9-unit Westbound at Gallitzin PA

Another excerpt from my trip to the Horseshoe Curve area on August 4, 1994. We first saw this train down on its hands and knees rounding Horseshoe Curve as we jumped in the car and headed for the summit. A few minutes after we arrived we got a good look at the monster as it thundered out of the tunnel - 5 units on the point, 4 pushing, and well over 130 cars. Construction on the Allegheny Tunnel clearance project continues in the background; I filmed one more train coming out of the Gallitzin portal this day, and by the time I returned in March 1996 the new tunnel had been in service for a while.

The wind was gusting quite a bit, and as I filmed the helpers going away I saw an ugly black squall line bearing down on us fast (out of shot to the right at the end of the clip). I had just enough time to shut off the camera and run for the car as the sky broke wide open.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Conrail
• freight
• train
• railroad
• heavy
• SD40-2
• GP40-2
• helper
• tunnel
• smoke
• summit
• Allegheny
• Gallitzin
• Pennsylvania

[TheLegendsoflionel]

That's awesome! I was recently there about two months ago, and I thought the old tunnel had been closed for a few decades! Thanks for sharing.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@TheLegendsoflionel In four more years it will have been two decades. And now I feel old. :)

[jeepers2655]

I see a section of track,to the right of this train? was that the original track for this tunnel and now it uses the right tunnel track till they finish the larger tunnel?

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@jeepers2655 That's right, I believe that the track the train was on would have originally gone through the bore that was under construction. There was a good bit of work done to realign the curve.

[Retrainmytrain]

awesome video, when i went there in 2010 that tunnel didn't even have track anymore, even though i didn't see any trains i got to ride an amtrak though it!!

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@Retrainmytrain Lucky, I have yet to ride a train through the tunnel.

[kocharjm]

Good lord, this makes me homesick I was little kid when they were making the other tunnel.

[bowtieforlife]

wow thats my home town i can remember them doing that tunnel it would wake us up all the time from them tynomiteing

[meccaturbo]

ex N&W units on that train

[FastFlyingVirginian]

I got ya covered; see my response to your comment on the 'Allegheny Tunnel Dud' clip. :)