PRR Juniata Scales Revisited

Prior to the Penn Central merger, I had the opportunity to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad during the railroad’s last 2 and ½ years as a clerk in the Trainmasters department. This involved work as a clerk in the Altoona Yard alternating between Rose Tower, South Tower (4^th Street opposite WORKS tower), and Juniata Scales. Looking at the vast Yard real estate today, it’s hard to visualize how things were 30 years ago. Much is similar and much is not.

	Viewing the Scales and the area of the "Pittsburgh Cabin Track" from the 8th St, Juniata Bridge. 5/22/00		Viewing the Scales from the Home Nursing Agency parking lot along Chestnut Avenue. 5/22/00
	Viewing the scales and eastbound classification yard from the 8th St, Juniata Bridge. 5/22/00.		The daily routine at the Juniata Scales. After each car is weighed, it would coast down the back side of the "hump", each carrying a brakeman who would control the brake and couple them together with other cars in the yard. (Photo by Tom Lynam and Altoona Achieves)

The Altoona Yard, pre-Penn Central, was indeed a busy place, although not necessarily cost-efficient, particularly in the eastbound operation. While much freight was sent into the Altoona yard and re-classified for other destinations, the primary business was coal. The Juniata scales weighed and made-up trains for various eastern destinations (westbound will be reviewed later). Eastbound freight arriving at Altoona entered the eastbound receiving yard at South Tower, adjacent to the 4^th St. pedestrian bridge. The clerk working there would record the car numbers passing the tower and matched them with the waybills the conductor threw off the end of the train (caboose, nee’ cabin days). Missing those numbers meant a long walk down in the yard to recapture the order of the train, not a pleasant activity at 3:00 a.m., lantern in hand. After arranging the waybills (with wheel report) in the correct order of numbers recorded, the pack was sent to Juniata Scales and pigeon-holed in a case corresponding to the track number the cars were located-on.

As late as 1965, Juniata Scales operated on three shifts per day but had waned to one shift by late 1967 and early 1968. Trains for classification were pushed in the usual manner over the twin scales hump, with weighing if appropriate. However, unlike modern hump operations, the Altoona classification was by gravity and cars were slowed manually by a brakeman who rode the cars down the incline to their designated track. The Yardmaster operated the switches pneumatically, but there were no automatic retarders. One can only image what it was like to ride those cars down on a dark foggy night to couple onto what lie ahead. Obviously, the operation was labor-intensive and the ‘company’ gradually whittled away at the many crews that dotted the crew dispatchers board.

After the initial classification, the waybills were realigned in their pigeon hole case for the corresponding track, preparatory to the clerk preparing the wheel report & waybills for the new eastbound crew. The final element was for the yardmaster at the FARM yard office (near the East Altoona engine house) to have crews ‘pull’ the classified tracks into a final consist. The prepared wheel report and waybills were sent to FARM for the new crew and when the train departed, the clerk at the ‘Scales" would transmit the wheel report to destination by teletype. Leaving the yard from FARM, trains exited the Altoona Yard at Antis Tower, where the freight mains through Altoona Yard rejoined the passenger main.

The Altoona yard was established in (obviously) eastbound and west-bound operations. However, westbound train classification in the 1960’s was never the operational parallel of the eastbound yard. Traffic dictated that most eastbound cars were ‘loads’ and most west bounds were empties. Westbound classification in the 1965-1968 period was via flat-shifting operations by ROSE Tower and the westbound departure controlled by the operator at WORKS Tower (located parallel/opposite SOUTH Tower at 4^th St). Movements were controlled by the Trainmaster in the Master Mechanic building at 9^th avenue & 12^th street, Altoona. Westbound exit was controlled by ALTO.

Westbound operations pre-1930 operated quite differently from that described in the preceding paragraph. Westbound freight trains left the main line just west of Bellwood at BELL Tower with a gradual ascent to the westbound receiving yard on a bluff above the mainline in the vicinity of ANTIS Tower. This gave elevation for the westbound gravity hump at WJ and WH (atop the east Altoona tunnel carrying the passenger main bypassing the Altoona yard), and offering a superb panoramic view to the west. WJ Tower was a magnificent limestone structure with Spanish tile roof and pediments, reminiscent of structures captured on film by William H. Rau during the late 19^th century and early 20^th. (Similar construction can be seen in period photos of Kittanning Point station, and IA Tower west of Horseshoe Curve). (Note: A superb image of this operation has been captured in watercolor, entitled "Hump Operations 1936" by Charles Burchfield (1893-1967) which is in the permanent collection of the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art).

