EXPLORE THE PROJECT
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THE SPIRIT OF ALTOONA
The Pennsylvania Railroad was the gold standard of American industry. Its famed passenger service provided the ultimate travel comfort. From 1914 until 1956, the many passenger trains of the PRR were hauled by an iconic steam locomotive: the K4s Class engine—a masterwork of technology born of Altoona, Pennsylvania’s engineering and innovation. These mammoth engines propelled a growing nation through two world wars, the Great Depression, and a booming postwar America. Today, only two of these locomotives survive. The Spirit of Altoona is one of them. Having endured triumphs and challenges, the fabled locomotive is worthy of preservation and perpetual care. We invite you to join us in restoring this iconic engine so future generations may hear its whistle once again. |
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THE JUNIATA JEWEL
K4 1361 was built in the Juniata Shops, where it was placed in service on May 18, 1918, during the final spring of the First World War. The locomotive weighs an impressive 304,500 pounds. For more than thirty-five years the engine hauled trains of the iconic Pennsylvania Railroad passenger fleet over the main line, first between New York and Pittsburgh and later, after the PRR’s eastern lines were electrified, between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. When the locomotive was finally retired in 1956, K4 1361 had rolled up 2,469,000 miles—the mileage equivalent of ten round-trips to the moon. Countless of its many trips included passage across the World Famous Horseshoe Curve, where it was dedicated as a stationary monument to the Golden Age of Steam on June 8, 1957. A special excursion train of 1,600 passengers took Altoonans to the event. |
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RAILROAD RELIC REBORN
By 1985, after nearly three decades of exposure to the elements, great deterioration and considerable rusting had occurred. Through the efforts of Assemblyman Rick Geist, Conrail, and many others, the locomotive was moved to Altoona on September 16, 1985, to coincide with the fifth anniversary celebration of the Railroaders Memorial Museum. Initially, the K4 was only meant to receive cosmetic restoration. However, strong public interest and the availability of state grants spurred the ambition to return the locomotive to running condition. This work commenced on April 15, 1986 in an unused Conrail shop. A total of fifty-one volunteers from sixteen locations contributed approximately 25,000 hours to the project. On April 12, 1987, K4 1361 set out under steam on its first restored run. This first of several excursions took riders to historic Bellefonte. |
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THE DOMINO EFFECT
In 1988, one of the locomotive’s axles, which propelled the driver wheels, developed thermal stress, a discoloration due to heat. This halted any hopes of further excursions. A new axle was constructed and then sent to Latrobe where arrangements were made to have a keyway, or a notch cut into it, so the driver wheel could fit in and function properly. In August 1989, upon its return, the axle fell off its delivery truck and was damaged. These pitfalls of the late 1980s marked the beginning of a beset era for 1361. The engine was eventually sent to Steamtown National Historic Site for reconstruction after some grants were provided by the Commonwealth throughout the 1990s and 2000s. After little headway, the locomotive was incrementally returned to the Railroaders Memorial Museum beginning in 2007. For nearly fifteen years, the K4 languished in idleness as public enthusiasm and funds waned. Many suspected the project would never be finished and the impressive relic of the Steam Age would never again return to the tracks. The story does not end there. |
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