allegheny portage railroad national historic site

et me start by noting that I am a fan of the National Park system in general, having visited over 200 sites.Having said that, This was my first planned stop on 2 Feb. The weather looked crummy, but there was less than an inch of recent snow on the ground as I got here at the scheduled opening time. They were on a delayed opening due to weather! How travelers are supposed to know this is a mystery. Foolish me - I figured the roads were drivable and there were only flurries in the air, so... After all, this is southwest Pennsylvania, not north Florida, and they have snow removal capabilities! Given the way the weather progressed, the delayed opening did absolutely nothing for them.Well, I managed to walk around the site, including a hike down a boardwalk in a 6" accumulation of snow (They don't bother with clearing the boardwalk in the winter - A job that would take about 15 minutes).I'm happy with what I saw, but a little put-out as a taxpayer by the example set by this site.

A fascinating park-apparently the idea was to create Pennsylvania's version of the Erie Canal, but to get over the Alleghenies, they created this portage system where they'd haul things over the mountains using steam engines. Really innovative for the early 1800s!The park site is great, well-maintained and full of nice trails. The video they have is hilarious-it's some Wilford Brimley type narrating what it was like to work on the railroad and portage. Very entertaining in that unique way that National Park videos can be.To get to it, you have to drive a fair piece from any major city, although it's close to Altoona. Quick note, if you're coming from the south like I did. The signs will tell you to get on US 22 heading toward Altoona to get to the visitor center. However, there will be no sign telling you where to get *off* US 22, so make sure you get off at the Gallitzin exit. If you're coming from Altoona, there will be a big sign for the Park at the Gallitzin exit, so no worries.

Great place to stop for families. Especially those with little kids that need space to move. Plenty of outside areas to explore and trails to walk. The inside area was very fascinating, be sure to do the junior ranger program, watch the movie, and spend some time talking to the park rangers.

We visited this little National Park on Columbus Day this year. There is a small museum with exhibits to read and review regarding that the Allegheny Portage Railroad is all about. There is a 20-minute film about the history and what happened to the railroad. The cost is $4.00 per person. Then one goes outside to a winding boardwalk to go down to the engine house and Lemon House (which was a tavern/hotel) back in the 1800s that supported the little 'town' there along the railroad incline. Very nice stop for about 2 hours.

My husband and I visited this National Park facility on October 12, 2014 and we both thought it was very interesting. The Visitor Center is beautiful and gives you a background of the engineering feat in the mid 1800's. There is a 20 min film to watch and several models to help explain the mechanics of the railroad. The easy walk to the Number 6 engine house and the Lemon House was on a very nice boardwalk. I would recommend this to anyone in the area looking for an informative and educational two hours.

I am a travel writer and photographer for National Park Planner (npplan.com) and I visited the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site in September 2014. The park commemorates one of America’s early technological achievements. Faced with losing business to New York’s Erie Canal during the rush to move people and goods to the west, the state of Pennsylvania opted to build its own canal from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. Only the Allegheny Mountains stood in the way.The canal would be dug from two sides of the mountain, with the eastern leg running from Philadelphia to Hollidaysburg and the western leg running from Pittsburgh to Johnstown. The gap between the two ends of the canal presented the challenge of how to move canal boats over the mountain. The solution was to build a “railroad,” not a railroad in the traditional sense of the word, but an incline railroad powered by steam engines that could take a canal boat out of the water on one side of the canal, place it on a rail car, and through a series of short inclines, pull it up the mountain and lower it down the other side where it could be placed back into the canal so that it could finish its journey east or west across Pennsylvania.Construction on the canals began in the late 1820s, with the incline railroad starting in 1831 and opening for business in 1834. The incline railroad remained functional until the early 1840s, when the state built tracks around the base of the mountains from one side of the canal to the other. This was called the “new” Portage Railroad and it eliminated the need for the inclines. Overall, the Portage Railroad, old and new, remained the quickest way to move people and cargo across Pennsylvania for 23 years until it was replaced by a traditional railroad that bypassed the need for the canal, carrying passengers and goods from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh entirely on rails beginning in 1857.The portage railroad was dismantled once it went out of business and nothing is left except for a few permanent tunnels and the Lemon House, the home of Samuel Lemon, who also ran a tavern from the home. This is open to visitors for self-guided tours of the first floor. The National Park Service has also reconstructed Engine House 6 at its original location at the top of Incline 6 (also open to visitors). The engine house is a building typical of those that housed the stream engines and pulley system that hoisted the canal boats up and down the mountain. In addition, a Visitor Center is located a short walk from the Lemmon House and Engine House 6. It is here that you can get a better understanding of how the railroad worked through information panels, archival photos, and models.There are also three trails in the park. The 8-mile long 6 To 10 Trail takes hikers from the sixth incline (at the Visitor Center) to the tenth incline (towards Hollidaysburg). At the end of the trail is the Foot of Ten Trail that takes hikers to the area where Engine House 10 once stood. In addition, visitors can drive 35 miles towards Johnstown to the Staple Bend Tunnel, the first railroad tunnel ever built in America. It is situated near the top of Incline 1. A two mile paved trail that can be biked or hiked takes visitors to the tunnel.For complete park information and plenty of quality photos, visit National Park Planner.