"Nothing is as constant as change", as the popular quote goes. With the advent of Penn Central, the Juniata Scales was closed, and much of the Altoona yard operation was transferred to a flat-shifting operation at nearby Hollidaysburg Yard (Jones St). Hollidaysburg, home to the then SAMUEL REA CAR SHOPS, also had (has) a large east-west configuration. However, in the Penn Central era (and PRR), Hollidaysburg had a direct connection to the main line east at Petersburg (Huntingdon County) via (Petersburg Branch) and Gallitzin (Cambria County) via the New Portage Branch, as well as Altoona via the branch to ALTO. With the advent of Conrail, the Petersburg and New Portage branches were dismantled; Hollidaysburg Yard and ROSE yard continue flat-shifting operations. The Petersburg Branch is now host to a Rails-to-Trails enterprise from Williamsburg to Water Street. The New Portage branch is gone and I still have to wonder if this was a wise decision. New Portage from Duncansville (WYE) to Gallitzin Tunnel (SF) was always a prudent by-pass in case of derailments on the mainline mountain.

The Altoona Yard had one other yard office not previously mentioned: BRUSH. The early-mid 1960’s saw the start of through "relay" freight trains…which did not require re-classification at Altoona, operating between Conway and Enola yards. Operating at schedule as preference freight, these trains passed Altoona on the passenger main or through Altoona Yard for re-crewing and only a minimal delay. These trains were essentially complete consists although it could include a minor "set-off" or "pick-up", and continued through the yard re-entering the main at ANTIS interlocking. Westbound relay trains were handled by the Rose & Brush Yard Offices. Brush Yard included those tracks close to center line between eastbound and westbound with the longest trackage within the enter-exit switch points.

JUNIATA SCALES & SOUTH closed not long into the Penn Central era and yard areas became storage space for class-repair equipment and, in ensuring years many were gradually removed. The Scales Classification Yard in the post-Penn Central era also became an interesting storage site for white-lined passenger equipment of all descriptions. With the merger of the New York Central & Pennsylvania railroads, and the gradual reduction in passenger trains or downgrading of "name" train consists, a great deal of the blue-ribbon fleet was white-lined...removed from revenue service. Much of this equipment was scrapped or sold, sadly, while some of the heavyweight cars were converted into MW (Maintenance-of-Way) service, and painted yellow. Although many of you may remember, it was quite a visual experience to stand on that 8^th street Juniata Bridge (Red Bridge) and observe a sea of tuscan red passenger equipment before you. These were the "named" cars of the Blue Ribbon Fleet, e.g., the bedroom cars (RAPIDS series etc.), the section sleepers, the parlor and dining cars, all of which was pre-NRHS, and pre-Railroaders Memorial Museum. Much was lost in the late ‘60’s and early 70’s while the Horseshoe Curve Chapter NRHS was in its infancy, circa 1968. Sadly we saw the demolition of the cathedral of industry at the PRR Test Plant, PRR Locomotive Test Rack, most of the original Machine Shops at 12^th Street, the East Altoona Roundhouse, the various power plants at 12^th St., 4^th St., etc.

April 1963, The parlor car "COURAGEOUS" at East Juniata, white-lined, in storage pending disposition. Disposition unknown. Photo by David Seidel.

ADDENDUM; Juniata Scales opened for service April 15, 1927. First man to ride a car off the hump was S. C. Witts, Group # 6, at 7:05 a.m. Homer Hump (WJ) closed on 8-25-1957 and crews abolished. Furnace Hump (WH) closed 2-13-1957, and crews abolished.

POST-SCRIPT; Track profiles in the vicinity of ROSE yard office have changed over the years. Much of the remaining active yard takes place in the westbound and BRUSH yard office geography and very visible from the 8^th street Juniata Bridge. A great place to watch trains. Further along the bridge toward the east end, the old Juniata Scales is visible to the west, as are the remnants of the Scales Classification yard under the bridge. In recent years the cars stored here were in a forest of mature birch foliage, but vegetation was finally removed in 1998 and storage cars re-classified by type, giving the appearance of what-used-to-be. Future plans may see an industrial park developed here and, possibly, a bridged highway link to I-99 at Pinecroft. But, those of us with rose-colored-glasses in the minds-eye, will still see and remember what used to be…the late, GREAT, Pennsylvania Railroad. (By David Seidel, posted 2/6/99)

Although many remnants remain today, only an aerial view would, perhaps, indicate the true magnamity of the Altoona Yard and the real estate involved. Once rails are removed and vegetation matures in any form, the distinct character of the terrain alters significantly. However, according to a blueprint of the Altoona Yard, correct as of January 1, 1946, the following statistics dramatize the local yard operations:

Empty Receiving Yard                                     853                             10
Loaded Receiving Yard                                   211                               6
Loaded Class, Yard                                        540                             13
Empty Yard                                                   1365                             25
Preference & Advance Yd                             1502                             18

Receiving Yard                                              1791                             25
Classification Yard                                         2427                             32
Advance Yard                                                 578                                7

Total Capacity all other Yard Tracks & Sidings (excluding 32.62 miles Altoona Works Industrial sidings): 7690 Total Car Capacity, all tracks: 16965

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Photos are by Chris Behe unless otherwise noted.
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