altoona railroaders memorial museum

Skippy116

Ive been attending the summer concert series since it began. It is a great evening out and right here in Altoona. Yes alcohol is served but I have never seen an issue at any show. It is a great fun time for the area. Certainly puts us on par with our larger neighbor,Pittsburgh. At least for a few evenings in the summer. Great time!

98jamief

We stop here on a trip to Altoona.It was small but nice place to stop.We looked around for about an hour.It was not on our list but my daughter seen it and we ran in to see it.Happy I did.

DKMommy

The inside is well done, with three floors of displays. Outside you can view trains and the round house. Two short films about Horseshoe Bend run continuously. Fun for kids of all ages.

60stephene

I was driving through the area and decided to make a stop at the museum, as I have a great love of trains and industry. As other reviewers have stated, the museum was rather quiet. I was there on a Sunday afternoon and pretty much had the museum to myself. The museum gave me a greater appreciation for the people of Altoona and how much of an impact they had on American industry. It was amazing to learn that the locomotive engineers were constructing steam engines a century ago to tolerances of 1/1000 of an inch. It was also from these people that the middle class began to access the ability to travel, as railroad passes finally allowed many people beyond the rich to travel for leisure.The museum rightfully focused on the people who built the railroad and I was surprised with some of the interactive displays. I encourage all visitors to central Pennsylvania to visit.

995shaunt

As a railroader I found it neat to check out the history of the industry in the area. Seeing how things were and knowing how they are now was surprising to see.

Bvillegourmond

Was decided that as part of coming and visiting the Horseshoe Curve, we needed to see the National RR Museum. SO glad we did as they both go hand in hand. The movie presentations were informative & the displays shows much thought in the layout. If you even think it might be fun to see the HSC, you NEED to see the Nat RR Museum in Altoona first. They definitely compliment each other

NBLINY

Find out how Altoona's railroad activities made this town unique by visiting the museum. Plan on spending an hour or two here. Lots of visuals and animation to make for a valuable experience.

ChristianV593

Very much worth a visit. Do notice that the title "Railroaders Museum" is very accurate. This is very much about the people - the railroaders - not so much about the trains and locomotives. Very educational.

lmcclain

This is located in Altoona near the Amtrak station. The museum has admission that includes admission to the Horseshoe Curve park. The museum was interesting for both adults and children. There are interactive displays for kids. The gift shop had lots of fun train stuff. There are exhibits indoors and outdoors.

Shoogurl90

Great little museum to learn about the Altoona area. They also have nice summer concerts that feature local and national artists.

wade17

Never crowded and it really had a lot to teach you about the industry that built Altoona. I'd definitely stop in if it is your first visit to Altoona.

ThreeWiseMen1998

The museum was good and I'd say worth the visit. Not worth a repeat visit though. The museum is definitely getting better over time, of course they plan on opening the roundhouse and that will be a great addition. I thought it would be a 3-4 hour museum but was more like 1-2 hours. Staff was nice and restrooms clean. BTW: This museum is all about steam locomotives and the time period, nothing else.

thirdbase

The Altoona PA Railroaders Museum emphasizes the people involved in the industry. It does have a display of actual trains, but one should not expect this to be like Strasburg or Baltimore. Instead we seniors and 10yr old train fanatic grandson found the museum itself to be one of the most interesting exhibits we've seen. Lots of hands on and interactive stuff. Displays are done unusually and really hold interest. We found ourselves actually reading a lot of the info presented. There are two, good short movies in the theater. The three floors are loaded and you will need 1.5 to 2 hr to browse everything. One example: grandson stood in front of a large screen, near life size video featuring a 1940's boy in a news stand. As the newsboy spoke, seemingly to grandson, my kid stood mesmerized, peering in every direction the newboy pointed, as if real. Outside, there are some rolling stock and a yard full of equipment needing restoration. A roundhouse is being constructed, and when complete, this museum should even be a notch better. The fee is modest and can be combined with admission to Horseshoe Curve. You NEED to do both.

lernakid

After going to the Horseshoe Curve, we went to this museum which had very well designed exhibits and a film which even those who aren't big railroad fans can enjoy. The rolling stock exhibit outside is not exceptional, in comparison to the Penn. Railway Museum at Strasburg, but ok. The indoor experience more than makes up for that. I learned quite a bit and have a great respect for the contributions of the Pennsylvania Railroad. You can buy a combo ticket for the Horseshoe Curve, which is south of town, and the museum. You can definitely spend quite a bit of time at either attraction.

GRNEYEDgirl3201

We visited this museum as a couple in June near the ending of it's business day. The museum only had a few visitors while we were thing, making it very easy to walk around and see everything. There was so much to see! Three floors of interactive, interesting, and well-displayed exhibits covering every aspect of the Railroad industry/area. There was something for everyone and so much to absorb and take it. All the displays were easy to view, hear, and understand. It was a little warm and could've used some more A/C would be my only 'complaint'! There was a huge gift shop with quite a variety of reasonably priced merchandise. The one staff member at the entrance desk, was friendly and helpful when we purchased our tickets. There were a couple of train cars out in the grounds, but we did not have time to see them. The ticket price included viewing the Railroad Curve museum which we also drove to see, before they closed.Overall, I 'd definitely recommend this museum to anyone interested in railroads, history, Western PA or to anyone with middle age to older children.