The former Pennsylvania Railroad crossing of the Appalachians west of Altoona has always been an impressive stretch of railroad. Moreso, perhaps, when the environment bore the distinctive stamp of its original owner with multi-track signal bridge spans and position light signals, electro-pneumatic air lines and switch machines and, of course, the lineside block stations that populated the territory. MG, on the east slope about half way between Altoona and Gallitzin, was a unique structure and remained open on a part-time basis into the 1990s (it may be gone by now). You could hear westbounds laboring up the valley for a long while before the locomotives appeared from around the corner of Whipoorwill straightline. SD50 No. 6789, with a Dash8 behind, is in charge of one of the daily fleet of manifests with 84 cars and a pair of SD40s shoving on the rear as the train crosses over from No.3 to No.2 track on this beautiful late April morning. Fuji Velvia.