There is little traffic at this national historic site, and local railroad history with national importance is nearby.

This is a beautiful Nation Park facility, detailing the history of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. You start in the Visitors center, where you are introduced to the railroad with a 20 minute film. You then tour the museum and see visual aids that further define this truly remarkable engineering feat. Basically, a series of steam engine houses were used to pull canal boats up, by rail, on inclined planes to traverse the mountains between the east and west canals that connected Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. After the museum, you walk through the forest on a beautiful meandering deck to a steam house. Sections of the original steam house are shown in the excavation, protected by a larger newer building. You can see the rails leading to and away from the steam house, and then leading through the valleys. Quite remarkable. The original Lemon house is at the top of the hill, which served as a stopping point for weary rail travelers, offering them food and drink. The house is open for viewing and a park guide will be there to answer questions. Although the system was made obsolete in a few years by the steam locomotives, it remains a tribute to the early engineers and American know how!

I love this museum more than Horseshoe Curve, Altoona Railroad Museum, & Gallitzin Tunnels. They have the wheel house, a house that used to be a hotel I believe and a museum with videos. Its awesome to see the path that this railroad took.

My first piece of advice is in the title. My GPS couldn't find it, but fortunately I'd checked on a map before setting out and whilst I was there they had a query from a "lost" visitor. When you do find it you won't be disappointed. Start with the informative film to give a better understanding of the history, allow plenty of time to walk down to the Lemon House. A good place to spend a few hours.

We spent the better part of our day at this historic site and had a wonderful time! We first saw the film at the Visitors Center, and it was definitely worth the 20 minutes. Well done and informative.After a brief tour of the Center we took the nice walk down to the Lemon House, stopping at the machinery area that shows how the railroad cars were lifted up and down the mountain.The self-guided tour at the Lemon House was quite enjoyable and well enough signed that the lack of a guide was not felt. A leisurely stroll back to the Visitor Center and a stop at the small but well stocked gift shop completed this phase. I should note that it is a longish walk to the Lemon House, but the walk is along a modern boardwalk through the woods with plenty of 'rest stops' with benches. The grade is noticeable, but by taking our time and stopping occasionally, even my decreased-mobility husband was able to make and enjoy the walk. One can drive to the House, however, if the walk is too much.We did drive to the Skew Arch - a fascinating bridge that was built on the skew to accommodate the wagons on the road above the railroad. It's really amazing and pleasing to the eye.All in all, it was a totally worthwhile and pleasurable visit!

Wonderful history lesson -- how did people and goods get from Philadelphia west, over the Allegheny Mountains, before the railroad tunnels were built? Well, this historic site will provide the answer -- and it will amaze you.

Back in the 1830's, people had two ways to travel from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh....One was by roads, which were little more than muddy Indian Trails through the wilderness. The other was to travel by Canal Boat......but one BIG problem stood in the way.....the Allegheny Mountains that run from north to south across Central Pennsylvania.The solution came when some very innovative people decided to HAUL THE CANAL BOATS OVER THE MOUNTAINS via the Allegheny-Portage Railroad.Completed in 1834, it was truly an engineering marvel......hauling boats up extremely steep grades via cables pulled by massive engines housed in buildings up and down the slopes....it ran for over 30 miles and connected to canals on both the east and west sides of the mountains. For the next 20 years, it provided an incredibly fast way to get from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh....until the Railroad was able to be build over the mountains.Visit the impressive Visitor's Center and other historic buildings, including an "Engine House", a Tavern (called the "Lemon House") and sections of rail as they would have appeared in the 1830s.Less than a mile off of Rte 22, this is well worth the visit when you are in the Altoona area.Check it out.

Coming to the Alleghany Portage Railroad is one interesting place. They have an old engine shed here that trains used to come in and out of. If you are visiting the visitor center they have a fee but if you just want to walk down and see the engine shed it is free.

Transportation across the mountains of central Pennsylvania was a significant piece of the westward growth of the United States in the 1800's and this little historical site preserves and presents it in exemplary manner. From the displays to the preserved parts of this example of ingenuity it is well worth a visit. Our grandson's loved it. Leave time for children to visit the displays of crafting that are often at work.