About The Railroaders Memorial Museum..
Founded in 1980, the Railroaders Memorial Museum was established by Altoona leaders who sought to preserve the accomplishments and legacy of railroaders who founded the city in 1846 and the industry that turned Altoona into a renowned railroad city with over 3 miles of shops, foundries, yards, and Test Plant. The railroad was the heart of the city and its center; businesses, neighborhoods, and life were synchronized to the schedules of trains and work shifts. As the shops and yards expanded, so did the city. A need for a workforce meant an opportunity for immigrants from England, Ireland, Germany, Italy and other minorities to create a melting pot of culture in Railroad City. Altoona supported a network of 26,000 miles with freight cars, passenger cars, and over 17,000 steam locomotives constructed by Altoona workers. After the steam era, Altoona transitioned its industrial purpose. As a result job reductions and reassignments in the workforce occurred when the steam era ended in 1957.
The commonwealth of Pennsylvania established a commission to select a home for an official state railroad museum, Altoona was considered; however Strasburg was selected. For local leaders and rail enthusiasts (members of the Horseshoe Curve Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society) it was the decision that ignited a movement to create a railroad museum for Altoona. Grassroots efforts lead to the creation of Railroaders Memorial Museum which opened in 1980. The collection was humble, being formed of collectables of local residents. Privately funded, and privately sanctioned; the Railroaders Memorial Museum obtained its collection organically over the succeeding 43 years. The founders of the museum saw the apex of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1930’s and 1940’s to the fall of the industry in 1968 with Penn Central to the rebirth with Consolidated Rail Corporation. They saw the railroad change in a course of a generation and with it the City. To them, the museum was a beacon of hope to celebrate the legacy of railroaders past but also inspire railroaders of today. Showcasing what ordinary people did, how they overcame physical and social barriers to create the backbone of the world’s largest railroad corporation.
The organization outgrew its humble 1980 built exhibit hall and in 1998 opened the restored PRR Master Mechanic’s Office Building on the adjacent land (site of the first PRR shops in Altoona). Built in 1882, this structure was the reflection of the railroad in Altoona. It started as a simple office and stores building for the Altoona Machine Shops, eventually expanded both in length and additional floors, it housed the first test department, railroad police department, engineering, Middle Division headquarters, dispatching, and the C&S department. Today, this building serves a purpose for exhibitions, programs, collections, and museum administrative offices. When opened in 1998 it was the only interactive (displays) railroad museum in the country and has been a source of inspiration for newer museums.
In the early 1990’s the museum acquired the Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark from the City of Altoona and Conrail to operate the visitor’s center and observation park, this was after a partnership with the National Park Service and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania renovated the site into what it is today.
The organization acquired 1361 a Pennsylvania Railroad K4s class pacific locomotive in 1987 from Conrail and returned to its brief operation. This opportunity in the 1980’s has established a longing by local residents and enthusiasts for its return to operation. This locomotive has been named “The Spirit of Altoona”. The K4 led to the need for the museum to develop a plan to construct a facility to house and maintain the locomotive and the museum’s rolling stock. The K4’s restoration effort went through phases and when the new Harry Bennett Memorial Roundhouse was complete the project was relocated and then relaunched in 2021.
Since 2020, a refreshed team of museum professionals and board members have dedicated their efforts to build upon a mandate to preserve and promote the legacy of Central Pennsylvania railroaders past and present.. The organization has developed four core components to fulfill the mandate: Preservation, Promotion, Education, and Engagement. Through these core mandates, the Railroaders Memorial Museum will continue to appeal to tourists, donors, preservationists, educational institutions, and the rail industry by linking past with present.