The Railroaders Memorial Museum will strive to present educational and heritage programs to learners of all ages  through  innovative  outreach.  The  Spirit of Altoona will be the centerpiece of these engaging efforts. Additional rolling stock, such as baggage and post office cars, will supplement the locomotive by serving as exhibit space and passenger seating. These vibrant vignettes will foster immersive  experiences  for any visitor, pulling students and tourists into a rich 1950s ambiance. This method of interpretation through the implementation of historic railcars is a formula that has been used with great success at other heritage sites across the United States. Above all else, the rendering of such a vintage environment, along with STEAM education initiatives, will offer passengers a window into the nation’s compelling steam powered past.

Educational Opportunity

STEAM—which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math—is an integrated learning system that utilizes play and other informal activities designed to encourage and stimulate problem-solving abilities. Elements of the new learning experience at the Railroaders Memorial Museum will include hands-on learning opportunities and education camps aimed at K-12 students. Great technological change happened in railroading during the 1940s when steam engines were replaced by sleek diesel-electric locomotives. There is much that young people can learn from this transition and how it affects transportation today. A core element of this initiative will be a guidebook for railway-themed K-12 STEAM outreach activities. It will contain descriptions of educational interests designed to introduce students to the railroad transportation mode through the lens of STEAM concepts. While the railroad industry is the leader in long-haul freight transportation in the United States, recruiting students to leadership roles in the industry is challenging. With many railroad employees approaching retirement age, the need to raise student awareness of railway industry career opportunities has never been greater. The activities in the proposed guidebook will be available for download so any educator  can have access. These hands-on activities will provide students with knowledge through experiential learning that also increases their awareness of railway transportation technology and vocational pursuits.

Future Operations

The Spirit of Altoona will travel throughout the mid-Atlantic via regional short-lines and other tourist railroads. Building connections and partnerships with other tourist rail lines will provide multiple routes throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Revenue will be generated through ticket sales, merchandise sales, and corporate sponsorships. Average ticket prices will vary depending upon trip duration, train length, and the frequency of excursions. Each train journey will be able to accommodate possibly up to 500 passengers. Consistent ticket sales could therefore be as high as $30,000 per excursion trip. Utilizing these scheduled excursions, K4s 1361 will offer immersive and memorable experiences for paying customers through living history programs and much more.

Historically appareled hosts within each passenger car will serve as docents highlighting the travel life and culture of post-World War II America. This level of interaction will engender meaningful encounters and conversations between trained interpreters and passengers. Living history activities could include narrated scenery tours, theatrical events by costumed performers, and other seasonal tours coinciding with holidays such as Halloween and Christmas. A small retail space in the form of a recreated Pennsylvania Railroad commissary could sell vintage style playing cards, newspapers, magazines, and snacks. Additional props such as baggage carts, freight crates, luggage, signposts, and automobiles will further enhance the period aesthetic. Upon restoration completion, a more detailed lesson plan, complementing the museum’s curriculum, will be developed and implemented.

Live steam demonstrations will attract local visitors from Blair County and the surrounding areas. These demonstrations will include actual movement of the locomotive through the roundhouse complex by using the operating turntable and engine bays. These exhibitions will also consist of structured programs conveying the manners in which the rail heritage of the past pertains to contemporary rail operations in America. Live sessions will present the museum opportunities to gain additional revenue for maintenance support through special program admission prices. These programs will occur approximately once per quarter to coincide with events.

When not in active use for excursion tours, The Spirit of Altoona will be secured indoors at the museum’s Harry Bennett Memorial Roundhouse. These interludes of comparative inactivity will serve as ideal opportunities for static displays. A primary element of this will be wayside markers that chronicle the decades-long journey of the locomotive. These panels will include information and visuals on the construction, career, decline, and rebirth of the iconic train. Supplementing these will be lively audio recreating the sounds and voices of K4s 1361 in action.