin.
Double-stack freight cars passing through the Allegheny Tunnel in Gallitzin.

You’ll find the Gallitzin Tunnels Park at 548 Convent Street, Gallitzin, PA 16641, 8 miles west of Altoona.

Map to the Gallitzin Tunnels railroad overlook bridge in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
Map to the Gallitzin Tunnels railroad overlook bridge in Cambria County.

4. The Cresson Railroad Observation Platform

The Cresson Railroad Observation Platform offers one of the best eye-level railroad overlooks near Altoona.

The Cresson Railroad Observation Platform in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
The Cresson Railroad Observation Platform.

Located right next to the railroad tracks, you can see and literally feel the passing trains from this elevated deck.

Train passing the Cresson Railroad Observation Platform and railfan site.
Train passing the Cresson Railroad Observation Platform and railfan site.

There’s also a picnic pavilion and a caboose you can walk though in this park in the heart of Cresson, built especially for railfans.

Caboose at the Cresson Railroad Observation Platform and railfan site.
Caboose at the Cresson Railroad Observation Platform.

The westbound trains can be seen from some distance away.

Norfolk Southern locomotive passing the Cresson Railroad Observation Platform in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
Westbound Norfolk Southern locomotive passing the Cresson Railroad Observation Platform.

Eastbound trains can sneak up on you if you aren’t paying attention.

Norfolk Southern train passing the Cresson railroad park.
Eastbound Norfolk Southern train passing the Cresson Railroad Observation Platform.

You’ll find the Cresson Railroad Observation Platform at 501 Front St, Cresson, PA 16630.

Map to the Cresson Railroad Park in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
Map to the Cresson Railroad Park in Cambria County.

5. The Cassandra Railroad Overlook

The Cassandra Railroad Overlook is a pedestrian-only bridge spanning the train tracks in Cassandra, Cambria County.

The Cassandra Railroad Overlook Bridge in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
The Cassandra Railroad Overlook Bridge in Cambria County.

Until 1936 this single-lane bridge allowed cars to pass over the train tracks.

The Cassandra Railroad Overlook railfan site in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
The Cassandra Railroad Overlook railfan site.

Now it serves as a prime vantage point for railfans from around the world.

Welcome to the Cassandra Railroad Overlook sign.
Welcome sign near the Cassandra Railroad Overlook bridge in Cambria County.

Westbound trains come up on you fast around this curve if you aren’t paying attention.

Train approaching the Cassandra Railroad Overlook in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
Westbound train approaching the Cassandra Railroad Overlook.

Whereas eastbound trains can be seen from far away, down a LONG straightaway.

Freight train passing beneath the Cassandra Railroad Overlook bridge.
Freight train passing beneath the Cassandra Railroad Overlook bridge.

I’m not sure if the Cassandra Railroad Overlook really is “world-famous”, but since that’s the town’s claim to fame, I’ll go along with it.

Welcome to Cassandra PA banner near the railfan site.
Welcome to Cassandra PA banner near the railfan site.

You’ll find the Cassandra Railroad Overlook at 179 Main St, Lilly, PA 15938, where Main Street dead-ends at the railroad overlook.

Map to the Cassandra Railroad Overlook Bridge in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
Map to the Cassandra Railroad Overlook Bridge in Cambria County.

So there you have it – 5 of the best railroad overlooks near Altoona!

Westbound train passing through the viewing area at the Horseshoe Curve.
Westbound train passing through the viewing area at the Horseshoe Curve.

The Allegheny Portage Railroad was the first railroad built across the Allegheny Mountains, allowing for canals on the eastern and western sides of the state to be connected, cutting the travel time between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia from weeks to just days.

Looking up Incline Number 6 towards Engine House Number 6 at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site near Altoona Pennsylvania.
Looking up Incline Number 6 along the Allegheny Portage Railroad.

The Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site in eastern Cambria County (and stretching into neighboring Blair County) is maintained by the National Park Service, allowing visitors to learn about and explore first-hand the “glory days” of the Allegheny Portage Railroad.

A sectional canal boat display inside the Allegheny Portage Railroad Visitor Center near Altoona.
A sectional canal boat display inside the Visitor Center at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site.

The Staple Bend Tunnel in Cambria County has the distinction of being the first railroad tunnel built in the United States!

The ornate western portal of the Staple Bend Tunnel.
The ornate western portal of the Staple Bend Tunnel.

Constructed as part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad (between the top of Incline 1 and the bottom of Incline 2 near Johnstown), the Staple Bend Tunnel is now operated as part of a rail trail by the National Park Service.

The brick lined entrance to the Staple Bend Tunnel along the former Allegheny Portage Railroad in Cambria County.
The brick lined entrance to the Staple Bend Tunnel.

After a decade-long hiatus, the East Broad Top Railroad is once again offering passenger excursions, shop tours, and visits to the “roundhouse” where their fleet of six steam engines live.

A scenic train ride excursion prepares to depart from the East Broad Top station in Rockhill.
A scenic train ride excursion prepares to depart from the East Broad Top station in Rockhill.

As the only surviving narrow gauge common carrier railroad east of the Rocky Mountains, the East Broad Top Railroad has officially been a National Historic Landmark since 1964.

Inside the East Broad Top Railroad machine shops.
Inside the East Broad Top Railroad machine shops.

The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway in Jim Thorpe is consistently ranked as one of the best sightseeing trains in the northeastern United States.

The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway in Jim Thorpe, PA.
The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway in Jim Thorpe, PA.

Departing from the historic train station in downtown Jim Thorpe, the train winds its way north into Lehigh Gorge State Park, before returning on the same track.

Passing over the Lehigh River on the fall foliage train out of Jim Thorpe.
Passing over the Lehigh River on the fall foliage train out of Jim Thorpe.

10 Must-See Attractions in Blair County is your guide to even more great things to see and do near Altoona.

Looking into downtown Hollidaysburg from the lower overlook at Chimney Rocks Park.
The view from Chimney Rocks Park in Blair County.

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Rusty Glessner
Rusty Glessner is a professional photographer, lifelong Pennsylvanian, and a frequently-cited authority on PA's best travel destinations.