On Saturday I’m attending the Harrisburg Camera Club’s field trip to the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum, Horseshoe Curve, and the surrounding area. Click here for the write up by the Harrisburg Camera Club: HCC Altoona Field Trip. I have been to the Horseshoe Curve before but never to the Railroaders Museum. I am not a “Railroad” aficionado by any means, but I’m sure that I’ll find some interesting images.

The museum has a roundhouse and I believe a functioning turntable. From Wikipedia:

Roundhouse & Turntable…

A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables. The defining feature of the traditional roundhouse was the turntable, which facilitates access when the building is used for repair facilities or for storage of steam locomotives.

A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many locomotives the top speed was lower in reverse motion. Turntables were also used to turn observation cars so that their windowed lounge ends faced toward the rear of the train.

At the roundhouse and in the yard there are several old railroad cars and locomotive engines. These should make good subjects for HDR images. In addition to the “normal” stuff, the railroad museum has quite a history for ghost haunting and other paranormal activity. From the Pennsylvania Mountains of Attractions website:

Ghost Sightings…

The testimonies of many of the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museums employees and visitors leave no doubt there have been many ghost sightings in the museum.

The building that houses the museum is over 120 years old.  It was once the infirmary and police headquarters for the Pennsylvania Railroad.  Many believe this is why the Altoona Railroad Museum ghost hauntings are so common.

Click here for additional information regarding the paranormal activity: Railroad Museum Ghost Hauntings

Until I started researching this blog post I didn’t realize this was also a site for paranormal activity. To my friends Wally and Jeff from Paranormal Research Enthusiasts of PA  ( Facebook: PREP ). I’m sure you guys already know about this site. I’ll try to stop in tonight or Friday to get some advice and pointers. I’d like to here from you guys on what I might be looking for in the way of paranormal.

For any camera club members that are reading this, please note:

HCC Flash Note:

The starting location has been changed from Camp Hill to Carlisle for this Saturday’s field trip to Altoona and Hollidaysburg, PA.  We will be meeting at the The Point mall parking lot in Carlisle, across from Pizza Hut.  The group will be departing at 7:30am from Carlisle and will be heading back at 5:00pm, arriving back in Carlisle between 7-7:30pm.  Details about the upcoming field trip are available at the club website; Harrisburg Camera Club.

Directions to the The Point mall in Carlisle:
From Camp Hill and Harrisburg: Take I-81 south to Carlisle and take the exit 49 off-ramp.  At the bottom of the ramp, bear to the right onto Hwy 641 (Trindle Road).  At the first light (approx. 3/10 mile), turn left into the parking lot and look for the group to the right, across from Pizza Hut.

From south of Carlisle:  Take I-81 north to Carlisle and take the exit 48 off-ramp.  At the bottom of the ramp, turn left onto York Road.  At the first light (approx 3/10 mile), turn right into the parking lot and then turn right at the stop sign into the mall.  We will be off to your left, across from Pizza Hut.
Please send an email to vicepresident@harrisburgcameraclub.org if you are planning to attend.  We’ll keep an eye out for you on Saturday morning.  Hope to see you there.

I Still Love Ocean City, Maryland…!! | HCC Altoona Field Trip | Railroaders Museum Images